To clarify my recommendation more, I'll offer the following in best-to-worst:
Super Slow: the most accurate and clean sounding. Shows instruments as they should sound in the studio without digital effects. Runs the 8x sampling of the AK4490 filter at 4x.Will cost a bit of detail in high res files, but some of those details are overrated and unnatural. Piano, guitar, bass, drums, cymbals sound dead accurate. Not the most sub-bass/bass reverb. Listening to actual tracks recorded off a sound board are decently accurate to the sound board itself during recording. Reminiscent of analog playback from a good source, but with better highs. Smooth, rich.
SEE: Phil Collins "The Singles", Eric Clapton "Complete Clapton", Fleetwood Mac (HDTracks remasters, especially Tusk), Alison Krauss (Live), most classical works
EQ: You could add +1db to 31, 63, 125 and 8k, 16k to give a bit more definition back.
Short Delay Slow: the best compromise between detailed and accurate. Cymbal hits don't ring as long as they should, but still sound natural and clear. Drum vibrations ring as they should. High-res details appear, but subtle and visible. You can still tell the difference between a keyboard and piano, as well as real drums vs digital (midi) drumpads. Good for more "powerful" music with real instruments where you would want more detail to appear.
SEE: Sierra Hull (Daybreak), Joan Osborne (Relish, 20th Anniv Ed), Doobie Brothers (HDTracks Best of the Doobies), Enya (Best of), Amelia Brightman (self-titled), Jewel (Best of), Dar Williams (most albums)
EQ: flat works great
Short Delay Sharp: details start to sound digital, drums 'tap' instead of 'thwap'. Cymbals get 'ting' instead of 'taaannng'. Vocals get rich detail and bass nuances appear. Keyboards show harmonics in the highs. Pianos sound like keyboards. Digital sourced music (electronica, trance, ambience) sounds pretty good here.
SEE: NIN (HDTracks The Downward Spiral), Conjure One (any album), Depeche Mode (Violator DSD), Lindsey Stirling (Shatter Me), Dido (most albums)
EQ: had to take the 8K down -1db to cut off a bit of harshness in some vocals. A de-esser would have been nice.
Sharp: Everything sounds digital. Drums sound more like drumpad digital, including cymbals. Everything has more punch, but less nuances. Very little of the natural details of instruments remain. MP3 (lossy) files start to show that harmonic anti-aliasing edge where the definition is lost (around 12-16k). Electronics stuff sounds crisp and powerful (Conjure One sounds good here too, but can get some harsh treble). Very reminiscent of early days of CD.
SEE: Better to not use this, but use Short Delay Sharp as the result will be cleaner and less harsh. I did find that the HDTracks version of Megadeth Symphony of Destruction sounded really good with this though. So if you want everything as sharp, high, and crisp as possible, this is for you. Don't do it if you want any instrument to not sound synthesized though.
EQ: To taste, as there just ain't no right here.
Slow: Don't do it, just don't. Everything sounds fake and muddy. Digital sounds wrong, real instruments get warbly and sound like a gate/compressor has been applied. All the other filters should cover what you need. This filter is just not right.
SEE: n/a
* Note that EQ should be used to equalize a listening environment FIRST. In the case of a room and speakers, it should neutralize any reflections or absorbtions. For headphones, it's to correct dips and other artifacting to make them neutral. THEN, you would add/subtract what you want to taste. And, the typical rule of preferring subtractive EQ before additive doesn't work as well with the N3 for some reason. Probably gain related. In the case of the UERR, EQ was off or flat. For the studio monitors, well they are already in a properly treated room with unity gain and no effects rack inline.
* The "SEE" items are tracks that I've really noticed the difference in. Though my analysis of the filters does NOT originally come from pre-packaged music, but rather tracks that I created for testing in the studio recorded off the mixing console where I listened to them via UERR and monitors. I also listened from the other side of the glass to study the details first.
The filter difference isn't as subtle as it's made out to be by AKM or others. It just takes a good ear and accurate monitors, good reference material, a *dead* quiet & accurate environment, and a lot of damn time! The difference between Super Slow and Short Delay Slow can be noticed in the first 15 seconds of Phil Collins remastered "True Colors" from The Singles as well as in the fine detail of "In the Air Tonight". Listen for the snare decay, cymbal splash decay, as well as the tiny keyboard pan left.
h34r:
