so ive been on 40m a lot lately working some domestic stuff and a couple guys have mentioned my audio sounds a bit muddy or bassy. im running an IC-7300 into a Heil PR-40 which i thought was supposed to be a pretty good combo but maybe im doing something wrong in the menu settings. i had a buddy key up next to me on a different rig and monitor my signal and he said it sounded like i had too much low end, kind of boomy. the TX EQ in the 7300 is pretty flexible but ive mostly just left it flat because i figured the PR-40 would handle things on its own.

ive also been wondering about compression. right now i have the compression set to maybe 4 or 5 on a 0-10 scale, which i thought was moderate. not trying to sound like a broadcast station just want to be readable on a crowded band without blowing peoples ears off. anyone have good starting points for the TX EQ on the 7300 specifically with a dynamic mic like the PR-40? or is this more of a mic gain issue? i feel like ive read conflicting stuff about whether you want the ALC bouncing around or sitting steady.

yeah the PR-40 is definitely on the warmer/bassier side by nature, it picks up a ton of low end especially if youre close to it — proximity effect is real with that mic. what i do with mine is cut a few dB around 100-200hz in the TX EQ and give a little boost maybe around 2-3khz to add some presence. voice intelligibility on SSB lives in that midrange area more than people realize.

on the ALC thing, conventional wisdom used to be keep it barely moving but ive seen Icom's own docs say a little bit of ALC action on the 7300 is normal and fine. the thing you dont want is the ALC pegging hard on every syllable, that's when you get that compressed distorted sound. drop your mic gain until the ALC is kissing the top maybe on loud peaks only, then dial in compression from there. i run mine around 3-4 and honestly thats plenty for 40m. anything over 6 and people start noticing.

not directly related to your EQ question but one thing that helped me a lot was just doing a proper on-air recording and actually listening back to myself. most modern SDRs make it easy, just have someone near you record your signal on a WebSDR or a local club member with a second radio. i was convinced my audio was fine for like two years before i actually heard a recording and was like oh no. sometimes the issue isnt even settings, its mic placement or background noise getting picked up. the PR-40 is cardioid but it still picks up more room than you'd think if your shack has hard surfaces bouncing sound around.