[Nocturnal310]

When i was in the Sony age of headphones...EQ used to do wonders for the headphones..same goes for other brands like Creative etc.


But soon i moved on to Sennheiser... i just noticed that no EQ setting lets Sennheiser work normally.. if i do Bass Boost then it distorts, if i do treble boost then it is harsh, if i do rock then vocals sound dull.

I tried MX360, HD205, HD485, HD515, HD555, HD595...which means from cheapest to the expensive ones.

Any product from Sennheiser doesnt benefit from EQ..

Why is it so? u can argue that they are a real headphones with a linear response...but what will u say about MX360? ..its just a cheap Earphone from Sennheiser.

It might be the best of the cheapest but i tried all EQ settings on my computer & iPod.

Is this behaviour specific to Sennheiser or all other leading brands like AKG, Beyer, Audio technica?

 

[GreatDane]

You might want to try hardware EQ if possible. Spend $200+ on a dbx or similar and you should get good results.

I use a processor with my HD 650 with very good results.

 

[tfarney]

I'm not sure any headphone benefits much from the kinds of eq presets you're talking about, that stuff is pretty awful. My HD580s benefit from EQ, or I should say certain music does - I EQ tracks, not equipment. But when I use EQ it is almost always subtractive and never more than a couple of db. By the way, I use software EQ and it works just fine.

Tim

 

[Navyblue]

It could be that the Sennheiser is capable of revealing the crap that your EQ is doing. Or more likely it could be that the amp is not capable of the power demand of boosting certain frequencies which leads to distortion. I'd bet that you are not using a powerful amp, if at all.

If you are talking about iPod EQ, it is a known issue that SQ take a hit when EQ is engaged.

 

[NiceCans]

It may just all be relative:
perhaps you like the sound of Senn's as they are and so any EQ effect simply changes from that preferred sound, thus causing it to mo longer meet your preferences.

Add a ton of bass to my k701 so that it overshadows the mids like some other brands

and I would not like it either

 

[MD1032]

I'm pretty sure I've never heard any portable player with a reasonable bank of EQ settings that don't sound like junk. Even on mine, which has a 5-band EQ and several presets, I refuse to use the EQ because the settings are just too harsh and I'm looking for subtle adjustments. iPod EQ is especially torturous. I don't know how people can even stand to listen to it, but they do.

If you want to take your HD595's up another level, you gotta amp them. That, and, ditch the iPod and get a better-sounding player.

 

[donunus]

ditch or mod the ipod is the truth hehehe. my cheap pioneer dvd player slaughters the ipods line out sound quality. you might not want to eq any decent headphone period. not just senns

 

[eraser_svk]

I have HD 555 and I don't find EQ doing crap to them. Using one in foobar, nothing significant, only a moderate boost of 20-400 Hz to make them sound fuller and richer. Also a little hump around 1.2kHz to make them more concrete. And I must say pretty sucessfully, much better with EQ on. Without it HD 555 sounds thin, colorless for me.

 

[Enthusia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eraser_svk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have HD 555 and I don't find EQ doing crap to them. Using one in foobar, nothing significant, only a moderate boost of 20-400 Hz to make them sound fuller and richer. Also a little hump around 1.2kHz to make them more concrete. And I must say pretty sucessfully, much better with EQ on. Without it HD 555 sounds thin, colorless for me.

I do the same exact thing, although I get paranoid sometimes and turn off the eq just to see if I am listening to the actual song not just the eq.

 

[JackeShan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eraser_svk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have HD 555 and I don't find EQ doing crap to them. Using one in foobar, nothing significant, only a moderate boost of 20-400 Hz to make them sound fuller and richer. Also a little hump around 1.2kHz to make them more concrete. And I must say pretty sucessfully, much better with EQ on. Without it HD 555 sounds thin, colorless for me.

Exactly the same thing for me. I must have EQ on with my HD555. Otherwise there is almost no bass and it sounds like a veil on them.

 

[moogoob]

HD280s also benefit from a bit of a "Rock" curve for me, but a subtle one! Not the ham-fisted presets that most DAPs come with.

 

[whuffor]

I've never enjoyed any eq setting with my HD25-1 or HD650s. I try now and then to tweak the sound in Foobar2000. It's fun to experiment but haven't found a setting I think is better than without eq.

 

[rei_yano]

have not tried any senns but I hate eq for the most part. that is all.

 

[audionewbie]

meh, why mess with the sound, i for one try to buy stuff which doesn't need messed about with to sound good, am quite happy with my senn's.

however, bought some cheap Sony IEM's to try out how they feel and god damn they sound awful, had to turn the bass down on my MD player to get them bearable.

 

[Nocturnal310]

i tried HD435 & PX100 also today...again..the EQ only ruined the experience...

the same doesnt happen with Sony headphones of a same level