Foobar2000 Dolby Headphone config - Comment & discuss!

[DreamKing]

Are you sure Dolby headphone is even activated, sounds to me like you may be listening with the EQ settings enabled and the Channel Mixer plugin tweaks but DH isn't activated. Check in the settings for the DH wrapper that the dolby headphone dll plugin is loaded. Some users reported it isn't loaded by default when you grab the preconfigured package, you might have to manually enable it.

This page, check so it's loaded ("location" path will be empty if it's not loaded):

FILE -> PREFERENCES -> PLAYBACK -> DSP MANAGER. SELECT DOLBY HEADPHONE PLUGIN IN THE LIST -> CONFIGURE SELECTED

 

DH was 100% activated when I used it as it appeared exactly like what your screenshot shows except path was C:\foobar2000\components\DolbyHph.dll to be accurate, but it's the same thing. It's easy to notice since I have a xonar soundcard as reference. 

 

[Eulbrother]

Called then ? I registered here specially to thank for his excellent work RPGWiZaRD !! Thank you for this custom foobar !!

 
I listen with Superlux HD-662 F or 68 Yoga CD (Patafix custom) ... It's very good, headphones are transformed !  I'm no expert, but I'd like you two ideas ... What do you think ?
 
1 - EQ Electri-Q dropped at zero in Digital mode.  http://hpics.li/bf7f4e5
 
2 - Adding a Resampler (Sox) at the end. 90% Passband, 30% Phase response. http://hpics.li/790331f
 
The sound seems to me less bright, more detailed... ?
 
 

 

 

[dmbr]

Is it possible to use this config in conjunction with Isone Pro?
 
What settings would make the most sense? Specifically, where in the DSP chain would the VST Wrapper go (before/after DH? Before/After Channel Mixer?), and what mode would Isone best be set to (5.1; 5.0/no lfe; Stereo)?
 
Thanks! I'll come back with my own conclusions about the sound of the various setups after some further experimentation, but I'd very much appreciate any input.
 
Here are the settings I've found to sound best so far, but I'm really not decided on whether or not I've got it right or more important, prefer it to your configs on their own:


(Bypass is supposed to be unticked, obviously)

 

[imackler]

Hey All! 
I'm fairly new with using a dac or any kind of computer audio. I'm struggling with Foobar and my E07K. I know the flac files are good, but I'm getting brief pauses/cutting out as music is played. I'm running Windows 7 and have the most current version of Wasapi loaded. Can anyone help me know why this is happening? 

 

[PleasantSounds]

  Hey All! 
I'm fairly new with using a dac or any kind of computer audio. I'm struggling with Foobar and my E07K. I know the flac files are good, but I'm getting brief pauses/cutting out as music is played. I'm running Windows 7 and have the most current version of Wasapi loaded. Can anyone help me know why this is happening? 

 
Sounds like you need to increase the buffer size.
 
Go to Preferences -> Playback -> Output and set the Buffer Length to something like 1500 ms.
While there check your output device. If it is WASAPI based, then you should also check the Advanced -> Playback - WASAPI buffers. I have them set to 200 ms for event mode and 500 ms for push mode.

 

[Dixter]

subscribed

 

[imackler]

   
Sounds like you need to increase the buffer size.
 
Go to Preferences -> Playback -> Output and set the Buffer Length to something like 1500 ms.
While there check your output device. If it is WASAPI based, then you should also check the Advanced -> Playback - WASAPI buffers. I have them set to 200 ms for event mode and 500 ms for push mode.

 
Thanks a ton! I'll let you know how it goes! 

 

[LoveKnight]

Yesterday, I tried the forward and laid-back versions. Somehow, the laid-back version gave me a few more details but my ears do not like it because I felt everything liked a nearly flat board. Then I tried the forward version and feel it more engaged than the laid-back, but I really liked it because most of my music relates to vocals. Moreover, both the versions somehow fix the distortions of the vocal I got at some songs. I really appreciate RPGWiZaRD's work and thanks for the mod.
 
My test track was Metal Gear The Best is yet to come. I have Odac + C4 portable amplifier with MrSpeakers Alpha Dog headphone. My next upgrade would be a nice iFi iUSB to clean my dirty USB power.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Glad you enjoyed it, I should really update the foobar2000 version sometimes soon haha. Been so busy with rest of my hobbies that I seldom think about upgrading foobar2000 player, I usually only update mine only like once in a half year or something.

 

[GustavMahler]

Hi, Thank you very much-It sounds amazing for classical music!
Are the files on the first page are the most recent ones?

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Part of the objective of this thread is to find an Electri-Q setting that neutralizes the "sound sig" of Dolby Headphone, correct?

