I would be interested to know if and how much you change the equalizer settings for the DAP / headphones.
So far, the topic in home hifi was a nogo ... It was linear standard
I tend not to use eq as I have a bunch of headphones so it doesn’t make sense for me and also I bought most of my headphones for how they sound I like what they do for certain things and then just to change the flavor for the day. There are some that go to make them as flat as possible and others follow the Harman Target curve which is fine for them but I tend not to use it myself.
if you want to change it up that is fine but I know me I would spend more time fiddling with changing this and that and then a different song would come on and I would be at it again and not actually listening to the music. Just my 2 cents .
Though I also have the tendency to fiddle too much with things like eq, I couldn't resist the urge to eq my two problem children: Meze 99 Classics and Senn HD 25 Aluminum. My current dap (FiiO X5ii) saves eq presets, and after a few months of tweaking I have mostly settled on one preset for each. (Ok I admit it, I do still mess with them from time to time)
I do overall agree with the theory that it's best to find headphones that give you what you want, such that you don't need to eq. But the practical reality is that I sometimes fall in love with less than perfect sounding cans for their other characteristics (like size, fit, portability, price, etc.), provided that they are close enough to my ideal that I can live with it. This is especially true of the Meze 99's at least, which really only need a couple dB's shaved off a few of the lowest few bands to my ear, and I would happily use them without eq if I had to.
But the HD 25's on the other hand, I am not sure I would keep them if I couldn't easily eq them. I have to do some pretty serious mid boosting on these (my FiiO dap reduces the level as you raise eq bands to avoid clipping - a nice feature). Then again, I don't know of any other portables that have the mids I like and still check all the boxes the HD 25's do for me. My other portables, V-Moda XS, are sometimes TOO middy and confined for my mood. So I tend to split my portable time between the two. This is the only unsettled slot in my collection. Oh well, some day . . .
I'm sorry, I went too far typing my opinions on a simple topic again. [sigh]
@bzibby
I also find the topic exciting.
I try not to use it, but with the AK700 and Hifimann Ananda I was initially between heaven and hell. The mids and highs, voices, instruments for me at the highest level, mid, sub bass ... just left out ... for my taste. Here I lifted this combination to a balanced level with a slight intervention.
I use a eq to adjust those frequencies I have a hard time hearing. I have a hearing impairment, so that’s what I use it for. I don’t find myself constantly fiddling with it. I like that I can set up a different eq for all the different phones I have.
I would be interested to know if and how much you change the equalizer settings for the DAP / headphones.
So far, the topic in home hifi was a nogo ... It was linear standard
If I have a digital parametric EQ that has variable slope type, Q factor, and center frequency, all I need to do is look at several response graphs of my headphones and see where the really problematic peaks are, so as long as I can target those peaks (or some dips), sure. I use NeutronMusicPlayer for Android.
If I have a speaker set up that's extremely complicated other than boosting the low end and trimming the top end on my tiny desktop speakers (on my laptop work desk) using a variable 31band graphic EQ.
If I want to do it properly at home, I'd use Neutron off an Android music server, and then borrow a USB microphone and see what the sound is like in my room with particular speakers and where my head is. It's not as straightforward as I in my car where I just hook up a laptop with long battery life to my /////////ALPINE PXE-H660, attach the "Audyssey" mic (same mic, but not branded the same as Denon's HT autotuner), connect a laptop to the Alpine, and then have it automatically set time alignment and EQ in a sealed bay with nothing going on (ie, I asked my installer if we can have dinner and then go back to his shop and let auto tune run without much traffic outside, after soembody figured out that auto tuning was screwing up thanks to it not being able to distinguish between its own test tracks and the freaking noises the mic can pick up, including an idling engine and any muffler that isn't like what you find stock on a Rolls Royce).
@ProtegeManiac
...wouw, very complex and an interesting and certainly exciting hobby for speakers. However, I try to separate myself from this pervection. I enjoyed it, the fun got lost. As soon as I try to optimize again, I find myself in a cramped situation and find it difficult to get out.
@ProtegeManiac
...wouw, very complex and an interesting and certainly exciting hobby for speakers. However, I try to separate myself from this pervection. I enjoyed it, the fun got lost. As soon as I try to optimize again, I find myself in a cramped situation and find it difficult to get out.
The thing is for speaker systems they can sound very different in different rooms plus how far the toe in is (and in cars that includes vertical angling) so short of home theater installers that will come in and manually measure using the same tools used for cars, plus the problem of needing a DSP which you shouldn't really bother with if you have an analogue source, makes it extremely complicated to use in a home speaker system. You might as well just experiment with speaker placement and go by your own ears and preference.
With headphones there are still variables but very generally any graph can be used as a reference and then tweak based on that.
The concept that EQ is wrong or shouldn't be used, assumes that you're already able to get flat response without it. And that is usually a big fat lie for the average audiophile. Sometimes I feel like I'm watching people with poor vision, convincing each other that prescription glasses are degrading the fidelity of real "unaltered" sight.
But it's true that some EQ aren't that good, and that you can't expect anybody to make a masterpiece the first time he picks up a brush and some paint. EQ requires some experience and listening skill. Mine being not that great, it took me a few years before I could just put on some track I know well or a sweep, and rapidly EQ very close to the response I need/like.
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