[olddude]

"I guess those who are proud to renounce equalizing since they've got adult"
 
​Nah, I just decided that if it was recorded that way I should listen to it that way.  

 

[teds headfood]

you guys are killin me. things are mixed/equalized/recorded/etc usually by one bigwig guy for what he believes the masses will like. every source/amp/earphones/etc have different effects on recordings so how can one preset recording be perfect for everybody? like i said you guys are too funny. no offence to spook76 as he and i agree to disagree on this.
yes i eq to MY taste, which some believe i have no taste but thats another story. lol

 

[JaZZ]

  "I guess those who are proud to renounce equalizing since they've got adult"
 
​Nah, I just decided that if it was recorded that way I should listen to it that way.  

 
«...and if a headphone is designed to sound the way it does, it will be good enough for me... The manufacturer certainly knows what he's doing...»

  That's a possible attitude, indeed.

 

[JaZZ]

On the other hand I'm wondering: Since the blue filter is «said/designed to sound neutral», how come that you're modifying it?

 

[JaZZ]

I have to confess: I do even worse things than equalizing my headphones. I edit all the recordings of my music collection, even before I listen to them. There's a reason for that: Since a few years I suffer from strange ear resonances in the low-to-lower-mid-frequencies – having shown up after the appearance of a tinnitus about two years earlier –, maybe a special form of hyperacusis. All things together have forced me to give up my speaker-building hobby and to do my music listening with headphones. But I can't live without crossfeed, not least because of the asymmetry of the resonances. So I crossfeed all my music, although my Meier amps do have crossfeed, but I strongly preferred my own implementation (which resembles the current Meier and Hugo crossfeed, BTW), which moreover allows me to benefit from it on the go as well, which may very well be 50% of my music listening. And while I'm at it, I do some modifications on the recordings now and then – strictly in the interest of enhanced neutrality and realism. Moreover I have stereophonized all of my mono recordings (think Rolling Stones, Animals, Kinks, Yardbirds, Move, Beach Boys...), and the result is stunning to my ears – sometimes I'm not even sure myself if it's indeed artificial or real stereo when I hear it via shuffle play, my preferred listening method.
 
Honestly: Actually I really enjoy the emergence of the filter mod in the SE846 thread. It is a movement of a spirit which I miss on Head-Fi. Creative people (within reasonable limits, of course) instead of mere consumers. Just a little bit of it, but I like it.

 

[olddude]

I like mustard on my hot pastrami sandwich.  
 
I like the books of John McPhee.
 
I like the film director Richard Lester.
 
I like the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson.
 
I like relatively flat eq.
 

 

[moedawg140]

The filter modding has been a staple in the SE846 thread for quite a while, around a year since I can pinpoint to the first posts/topics regarding modding filters.
 
Main topics members have discussed regarding the placebo to major changes to the SE846 sound signature:
 
Comparisons with other TOTL C/IEMs (including ones with 2-3 times the drivers of the SE846).
 
Effects and impressions of using different elemental cables with the SE846.
 
DAC/Amps that synergize well with the SE846.
 
DAPs used with the SE846, and EQ usage with boutique DAPs, smartphones, etc.
 
Balanced vs. SE and the pros and cons between the implementations of both.
 
Sizes-fit-all tips - foam, silicone, etc. and modification of the tips.
 
The Sensaphonics Custom Sleeves.
 
Even though there are C/IEMs that I feel are more coherent, resolving and has overall more engaging bass than the SE846, the SE846 will always be near and dear to my heart.  Besides, the SE846 and SCS combination is still the most comfortable of any C/IEM that I wear.
 
You guys and gals are all awesome, and happy listening! 

 

[JaZZ]

  I like relatively flat eq.
 

 
Wouldn't serve you well for editing a recording.

 

[Whazzzup]

 
I like relatively flat eq.

Wouldn't serve you well for editing a recording.

