Headphones are easy

[AudioMastermind]

No you can't. The actual solution here is, assuming the THD doesn't get pushed into an audible range, DSP. DSP is how you fix how your headphones sound. No cable, no amp, and certainly no DAC will do that for you. Anyone telling you otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about.

That is exactly what I have been saying lol

 

[AudioMastermind]

Whoever told you to "upgrade the cable" is a fool, and unfortunately they make up the vast majority of the "audiophile" market. There are a number of products that have integrated PEQ that will solve this problem for you. Qudelix if you're looking for a low cost solution, and miniDSP is out there too. Some higher end DAPs have PEQ built in, some higher end desktop DAC/amps have them too (Fiio K19, RME ADI-2 DAC FS, etc) and I think there are a few other portable DAC/amps with this ability too (Fiio KA17, Neutron HiFi DAC v1, the Qudelix 5k or T71, etc). You can also employ software DSP implementations using tools like the Hang Loose Convolver which is truly the ultimate DSP in terms of absolute performance.

I already use several qudelix and MiniDSP products

 

[AudioMastermind]

I'll add one more thing. Audio reproduction, even in headphones where the environment can be fully controlled is still anything but simple. Just ask @mrspeakers (Dan Clark)

HiFiMAN has shown that it is pretty simple if you remove the grills altogether on the "unveiled" models since you effectively remove any backwave resonances

 

[colonelkernel8]

HiFiMAN has shown that it is pretty simple if you remove the grills altogether on the "unveiled" models since you effectively remove any backwave resonances

But that’s not really true is it? Even without anything behind the driver, the driver itself has an array of permanent magnets sitting right in front/back of it no?

Not to mention what the driver itself is physically capable of.

 

[AudioMastermind]

But that’s not really true is it? Even without anything behind the driver, the driver itself has an array of permanent magnets sitting right in front/back of it no?

Not to mention what the driver itself is physically capable of.

The magnet and driver technology already existed well before their unveiled models. My point was that it is more difficult to make a good sounding closed back headphone than an open back one because of the additional problems you have to address. None of HiFiMAN's closed back models measure remotely well.