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spkrs01 said:
This is exactly my point,
when one has the Eq. closed and on flat, it is boosted!!! Backing vocals sounds as loud as the main vocalist, percussions are un-proportionate in size, soundstage is cramped, no sense of depth, instruments on top of each other not having it's on space........the list goes on!
Try this.......switch the Eq. ON. and on FLAT, you will notice that the volume decreases.
On this setting set every band to +6...volumes goes louder! Now switch the Eq. to off.
No difference in sound at all!
This leads me to believe when the Eq. is off, it is in fact on the default Android boosted setting which is prevalent on all their devices.........If you want FLAT Eq. switch it on and leave it there. Plus do not hit the rest button as this will revert the player to boosted levels of the Eq.
You will know when the setting is correct when it is playing at the lower volume level comparatively!
Quote:
This is what I was saying 2-3 weeks ago.
It is not boosted EQ as claimed by iBasso/Hiflight - EQ off is the true flat EQ, EQ on but set at 0 is a processed sound with decreased gain throughout all the bands.
Android default sound is the sound of iBasso player with EQ on and set at +6 across all bands. This was the factory default setting as well - when you updated the firmware for the first time and tried to use the EQ, everything starts from +6.
This means that whatever you do with the EQ, you are only cutting the bands, not boosting. This helps to prevent clipping for those who always try to boost their EQs across all the bands.
The reason why reducing the gains across all bands from +6 to 0 will sound different even if you try to compensate it back by increasing the volume is because of the imperfection of EQ.
I am like you though, preferring EQ on with everything set at 0 (-6 from the Android default sound) than to have EQ off (getting the Android default sound).
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lee730 said:
I leave the EQ off as it sounds the best this way IMO and ibasso says this is their intended "Flat" EQ. Enabling the EQ activates the android based EQ and alters the sound. Now if you have issues with clipping then I'd say the Flat EQ based on android is good. Otherwise it takes things too far away and makes the DX100 not so intimate and boring.
I know this issue has been almost discussed to death but I'd really like to get to the bottom of the implementation of the EQ and what setting, if any, is the 'default' (for want of a better word) sound out of this device. I spent an eternity yesterday going through this amazing thread, but although there's a lot of great opinions expressed, I still don't think there's a definitive answer. All the descriptions above about the 'effect' of either having EQ closed (off) or open (on) seem correct on the basis of my listening. Which actually
sounds the 'best' is clearly a mute point, dependent on a whole range of variables, and in a way it doesn't matter because you can fine tune it to something
you're happy with, but I'd still like to have some kind of base point to start from. You'd think it would be EQ off, and that this would be the same as EQ on but everything set flat (to 0), but it clearly isn't. Repeating the views above: EQ off
is the same or very very similar to EQ on and everything set to max (+6). In which case to my mind EQ on and everything set to zero would seem to be an arbitrary setting,
unless that truly is the 'default'. Is there an definitive answer to this? Has ibasso given their view?
I'm using 1.1.7 and until recently I used the fully boosted EQ 'closed' setting in the belief that it
must be ibasso's intended "Flat" setting. Eventually I've concluded that it's 'too much of a good thing' and becomes fatiguing with prolonged listening (some hardness in the mids and glare in the high frequences). By contrast, EQ on, everything set to 0 seems rather flat, dull and colourless, although there is more 'space' around everything. So I've ended up with a custom setting with everything boosted slightly a bit of additional boost at each extreme (though less at the high end)), and that seems pretty nice and musical, both straight out through my Westone 4Rs, or through the analogue line out > Violectric v200 > HD650s.
This leads me on to my second question. If I use the DX100 as a music server/transport to a separate DAC (say the v800 that I'm thinking of buying) what's coming out of the digital out? Is it the mythical 'Flat' setting (whatever that actually is) or do all the issues above still apply? The EQ processing is clearly being applied in the digital domain, so I'd like to know what others have found. Is the use of a stand alone DAC even worth it with this device?
I love all the technical advances of recent years but I sometimes wish things were simple like in the days of my old high end CD-based system, that had no tone adjustment at all. At least you knew for certain that what came out of the system was Meridian's/Naims/etc's take on what sounded best, and you just 'adjusted' it by your choice of partnering ancillaries and cables.
