[GuruTech]

Hi...I wanna know how the frequency response factor of headphones determines their quality?

Philips: 6 - 23500 Hz

Skull candy:20Hz - 20kHz

Shure:18Hz - 19kHz
which frequencies are better? The shure one that thing cost like 500 dollars in Bestbuy. It's SE530PTH but lookin at the skull candy, i think skull has better frequency though.. please tell me which is better and why? \

Thanks a ton

 

[Iniamyen]

Assuming the frequency response between the top and bottom ends is flat, those frequency responses are all very similar, assuming they measure 0dB (low end) to -3dB (high end.) But, the responses are very non-flat in reality, and so this is where most of the "sound" of the headphone comes in. The frequency response numbers don't really mean much to me, because they never come with any descriptors as to how they're measured, and they don't tell you about the headphone's response across frequencies. They really don't tell you anything.

If you go to headphone.com they have some pretty cool graphing tools to measure the frequency response over a range of frequencies for many headphones. To me this is more complete data.

Edit: The "implication" is that the wider the frequency range, the better the headphones, and so based on numbers alone, the Philips would be better than the Skull Candy, which would be better than the Shure. Like I said though, this is hardly the whole story

 

[aabottom]

Waitin' for the drama!

 

[Iniamyen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aabottom /img/forum/go_quote.gif Waitin' for the drama!

I guess the only correct answer to the original question is the frequency response alone does not directly determine the quality of a pair of headphones. We should probably lock the thread now

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuruTech /img/forum/go_quote.gif which frequencies are better?

I like 44Hz, and 2.5kHz kinda sux.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Oh, alright, I'm supposed to edumacate, ain't I?


How about this:

Absolutely do not believe the manufacturers published specs. To the best of my knowledge they are virtually meaningless.

The easy answer is "flat" is the desired response, headphones that provide the same electrical to acoustic efficiency at all frequencies between 20 Hz and 20kHz generally sound best.

The problem is that in headphones there is no way to measure "flat."

Headphones are an acoustic coupler and there is no place where the sound is propagating normally through air. Within the space between the driver and your ear drum, many things are "tuning" the response through resonant interaction with the acoustic signal. The chamber between driver and ear is significantly smaller than a wavelength of sound so thinking of sound propagating from driver to ear is somewhat erroneous; it's more like a complex tuned coupling.

Because everyone's ears are somewhat different, the engineering solution is a least of all evils sort of thing. The FR for a pair of headphones will change somewhat depending on each persons ear shape; also head size, shape, and the amount of hair will cause leakage that may or may not affect the tonal character heard.

Bottom line, the Shure's are way better than the Skullcandy. I don't know about the Philips.

 

[b0dhi]

Post above me should be a sticky.

 

[SP Wild]

LOL! Just don't leave Head-fi Tyll. I have appreciated your edumacation and the time you put into your lessons - Cheers.

 

[mabus627]

Tyll, You have just received +1 internets. Congratz.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

If a headphone is -30 dB at 30 Hz it is still perfectly acceptable to some manufacturers to state that the headphone does 20 Hz. What use are specs like that other than something for marketing to play with to differentiate their product?

Claiming a headphone does 6 Hz? Really?

 

[GuruTech]

thanks much...All this information is really valuable and should be posted as 'sticky'..Thanks mate

 

[xnor]

Also check this out: Understanding Speaker Frequency Response
Basically answers the same question plus a lot more information.

 

[GuruTech]

What a helpful link Xnor....It really is a good answer of my question

Thanks much

 

[Sumflow]

Can it deliver that response without distortion is the real question.  And can you hear it?
Quote:

  how the frequency response factor of headphones determines their quality?