diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index aa69915e5..dd8f4929e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.
 - Pedalboard/snapshot titles now auto-scroll only while selected with the NAV encoder (at most one thing scrolls at a time, and they sit at their leftmost position otherwise) — LCD updates over SPI are audible on the DAC at high gain, so the screen stays quiet while you play
 ### Fixed
 - Long titles scrolled slightly past their last pixel before bouncing back; the scroll window now matches the drawn text area exactly
+- Global EQ in the Audio & MIDI menu no longer disappears on sound cards without the DAC EQ (and at unsupported sample rates): the Equalizer row and bars stay visible, perma-disabled with an [N/A] badge
 
 ## [v3.3.1] - 2026-08-14
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/plugins/audio_midi/panel.py b/plugins/audio_midi/panel.py
index 0f6fb8903..2a38e4419 100644
--- a/plugins/audio_midi/panel.py
+++ b/plugins/audio_midi/panel.py
@@ -40,6 +40,10 @@
 opens a radio submenu (Internal / Ableton Link / MIDI Clock Slave); VU Cal
 opens the existing VU calibration dialog. Switching the Equalizer off drops
 the bands out of the NAV cycle and dims them.
+
+Cards without the DAC EQ hardware (and rates where the DA7213 EQ is N/A)
+keep the row and bars visible — perma-disabled with an [N/A] badge, bands
+greyed at their stored/0 dB values and out of the NAV cycle.
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -139,7 +143,7 @@ def _eq_badge(on: bool, supported: bool = True) -> PillGlyph:
 
     if not supported:
         # Never toggles, so it can size to its own label.
-        return PillGlyph("DISABLED", height=_BADGE_GLYPH_H, color=DEFAULT_COLOR, outline=True)
+        return PillGlyph("N/A", height=_BADGE_GLYPH_H, color=DEFAULT_COLOR, outline=True)
     # Both states share the wider of the two labels so the row doesn't reflow.
     w = max(PillGlyph(t, height=_BADGE_GLYPH_H).width for t in ("ON", "OFF"))
     return PillGlyph(
@@ -362,7 +366,7 @@ def __init__(self, *, handler: "Modhandler", on_dismiss: Callable[[], None]) ->
         except RuntimeError:
             logging.warning("no sample rate; disabling the DAC EQ")
             specs = None
-        self._eq_supported = specs is not None
+        self._eq_supported = specs is not None and self._has_eq
         self._bands = specs if specs is not None else BAND_SPECS
         super().__init__(
             plugin=source,  # type: ignore[arg-type]  # ParamSource, not Plugin
@@ -382,11 +386,10 @@ def eq_enabled(self) -> bool:
     def snapshot_state(self) -> AudioMidiState:
         params = self.plugin.parameters
         bands: dict[str, GraphicBandParams] = {}
-        if self._has_eq:
-            for band in self._bands:
-                p = params.get(band.gain_sym)
-                gain = float(p.value) if p is not None else 0.0
-                bands[band.name] = GraphicBandParams(enabled=True, gain_db=gain)
+        for band in self._bands:
+            p = params.get(band.gain_sym)
+            gain = float(p.value) if p is not None else 0.0
+            bands[band.name] = GraphicBandParams(enabled=True, gain_db=gain)
         ac = self._handler.audiocard
         in_sym = Symbol(ac.CAPTURE_VOLUME) if ac.CAPTURE_VOLUME is not None else None
         out_sym = Symbol(ac.MASTER) if ac.MASTER is not None else None
@@ -450,28 +453,26 @@ def build_widgets(self) -> None:
             self._out_arc.set_badge(_BADGE_TWEAK3)
 
