Most people will say you shouldn't EQ but don't see why not if it fixes specific issues.
I did the toilet paper mod (1 ply) for those 880 Editions, takes 3db off that treble spike so can use with any device
but Peace EQ etc works alright with windows and foobar etc. I try and use exclusive mode and tidal or the DACs settings usually.
Well, I don't want to come off as being harsh or condescending, but the vast majority of people in this "audiophile" community are clueless, especially regarding this long-held and baseless myth that "EQ is Evil" and should be avoided at all costs!
Being a musician (saxophonist & drummer/percussionist), I live and work on "both sides." IOW, I'm both a music listener/lover, and a musician/performer who is involved in recording and music production.
Ask ANY recording, mixing, or mastering engineer who is responsible for actually producing the recorded music that we all listen to, and they will tell you that
EQ is one of THE Most Powerful Tools in their toolkit, and probably the first thing they reach for.
EQ is used more than any other single tool in the mixing and mastering process! Yet "audiophiles" have some mythical belief that using
EQ is Taboo and completely detrimental to the music. Nothing could be further from the truth!!!
Sure, like ANY tool,
EQ must be used properly, and there are limits to what it can effectively do. But if you actually sat in on a mixing session of the music from one of your favorite artists and saw just how many times different
EQs were applied to the individual tracks, or specific elements of each track, as well as the overall mix, you would be in for a major shock, LOL.
For example, the vast majority of the classic and most revered analog mixing consoles such as SSL, Neve, API, Trident, Focusrite, and other industry standard mixing consoles that are used in the most famous recording studios in the world all have a simple but powerful 3-band
EQ built-in to each one of its "channel strips" in the console. So, for instance, if it is a 48-channel mixing console, there are 48 x 3 available
EQs that can be used! That doesn't mean that ALL of them are used in every instance, but MANY of them will be! They are used to add "punch and impact" to a kick drum, remove top-end harshness from brass instruments, electric guitars, and violins, etc. And there are literally HUNDREDS of different separate outboard rack-mount
EQ units available (both analog and digital) that can and are regularly "patched in" to the mixing console's signal chain for all types of specific tasks.
Currently, the majority of music recording and mixing production is shifting more and more to being done completely "in the box", which means completely with just a laptop or desktop computer using professional DAW software such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, StudioOne, Reaper, Abelton Live, etcetera, combined with separate
EQ and multitudes of other processing software "plug-ins". Many of these software plug-in
EQs and processors are specifically designed to mimic the old classic analog studio rackmount
EQ units and the
EQs that were built into the classic analog mixing consoles.
Just do a Google Search for "DAW EQ plugins" and see how many show up in the results, LOL Recording, mixing, and mastering engineers use these
EQs EVERY DAY/ALL DAY LONG, and on ALL types and Genres of music.
For example,
EQ combined with subtle amplitude level adjustment of each instrument and/or vocal is used to help "place" or position each instrument or vocal in regards to their DEPTH and Layering in the Soundstage.
EQ is also used to help remove or reduce issues like Sibilance and "Plosives" from vocals, and a MYRIAD of other specific tasks, such as adding the ideal amount of "impact and punch" to a kick drum, or smoothing out high frequency harshness or grain & grit that was imparted by a particular microphone that was used to record the violins or horns, so that they sound more natural, lifelike and "real" and not overly harsh and fatiguing.
Mixing engineers use
EQ "tricks" to help make certain aspects of the music "pop" or stand out dynamically, or to present them as sounding more forward or recessed in the mix. In nature, the high frequecies from a sound source start to diminish and "roll off" sooner than lower frequencies with increased distance.
For example, from a distance you will easily hear the subwoofers and bass coming from a distant car stereo system. But you will only begin to hear the high frequencies in the music as the vehicle gets closer and closer to you and then finally stops at a traffic signal right next to you. Mixing engineers use
EQ to a similar effect in order to "roll-off" or reduce the high frequencies from a source to give it a sense of Distance and Depth in the music in relation to the other instruments or vocals. One example of this in practical use is for Background Vocals. They are supposed to be in the BACKGROUND, right? Well, without
EQ, ALL of the Instruments and Vocals would be UPFRONT and In Your Face with NO Depth or Layering in the Soundstage!
AND, in a similar fashion, using
EQ can actually help to improve the Soundstage, Imaging, and Dynamic Transient performance of your existing headphones, IEMs, and loudspeakers during playback to produce a much more natural, lifelike, and dynamic sound, and to eliminate harshness and ear fatigue, etc.
If used properly,
EQ can transform a mediocre or average set of headphones, IEMs, or loudspeakers into ones that allow you to truly enjoy and engage in your music listening experience.
NO, it cannot fix inherent problems or issues in every set of headphones, IEMs, or loudspeakers...things like inherent distortion, phase issues, or large cancellation nulls, etc. But, if nothing else,
EQ can most often at least help to mitigate some of these issues.
And YES, the misuse of
EQ can also completely trash the SQ and ruin your listening experience as well, LOL. And that is why so many people are still AFRAID to use it, so they simply regurgitate the old myth that "Using
EQ is BAD"! But that's all on them.
/END OF
EQ RANT!
