Frequency and sound shapes?
Apr 28, 2015 at 9:54 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13

Saeglopur

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I've been trying to figure out all this talk about V-shaped sound signatures and what all these headphone graphs mean. Are there other shapes beside V/U? and are V shapes generally liked for general pleasure listening? I'm just trying to understand what it all means and how you interpret the graphs to be a V shape or whatever else the graphs tell you. I dont' want to start saying words like balanced because I don't really know what that means in relation to a graph.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 12:49 PM Post #2 of 13
V or U shaped would mean emphasized bass and treble / recessed mids. Generally fun to listen to and good for low volume listening. 
Other types of "shapes" don't really have letters associated with them that I've seen and people will just say, for example, recessed bass or forward mids. 
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 12:56 PM Post #3 of 13
V or U shaped would mean emphasized bass and treble / recessed mids. Generally fun to listen to and good for low volume listening. 
Other types of "shapes" don't really have letters associated with them that I've seen and people will just say, for example, recessed bass or forward mids. 


Is there a style of music good with v shapes? I listen to punk rock and post rock and stuff but I also listen to some acoustic folk and folk rock. I'm trying to pick some Iems and wast sure if a more "flat" sound would be better or a v shape. I'm starting to understand the shapes just not so much their pros and cons I guess.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 2:09 PM Post #4 of 13
In the real world, we hear a balanced frequency response. Sound engineers master recordings to sound good with a balanced response. The only reason to use a V shaped response curve is if you personally prefer lots of bass and treble, or if your hearing is defective when it comes to bass and treble and you need to correct for your hearing deficiency. The type of music has nothing to do with the response curve you use. In theory, all music should be designed to sound good with a balanced response.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 2:40 PM Post #5 of 13
So I should go for a balanced "flat" headphone? I know it's not technically flat I'm just picturing the shape vs a V. The main reason I ask is because the noble 3c Iems are a v shape while I believe the 4c is more balanced. But there's a big price jump from the 3 to the 4
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 3:07 PM Post #6 of 13
Why not buy from somewhere that has a return policy? Then you can try them and if you don't like them, you can send them back. No one can really tell you what you are going to like. You have to figure out what it is that is important to you and shop smart for the things that matter.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 3:23 PM Post #7 of 13
To OP: best answer is experience. Good news is that's the best way to learn about them, bad news is that your wallet is going to be sorry.

I prefer to have a balanced/neutral set dap/ source, matched with good kicking slight v shaped iem or something. I do believe in eq, but the ideal sound signature from your speaker of choice really sets the whole thing in motion!
 
May 1, 2015 at 4:23 PM Post #8 of 13
  In the real world, we hear a balanced frequency response. Sound engineers master recordings to sound good with a balanced response. The only reason to use a V shaped response curve is if you personally prefer lots of bass and treble, or if your hearing is defective when it comes to bass and treble and you need to correct for your hearing deficiency. The type of music has nothing to do with the response curve you use. In theory, all music should be designed to sound good with a balanced response.


A V-shaped EQ can also help if you are listening to music that is intended to be played at fairly loud volumes at a quiet level, since it helps to compensate for the ear's lower sensitivity to high and low frequencies at low volume levels (think fletcher-munson here).
 
May 1, 2015 at 4:28 PM Post #9 of 13
Yeah. My amp has a dynamic loudness compensation button that I keep engaged all the time.
 
May 16, 2015 at 8:11 PM Post #10 of 13
I was going to start a new thread, but this topic seems appropriate.  What are some available EQ options?  I've never been able to introduce EQ to my setups because I almost exclusively stream music from some subscription service.  Sure, if I use Foobar and only play locally stored files I can use plugins or some other software EQ, but I stopped purchasing music several years ago, except for those rare holdouts in the subscription streaming world. Well, "rare" in that it is an artist or song that I enjoy but can't find available to stream on whichever service I am currently using.  If I can find a solution to EQ, my next step would be to measure and treat the room.  Does anyone have any suggestions?   Are there any hardware options available that have a relatively small footprint?  Is this even a viable solution to improve sound quality or should I look elsewhere? 
 
May 16, 2015 at 10:38 PM Post #11 of 13
The best place to put EQ is right before the amp between the preamp switching and the power amp output, so no matter what source you use, it all goes through the correction. If you are using a computer as a player, you can get a global eq that taps in right in front of the optical out or HDMI. That way, everything that goes out of your comp to your amp is EQed.
 
May 27, 2015 at 7:16 PM Post #12 of 13
Thanks!
 
It looks like a 2-channel EQ can be had for around $200 on Amazon.  Thinking about picking this one up with the free "Prime" shipping: http://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-FBQ6200-ULTRAGRAPH-PRO/dp/B0002Z82MQ
 
This is how I plan on inserting the EQ into my modest little audio setup:
 
Chromebook 2 with USB out > USB in to DAC with balanced XLR output > balanced XLR in to Behringer-FBQ6200 EQ with balanced XLR output > balanced XLR in to Emotiva Control Freak (love these things!) with balanced XLR output > balanced XLR in to KRK Rokit 8 studio monitors
 
Now I need to read up on some methods to test and acoustically treat a room.   Maybe I will bug cel4145 for some advice, as he seems to know a great deal about this topic?
 
May 27, 2015 at 11:30 PM Post #13 of 13
Ethan Winer has some off the shelf kits that can help you set up basic room treatment. I think he has videos on them up at youtube.
 

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