[Lunatique]

Quote:

Still having problems?  Well, it is also the most transparent Xfeed only software, more transparent than both headfit and the JR one.  Headfit darkens the signal a bit and images within a smaller space than with no xfeed.  This one honestly is the only one I have used that does nothing to the tonal balance at all.
 

Don't forget Redline Monitor, which is the most expensive Xfeed plugin on the market and aimed at audio professionals--although it's only a Xfeed with manual controls and doesn't have HRTF, room sim, or speaker cabinet sim.
 

 

[donunus]

Quote:

JR Media Center.  It also has a X Feed algorithm.
 
What headphones are you using by the way?  I tried my K701s with the room settings, and hear absolutely no negatives with the K701, only vast improvements.

Oh, LOL I am using J River too since I find it to sound better than foobar. I tried its crossfeed and it is pretty good. It is better than headfit to me at the stock setting. I like the subtle setting best but still find it to have a subtle boost in the upper mids. As for the headphones I'm using... Sennheiser HD600 and AKG K141 mkII

 

[donunus]

Lunatique,
Does Redline monitor work with JRiver?

 

[SP Wild]

Quote:

Don't forget Redline Monitor, which is the most expensive Xfeed plugin on the market and aimed at audio professionals--although it's only a Xfeed with manual controls and doesn't have HRTF, room sim, or speaker cabinet sim.
 

Do you mean to say that Isone is better than Redline, or Redline is as good as Isone?  It cost twice as much as Isone, was about to download the trial version but got sidetracked with the K701 and Isone.
 
DONUNUS:  I agree, the JR Xfeed leans out the sound, but gives a much bigger soundstage than head-fit, I never use anything more than subtle on the JR - the others color the sound even more.

 

[donunus]

The only way that even the normal setting can be okay I guess is when playing music like the beatles Still, subtle is the most i would use.

 

[Lunatique]

Quote:

Lunatique,
Does Redline monitor work with JRiver?

J River Media Center can host any VST plugin, so yes. You can even host high-end pro audio VST plugins that cost thousands of dollars if you want to. 
 
Quote:

Do you mean to say that Isone is better than Redline, or Redline is as good as Isone?  It cost twice as much as Isone, was about to download the trial version but got sidetracked with the K701 and Isone.

 
They're different, not better or worse. Redline Monitor is just a x-feed with comprehensive controls much like the one you find on hardware units like the SPL Phonitor. Isone is a HRTF simulator more along the lines of hardware units like the Smyth Research Realiser, but without the ability to turn your head and keep the imaging constant. It also simulates different speaker cabinets and rooms, so it's much more feature-rich than Redline Monitor. For audio professionals, the ability to hear how your mix might sound on different speaker systems and rooms is very useful.
 
Personally, judging by price alone, I feel Redline Monitor is overpriced and Isone is underpriced. Generally speaking, Isone can somewhat replace Redline Monitor, since you can turn the HRTF, room, and speaker cabinet simulations off, and try to use it as a simple X-feed, but AFAIK, Isone will always retain some alteration of the frequency response from the simulation algorithms and cannot be turned off completely (but then again, trying to use Isone without all the comprehensive simulations is really not how it's supposed to be used, and is completely missing the point of the product. Doing so would be like buying a modern computer but only using it to do word processing--not really the best use of the product).
 
Redline Monitor in comparison, doesn't alter the frequency response nearly as much because it has no need to run those simulations, being just a simple X-feed. It's quite straightforward, but not nearly as realistic or natural sounding as Isone, due to the lack of HRTF algorithm. 

 

[frank2908]

I've spent a night with Isone and this is my impression, note that before trying I was very skeptical about such plug in because normally they mess up, distort the sound, no matter what they improve the soundstage. I tried music via my dacport and diy Thunderpants ( made by myself, not Smeggy) with Winamp. The impression is based on my personal best setting
 
Detail: the golden question is does it or does it not distort the sound, change the sound signature? the answer is both, as it depends on the RECORDING, not the quality of your file. For example, on most songs, both flac and mp3,I didn't loose any detail. But on tracks like Between the bars - Madeleine Peyroux, which without Isone has some small distortion with it. With Isone turned on, the distortion is very very bad. The sound signature of my headphone does change a bit on every song, but it is due to the simulation of speaker, so I don't mind the change. The most important thing is the low distortion on most songs, which is IMO the best kudo.
 
Soundstage: I disagree with all the comment in this thread that it sounds like speaker. Unfortunately its not there yet. I often listen to my dad's Unico cdplayer->Unison Research s6-> Tannoy Turnberry SE.Even with Isone, the detail is better, but you don't have the feeling of speaker. However I must say I'm starting to love isone because it improve the soundstage of my DIY Thunderpants much much better. Now the soundstage is much nicer than the k701, and more natural.
 
Conclusion: I think the only thing is wrong with Isone is the expectation from everyone. When they heard of such a plugin, they immediately thought of the distortion and the ability to simulate speaker. The Isone is like any hardware system, it depends on your source, so with good material, it has low distortion, and it improve the soundstage of your headphones to the level of the best soundstage that comes from any headphones. I'm not claiming that the k701 has the best soundstage, however still better than many. Many claim that the best headphones would have the sound signature of hd650/dt880 or whatever your favourite headphones + k701 soundstage. With Isone, I can pin point instruments with a very airy sound. So I highly recommend this product

 

[donunus]

Bah, I went back to headfit and generated a new setting and am happier with it vs isone pro. I just really want crossfeed, not a room simulation program.

