ChaChaRealSmooth
100+ Head-Fier
Audeze's graphs provide useful reference and I believe they have been consistently using the same system and measurement technique for a decade now (I could be wrong). I have their graphs for various Audezes I have heard or owned over the past decade, and I know exactly what I need to EQ based on the graph they send me for my specific drivers.
Could you upload the Audeze graph for reference?
We're going to have to disagree on the usefulness of reference. While the graphs might be from the same system (and I believe that they have used the same system for years), there isn't a disclosure on the compensation curve nor smoothing used. Unless other headphones from other companies are also measured on the same system, it's hard to evaluate their measuring rig's tendencies.
Measurements also don't tell the whole story, especially FR curves. Everyone knows about the QC issues Audeze has had in the past. I've seen the measurements of some of the grade F headphones, and the FR measurements from Audeze don't look bad. Looking at spectrograms/CSDs tells a different story, and our ears definitely can tell the difference. Thankfully, it seems that starting the 2016 revisions, Audeze has banished most of the QC ghost that plagued them (congratulations to Audeze).
Good on you if you can use the graphs to EQ; I just use the stock tuning. I actually think the upper mid dip is needed on Audezes; to my ears they just sound unnatural when EQ'd flat. YMMV.
And just for the record; I love my LCD-3. It nails down my preferences nearly perfectly. It's forgiving to source and sings as long as you provide it with the proper amplification. It has made some non-audiophile friends hate their generic stuff. I would give it my highest recommendation (yes, even over the LCD-4 I briefly heard; blasphemous, I know). I just wouldn't call it a warm/dark headphone (which is what my post of the graph was in response to). Maybe the slightest touch of warmth with sparkle in the treble is a better way to put it.
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