How do you edit a recording? Hyperacusis seems like a bummer. No wonder you need to control your sound to your liking. My new dh cable opened up the low end and sub base rumble nicely. Would I get that by eq. Again I have no horse in this race, I only don't eq since I find changing the levels for different songs, genres etc tiresome and ineffective. Maybe I'm lazy or lack auditory acuity.

 

[olddude]

I'm not arguing.  There's no point in arguing.  
 
I like flat eq on what I listen to.  
 
I also like mustard on my pastrami sandwich.
 
It's a preference, we all have them.  
 
There is no "right."   
 
Ted, I had one of your cables, I liked it a lot with my TF10, it opened up the sound quite a bit.  
 
Obviously each source or device or item or headphone brings its own signature to the party.  I'm enjoying the combination of what I choose as my sound chain.
 
I don't edit.  I listen.
 
Again, I'm not arguing.
 
 I don't care what others do.
 
I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything.
 
I like flat eq.
 
Burma Shave.  (That's for those of you old enough to get the reference.) 

 

[JaZZ]

How do you edit a recording? Hyperacusis seems like a bummer. No wonder you need to control your sound to your liking. My new dh cable opened up the low end and sub base rumble nicely. Would I get that by eq. Again I have no horse in this race, I only don't eq since I find changing the levels for different songs, genres etc tiresome and ineffective. Maybe I'm lazy or lack auditory acuity.

 
Actually all I have to do to compensate for my ear resonances is crossfeed. Other modifications just serve for removing possible colorations in a recording. They can vary to a wide degree, but mostly I can get along with subtle modifications, often 1 dB or even less. Sometimes it's missing or excessive treble (with varying center frequency/frequencies), sometimes a midrange coloration, e.g. too much 900 Hz content, sometimes an electric bass recorded through a speaker cabinet with corresponing resonance(s), sometimes it's missing sub bass. Yes, I can identify resonances very well, despite the ones in my ears, because meanwhile I have kind of adapted myself to them and often barely notice or perceive them anymore. Humans have different ears and individual hearing curves, but since they hear the whole world through their individual hearing curve, a headphone providing the whole-world characteristic is good for everyone. And since I hear the whole world with my new hearing curve, to which I have gotten used to, I don't have to change anything on my headphones, except for the flaws that were always there. (For this analogy I have left out the impact of individual HRTF to simplify it.)
 
BTW, I also believe in cable sound, but am rather disappointed by the DHC Clone for my HD 800 – apparently a bad synergy, certainly also caused by the modification in my pair. However, I think it is distinctly dull and treble-adverse, lacks finesse and resolution there. I used to like the Silver Dragon, but nowadays have a pronounced weakness for the stock cable (everything with adequate EQ settings, of course), which has definitely the sharpest imaging. I would like to try an aftermarket cable with the SE846, too, but somehow think I can absolutely live with its stock cable.

 

[JaZZ]

  I'm not arguing.  There's no point in arguing.  
 
I like flat eq on what I listen to.  
...  
I like flat eq.

 
No need to argue with me – I was just trying to draw you out of your shell, to get to know what's so important about a flat EQ. Has it to do with esthetics? You're ready to curve your SE846 sound with filter swaps and mods, but the EQ has to stay straight – although it could possibly help with what you're trying to achieve with the filter exercise?

I don't feel offended at all by a different approach, just to make that clear.

 

[bflat]

  I like mustard on my hot pastrami sandwich.  
 
I like the books of John McPhee.
 
I like the film director Richard Lester.
 
I like the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson.
 
I like relatively flat eq.
 

I like steak - broiled not grilled and no steak sauce.

 

[olddude]

I wasn't arguing.  Simply stating a preference.  

 

[Whazzzup]

Still got to say I'm getting my sub bass head going nicely with this new dH cable. By the way I like my steak grilled or pan seared, it just has to be hot, really really hot. 3-4 minutes a side, one flip, no bbq sauce.