I ran a piece of multichannel music through both Dolby Headphone and Downmix to stereo for comparison by spectral analysis, and the result is the following EQ that objectively corrects Dolby DH1 reference room mode to within 1.5dB of flat response averaged through its 5.1 virtual speakers



You may download the .e-q file here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pf6vesr57d4g1zy/Dolby%205.1ch%20headphone%20compensation.e-q?dl=0

I didn't know that DH2: live room actually has less reverb than DH1! I'll try that tonight and post my next compensation EQ when I'm done

 

[ExpiredLabel]

Im glad to see you still helping folks with their EQ joe, keep it up brother.

 

[ExpiredLabel]

By the way just wanted to say I through this through my Foobar stup with my newish KEF m200s and it got rid of this coloration I didn't know was there, thanks again buddy

 

[dmbr]

Part of the objective of this thread is to find an Electri-Q setting that neutralizes the "sound sig" of Dolby Headphone, correct?

I ran a piece of multichannel music through both Dolby Headphone and Downmix to stereo for comparison by spectral analysis, and the result is the following EQ that objectively corrects Dolby DH1 reference room mode to within 1.5dB of flat response averaged through its 5.1 virtual speakers

You may download the .e-q file here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pf6vesr57d4g1zy/Dolby%205.1ch%20headphone%20compensation.e-q?dl=0

I didn't know that DH2: live room actually has less reverb than DH1! I'll try that tonight and post my next compensation EQ when I'm done

Awesome! I appreciate this so much.
 
Would you mind providing some instructions as to how to properly implement the file? Foobar doesn't seem to load the preset automatically, but rather loads the OP's--I have to go into Electri-Q and "Import Preset" each time, and this almost always freezes the program
 
I'm also curious as to why you're using the Economy setting?
 
 
 
As for DH2 vs DH1, I'm rather skeptical that DH2 has less reverb...to my ear DH1 has less, as it did to a professional producer/DJ friend (I actually was showing him this nifty config, and he commented that there was some reverb added--I switched it from DH2 to DH1 and he said "Ah there we go") really would appreciate some testing

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Part of the objective of this thread is to find an Electri-Q setting that neutralizes the "sound sig" of Dolby Headphone, correct?


I ran a piece of multichannel music through both Dolby Headphone and Downmix to stereo for comparison by spectral analysis, and the result is the following EQ that objectively corrects Dolby DH1 reference room mode to within 1.5dB of flat response averaged through its 5.1 virtual speakers





You may download the .e-q file here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pf6vesr57d4g1zy/Dolby%205.1ch%20headphone%20compensation.e-q?dl=0


I didn't know that DH2: live room actually has less reverb than DH1! I'll try that tonight and post my next compensation EQ when I'm done

Awesome! I appreciate this so much.

Would you mind providing some instructions as to how to properly implement the file? Foobar doesn't seem to load the preset automatically, but rather loads the OP's--I have to go into Electri-Q and "Import Preset" each time, and this almost always freezes the program

I'm also curious as to why you're using the Economy setting?



As for DH2 vs DH1, I'm rather skeptical that DH2 has less reverb...to my ear DH1 has less, as it did to a professional producer/DJ friend (I actually was showing him this nifty config, and he commented that there was some reverb added--I switched it from DH2 to DH1 and he said "Ah there we go") really would appreciate some testing

I forgot about that bug with the VST adapter... yes, you would usually have trouble loading Electri-Q presets with the VST adapter included in this thread.

1. On the one time that you manage to load the preset without crashing foobar, go to foobar's File->Preferences->Playback->DSP manager, and save a new DSP chain preset by typing a name in the text box and clicking Save. This would save a foobar preset with my new EQ for future use.
2. You may also consider switching to another VST wrapper that supports VSTs better: http://www.yohng.com/software/foobarvst.html This supports VSTs in foobar2000 in much more stable fashion, albeit only allowing one VST to load at a time.

I analyzed the output of DH2 and found it does indeed have slightly less reverb than DH1. Its frequency response is also well-nigh identical to that of DH1, but I made a separate EQ for it anyway:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jtdytt6lqqm2t7j/Dolby%205.1ch%20headphone%20compensation-DH2.e-q?dl=0


About the use of the Digital Economy setting, I have found that it is actually the setting that elicits the highest fidelity from Electri-Q, as evidenced by a well-nigh perfect impulse response. A perfect impulse passing through Electri-Q in Digital Economy mode will come out still looking pretty much like a perfect impulse.
In Out
(there is the slightest bit of LF rolloff causing a change to the waveform that is however not visible to the naked eye and certainly not audible. We're talking about 0.1dB of rolloff at 4Hz or so)

A perfect impulse passing through Electri-Q in Digital mode on the other hand will look like this:


xnor speculated that this was the effect of an upsampling filter used to make the effects of high-frequency adjustments more precise. But I reckon that since Electri-Q shows the effects of the lack of the upsampling filter on the filter shape in Economy mode, I'd live with the minor inaccuracy (adjusting the curve manually if needed) and get the much better looking impulse response in return. It shouldn't be audibly different either way but still...