[GSARider]

Anyone tried the Audyssey Amp App? It claims to have bespoke settings for over 200 pairs of headphones that can be used with any iDevices to improve sound...

 

[Arnold Layne]

I haven't tried AMP but I do use the Songza app, which uses the same technology. It's fantastic! I like dubstep/DnB and the Senn. HD515s I have at work don't really give the kind of bass kick I like, so I've been looking for something to fill that gap. Using the Songza app, though, I set my headphones to the HD580 setting (515s weren't listed), and it immediately brought color into the music. The beats went from bland background to kicking my ears (in a good way). I've stopped looking for new cans, but I can't listen to bass heavy music on my 515s without the Audyssey improvement software. The only reason I haven't gotten AMP is that I stream most of my dubstep/DnB.

 

[RG123]

This is a fairly old post, but I stumbled upon it looking for something on Google. I just wanted to add a few comments relevant to the topic though.
 
I just picked this app up recently and I have mixed feelings about it.
 
One great thing about the app is that it's universal, so I can install it on both my iPad and iPhone, only paying the $0.99 fee once. Moreover, there's no additional fees to download headphone profiles. If you have several pairs of headphones, you can download the profiles for all of them. This let's you switch quickly between headphones on the device or install new headphones when you buy new ones.
 
I'll try to describe the sound, but I'm a total newb when it comes to these audiophile forums and I have never written a review. So I apologize right now if I use some incorrect terms or language that is not the usual jargon.

I absolutely love the software for my Etymotics MC5 in-ear phones. They make the sound much more lush. It fills everything out for you. I get that these headphones are supposed to be flat and as close to neutral as possible. I thought I wanted that in a headphone and I was seriously mistaken. The sound is flat and boring. It's dull and uninspired. I like a neutral sound, but there is absolutely no character to these headphones at all. The Audyssey profile brings these headphones alive. Filling out the sound exactly where it needs to be without over-emphasizing any particular range over another.

But here's the rub, I don't particularly care for Audyssey for my Grado SR80i headphones. I really love the character of Grado's headphones and I find that Audyssey actually takes away from that character. It takes the punchiness out of the bass and gives the sound and overall more muddy, rolling tone that I don't particularly care for. So a lot of times I just turn it off when I'm using my Grados. I also own a pair of Grado iGi earbuds (which frankly I like a hell of a lot more than the MC5s), but Audyssey doesn't actually have a sound profile for them, so I don't even know if it would improve the sound there.
 
So for me Audyssey Media Player is a mixed bag. At the end of the day, I would suggest spending the small fee to try it out yourself. If you like it use it. I know there's a lot of audio snobs out there that turn their nose up at such things, but at the end of the day what's most important is the enjoyment that you get out of your setup.

 

[vhobhstr]

This app makes my Sony MDR-NC13 sound OK. Without it, the NC13 is unlistenable. The app also changes the sound of my Sony MDR-V6, but it's not as essential as it is with the NC13. I'd like to use it with my Sennheiser MX880 and MX980, but Audyssey doesn't have headphone profiles for those models yet. Audyssey claims that this app is the only iOS app that takes into account your specific playback device, headphones and playback volume. Is this claim still true? I'd like to find an app that can produce a similar improvement with my MX980 (I've already suggested the MX980 to Audyssey and it may take months for them to add a profile for it, if they add one at all). I've tried Accudio, and it sounds pretty good, but it's very unstable on my iPod touch 4th gen. I've looked at CanOpener and Audio-3D Player 7.1, but neither of those have a profile for the MX980.