 

[Sweden]

Yesterday I started using Isone thru J River with my LCD-2 and the first thing I thought was that someone must be having a laugh.
It sounded absolutely horrible! Complete loss of a natural tone + muffled isn't exactly my idea of transforming a pair of headphone to the better. It took some serious tuning of all the settings to make it work.
And now I must say it sounds really good. Still I find J Rivers own crossfeed to be better with many songs. A bit more natural and better placement of instruments. But old recorded songs with smaller soundstage become truly gorgeous with Isone in a way JR crossfeed never could make happen. 
Is it just me or is their a bit of loss of detail, particularly in the low end?
Maybe their is some setting to avoid this.
 
 
With the pack of plugins I found something just as amazing as Isone called EZQ.
I've experimented with some EQ before but this is on a whole new level.
If you have the LCD-2 you never knew how muffled the cans sound until you set this DSP up!
It's literally like lifting a veil and you start hearing EVERYTHING in a song. The whole tone of the headphone started sounding more natural and everything got much smoother.
 It almost felt like upgrading to a pair of LCD-3 with a click of a button. Not kidding
Upgraditis cured.

Any other with similar experience regarding EZQ?
 

 

[donunus]

Can you post a link for IZQ

 

[4nradio]

Do you mean EZQ?
 
http://www.toneboosters.com/tb-ezq/
 
I don't see a "IZQ" on the Tone Boosters web site.

 

[Sweden]

 
My bad!
 
Its very late on this side of the Atlantic...
Its TB_EZQ!
 
Now that we have settled that minor confusion, is there anyone with the LCD's who where just amazed how much better their headphones sounded using this little tweek?
Im using rev1.

 

[donunus]

I wonder what the difference is with the free and paid versions

 

[Lunatique]

Quote:

With the pack of plugins I found something just as amazing as Isone called EZQ.
I've experimented with some EQ before but this is on a whole new level.
If you have the LCD-2 you never knew how muffled the cans sound until you set this DSP up!
It's literally like lifting a veil and you start hearing EVERYTHING in a song. The whole tone of the headphone started sounding more natural and everything got much smoother.
 It almost felt like upgrading to a pair of LCD-3 with a click of a button. Not kidding
Upgraditis cured.

Any other with similar experience regarding EZQ?
 

I would generally not advocate using any kind of preset setting for EQ, because in order to properly address the idiosyncratic issues of your particular headphone, you need to actually be able to control exactly what frequencies, how broad or narrow the bandwidth, and what amplitude, according to the exact frequency response of your headphone. 
 
In the case of LCD-2, because they are hand-assembled, each headphone would measure slightly different from each other--if you look at the variety of frequency response graphs that people have posted of their particular LCD-2 (provided by Audez'e with every LCD-2, when they test the headphone before shipping it out), there are minor differences between them--especially in the treble and upper-mids. 
 
If you are serious about this stuff, learn to EQ properly with a good visual parametric EQ. Study the FR graph that came with your LCD-2 and then address the unwanted dips (there shouldn't be any unwanted peaks, but if there are, address those too). You have to know how to read headphone FR graphs though--they are not supposed to ruler flat so do not EQ them visually flat like a ruler. Read up on it at HeadRoom. 
 
I spent almost a year perfecting the custom EQ curve of my LCD-2, and it's about as perfect as I can make it, and I have zero interest in the LCD-3. 
 

 

[Sweden]

 
Quote:

I would generally not advocate using any kind of preset setting for EQ, because in order to properly address the idiosyncratic issues of your particular headphone, you need to actually be able to control exactly what frequencies, how broad or narrow the bandwidth, and what amplitude, according to the exact frequency response of your headphone. 
 
In the case of LCD-2, because they are hand-assembled, each headphone would measure slightly different from each other--if you look at the variety of frequency response graphs that people have posted of their particular LCD-2 (provided by Audez'e with every LCD-2, when they test the headphone before shipping it out), there are minor differences between them--especially in the treble and upper-mids. 
 
If you are serious about this stuff, learn to EQ properly with a good visual parametric EQ. Study the FR graph that came with your LCD-2 and then address the unwanted dips (there shouldn't be any unwanted peaks, but if there are, address those too). You have to know how to read headphone FR graphs though--they are not supposed to ruler flat so do not EQ them visually flat like a ruler. Read up on it at HeadRoom. 
 
I spent almost a year perfecting the custom EQ curve of my LCD-2, and it's about as perfect as I can make it, and I have zero interest in the LCD-3. 
 

I had my share of EQing the LCD's but this is a whole new thing.
Have you even tried EZQ?
 
It would be interesting if you could send my the EQ setting file or show it here so I can compare even tho our systems and headphones doesen't need to be similar.
My aim have never been to get a perfectly straight curve though, but a more natural tone and more involving. Maybe we are talking the same thing I don't know.