         # Right column: EQ bars (4px top margin).
-        if self._has_eq:
-            self._bar_widget = _CompactEqWidget(
-                box=Box.xywh(cb.x0 + _EQ_BAR_X, cb.y0 + _EQ_Y, _EQ_BAR_W, _EQ_H),
-                bands=self._bands,
-                font=self._tiny_font,
-                parent=self,
-            )
-            self._bar_widget.set_enabled(self.eq_enabled)
-            self._bar_widget.set_state(self.snapshot_state().eq)
+        self._bar_widget = _CompactEqWidget(
+            box=Box.xywh(cb.x0 + _EQ_BAR_X, cb.y0 + _EQ_Y, _EQ_BAR_W, _EQ_H),
+            bands=self._bands,
+            font=self._tiny_font,
+            parent=self,
+        )
+        self._bar_widget.set_enabled(self.eq_enabled)
+        self._bar_widget.set_state(self.snapshot_state().eq)
 
         self.apply_state(self.snapshot_state())
 
     def _build_rows(self) -> None:
         cb = self.content_box
-        if self._has_eq:
-            self._eq_row = _DiscreteRow(
-                box=Box.xywh(cb.x0 + _ROWS_X, cb.y0 + _EQ_SW_Y, _ROWS_W, _ROW_H),
-                segments=self._eq_row_segments(),
-                action=self._on_eq_row,
-                font=self._row_font,
-                parent=self,
-            )
+        self._eq_row = _DiscreteRow(
+            box=Box.xywh(cb.x0 + _ROWS_X, cb.y0 + _EQ_SW_Y, _ROWS_W, _ROW_H),
+            segments=self._eq_row_segments(),
+            action=self._on_eq_row,
+            font=self._row_font,
+            parent=self,
+        )
         y = cb.y0 + _ROWS_Y
         sync_segs = self._sync_row_segments()
         self._sync_row = _DiscreteRow(
diff --git a/tests/v3/test_audio_midi_panel.py b/tests/v3/test_audio_midi_panel.py
index 32195b0da..9825366f2 100644
--- a/tests/v3/test_audio_midi_panel.py
+++ b/tests/v3/test_audio_midi_panel.py
@@ -231,6 +231,58 @@ def test_no_bypass_button(self, audio_midi_system: SystemFixture):
         assert panel._btn_back is not None
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Non-IQaudIO cards (no DAC EQ): the EQ is perma-disabled, not a black hole
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestAudioMidiPanelNoEqHardware:
+    """Cards without ``DAC_EQ`` keep the Equalizer row and the bars visible
+    but inert — [N/A] badge, bars greyed, nothing EQ in the NAV cycle, and
+    no writes to the audiocard."""
+
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def no_eq_system(self, audio_midi_system: SystemFixture) -> SystemFixture:
+        handler = audio_midi_system.handler
+        ac = cast(MagicMock, handler.audiocard)
+        ac.DAC_EQ = None
+        ac.EQ_1 = ac.EQ_2 = ac.EQ_3 = ac.EQ_4 = ac.EQ_5 = None
+        handler.eq_status = True  # stale bit; the panel must still grey the EQ
+        return audio_midi_system
+
+    def test_eq_visible_inert_with_na_badge(self, no_eq_system: SystemFixture):
+        from plugins.audio_midi.panel import _eq_badge
+        from uilib.misc import InputEvent
+
+        handler = no_eq_system.handler
+        panel = _open_panel(no_eq_system)
+
+        assert panel._eq_supported is False
+        assert panel.eq_enabled is False
+        # Shown, not hidden: row and bars exist.
+        assert panel._eq_row is not None
+        assert panel._bar_widget is not None
+        # [N/A] badge, not the toggleable [OFF].
+        assert _eq_badge(True, supported=False)._label == "N/A"
+        # Nothing EQ participates in the nav cycle.
+        assert panel._eq_row not in panel.sel_list
+        assert not any(isinstance(w, _BandSelectable) for w in panel.sel_children())
+        # Bars render greyed-out at their fallback 0 dB.
+        st = panel.snapshot_state().eq
+        assert [b.name for b in BAND_SPECS] == list(st.bands)
+        assert all(p.gain_db == 0.0 for p in st.bands.values())
+        assert panel._bar_widget._enabled is False
+        # Row click is a no-op — no toggle, no hardware write.
+        assert panel._on_eq_row(InputEvent.CLICK) is False
+        ac = cast(MagicMock, handler.audiocard)
+        ac.set_switch_parameter.assert_not_called()
+
+    def test_eq_row_skipped_in_nav_cycle(self, no_eq_system: SystemFixture):
+        panel = _open_panel(no_eq_system)
+        # Initial selection falls through the EQ column to the Input arc.
+        assert panel.sel_ref is panel._in_arc
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Sagas — AudioCard writes flow through the synthetic source
 #