mk351e
100+ Head-Fier
Hi folks, I need some help here with digital EQ, but I'm looking for HELP, please no nasty comments! This could be a really good topic that benefits a lot of people! =)
I've been through a number of headphones, and the ones I love most are my HD800's. The problem for me is they just don't have enough bass, simple as that. It's not that they are incapable of producing enough bass, they just don't do it. I've tried the anaxilus mod, and I hated it, I've tried different amps, and can't get what I want. I'm looking for several db's of bass boost. I can't bring myself to part with the HD800, because I don't like anything else more than these, and I feel the same way about my amp/DAC: the Audio GD Reference 10.32.
So I played with the EQ in foobar for a while to see what would happen, and bingo! I was clearly on the right track. So I went out and bought a Behringer DEQ2496, so that I could put this between my cd player and DAC, and EQ with tremendous precision in the digital domain only so I don't screw up the sound. I've been using it for a while and it sounds very good, and I've got a decent sound, and with the bass I want.
But all is not well, as there is a slight problem. Something is wrong, and I can't really put my finger on it. With the DEQ2496, you can bypass the EQ completely. If I plug the cd player directly into the Ref10, the sound is magic. When I insert the EQ, even with ALL functions bypassed so it is simply passing the signal through, something in the music is kind of lost, and I don't know what. The best way I can describe it is like going from a PCM1704 based DAC to a ES9018 DAC. Sure the Sabre sounds incredible, but it lacks the magic of the 1704.
I've done this over and over again to make sure I'm not insane. I've done it with the EQ on and off, but mostly off to verify what I'm hearing, and still the "issue" persists. What can it be??? Am I introducing jitter? What could the DEQ2496 be doing to the signal that something is being lost as the signal passes through the unit? Do I need to mod this thing? Is there a better alternative?
For the record, while I hate this problem, I still feel the pros of having enough bass (and also taming the treble spike) outweigh this problem, and so I'm sticking WITH the EQ no matter what!
I've been through a number of headphones, and the ones I love most are my HD800's. The problem for me is they just don't have enough bass, simple as that. It's not that they are incapable of producing enough bass, they just don't do it. I've tried the anaxilus mod, and I hated it, I've tried different amps, and can't get what I want. I'm looking for several db's of bass boost. I can't bring myself to part with the HD800, because I don't like anything else more than these, and I feel the same way about my amp/DAC: the Audio GD Reference 10.32.
So I played with the EQ in foobar for a while to see what would happen, and bingo! I was clearly on the right track. So I went out and bought a Behringer DEQ2496, so that I could put this between my cd player and DAC, and EQ with tremendous precision in the digital domain only so I don't screw up the sound. I've been using it for a while and it sounds very good, and I've got a decent sound, and with the bass I want.
But all is not well, as there is a slight problem. Something is wrong, and I can't really put my finger on it. With the DEQ2496, you can bypass the EQ completely. If I plug the cd player directly into the Ref10, the sound is magic. When I insert the EQ, even with ALL functions bypassed so it is simply passing the signal through, something in the music is kind of lost, and I don't know what. The best way I can describe it is like going from a PCM1704 based DAC to a ES9018 DAC. Sure the Sabre sounds incredible, but it lacks the magic of the 1704.
I've done this over and over again to make sure I'm not insane. I've done it with the EQ on and off, but mostly off to verify what I'm hearing, and still the "issue" persists. What can it be??? Am I introducing jitter? What could the DEQ2496 be doing to the signal that something is being lost as the signal passes through the unit? Do I need to mod this thing? Is there a better alternative?
For the record, while I hate this problem, I still feel the pros of having enough bass (and also taming the treble spike) outweigh this problem, and so I'm sticking WITH the EQ no matter what!