Frequency Response and Grado Headphones

[Viber]

Ok so i bought AKG k26p a few months back, i discovered it hurts my ears and i dont see any improvements.

So ive started checking out some new cans, i think i want open ones because i think they wont hurt my ears like the K26P does.

I started looking at all these 100$ phones,Ive looked at some Grado and Senn Phones but was dissappointed to see the frequency response specs in each headphone i saw from those two companies.

The Grado SR80 for example have a frequency response of only 20-20,000 - that's way below the avrage K26P's 12-28,000 freq response.

100$+- Senns also have this kind of ranges.



Can the SR80 really be missing out on so many frequencies?? does it deliever a less complete sound? does the frequency response really matter?

i know those are some newbies qustions but i really need help with this one guys.

 

[Gingerbread Man]

"For humans, hearing is limited to frequencies between about 20 Hz and 20000 Hz, with the upper limit generally decreasing with age. "


Taken from Sound - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So no, you're not really missing out on much with a frequency range of 20-20,000.

 

[biph911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viber /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Grado SR80 for example have a frequency response of only 20-20,000 - that's way below the avrage K26P's 12-28,000 freq response. 100$+- Senns also have this kind of ranges. Can the SR80 really be missing out on so many frequencies?? does it deliever a less complete sound? does the frequency response really matter? i know those are some newbies qustions but i really need help with this one guys.

You can't really hear the frequencies that the grado's are "missing". It's actually likely that the Grado's reproduces sounds in these ranges but it doesn't matter because you can't hear them. Human hearing is generally described as ranging from 20hz-20khz, with particular sensitivity in the 1-4khz range.

 

[headphonejunkie]

The frequency response curves show how certain frequencies stand out more than others. Anything above the center line will have a more pronounced sound to it. Anything below will have a less pronounced sound. So, you have to figure which instruments operate at which frequencies. Then you can determine what will pop out at you more than others. At least that is my interpretation of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viber /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok so i bought AKG k26p a few months back, i discovered it hurts my ears and i dont see any improvements. So ive started checking out some new cans, i think i want open ones because i think they wont hurt my ears like the K26P does. I started looking at all these 100$ phones,Ive looked at some Grado and Senn Phones but was dissappointed to see the frequency response specs in each headphone i saw from those two companies. The Grado SR80 for example have a frequency response of only 20-20,000 - that's way below the avrage K26P's 12-28,000 freq response. 100$+- Senns also have this kind of ranges. Can the SR80 really be missing out on so many frequencies?? does it deliever a less complete sound? does the frequency response really matter? i know those are some newbies qustions but i really need help with this one guys.

 

[m00hk00h]

"Frequency response" data is generally given by the marketing guys of a company. Most of the headphones claiming to reach down to 8Hz don't even reproduce 20Hz at "normal" levels.

Just don't care! Specs have nothing to do with the reality and say nothing about how a certain headphone sounds especially when they are missing the soundlevel that were achived at these frequencies (-3dB point etc).
How a headphone sounds is determinded by -but not limited to- how loud a frequency is reproduced within the spectrum.

Go visit a dealer and have a little hearig session. That is 10000% more informative then comparing technical specs.

m00h

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Go visit a dealer and have a little hearig session. That is 10000% more informative then comparing technical specs.

x2.

Your ears are more accurate than your eyes in judging SQ.

 

[Viber]

I get what you guys are saying, i thought that the lack of certain freqs translates into a bad sound interpetaion.
For Example i will hear a dirty bass in certain songs or hear a really bad fake on some Sinatra songs or with songs like Daft Punk's Aerodynamic - simply because the headphone dont have the necessery sound in its "vocabulary".

So there's no truth in this theory??


And what about THD, is there any diffrence between 0.1% THD and 0.2% THD?

 

[Gingerbread Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viber /img/forum/go_quote.gif I get what you guys are saying, i thought that the lack of certain freqs translates into a bad sound interpetaion. For Example i will hear a dirty bass in certain songs or hear a really bad fake on some Sinatra songs or with songs like Daft Punk's Aerodynamic - simply because the headphone dont have the necessery sound in its "vocabulary". So there's no truth in this theory?? And what about THD, is there any diffrence between 0.1% THD and 0.2% THD?

With all headphones, any differences in technical specifications or how the phones are made will have an impact on how they sound - but that isn't to say that it will be for better or for worse. Each headphone has its own 'personality' - a headphone made by brand X can have the exact same specifications as one made by brand Y, but can have a completely different sound, and one person may love the sound of brand X, whilst another may prefer brand Y.

In the end, it is all up to you, and which sound you prefer - noone can say which sound is 'best', as there is no best sound - it's all subjective. Beauty is in the eye (ear) of the beholder, as they say.

 

[silverrain]

I've seen specs that go up to 38,000 -- maybe cans made for dogs? The only ones that can hear that high?
Ignore specs, and gather info. based on notes by experienced people on here -- the ones that have actually HEARD the cans being discussed, and not just those that are repeating "heresay" from others (too much opinions like that on here).
You can then get a good idea whether a can might be what you want -- or not.
Welcome to Head-fi -- sorry about your wallet....

 

[DanT]

rubbish 12-28,000 vs 20-20k is pretty much worthless info.

Here headroom frequency comparaison between the Grado SR-60,SR-125 and AKG 26P ( for some reason they don't have the SR-80)

As you can see the green what 12-28,000 look like

.

Even freq response graph info don't really tell you much about how good the headphones sound. Even less a spit out of marketing frequency response number

 

[biph911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanT /img/forum/go_quote.gif As you can see the green what 12-28,000 look like .

Yikes!

Awful right in the range to which we are most sensitive.