[psywut]

Did anyone here get the custom calibration done?
The service where you have to send Sonarworks your set of headphone and they tailor a profile specifically for them.
 
If so, could you please do me a favor and switch between the custom profile and the average profile that ships with the software and report back the audible difference? The reason is that sending my headphones to them, the more I look into it, it going to be an absolute nightmare. If the average profiles get me 95% there, then I won't bother and I'll just get the software. However, if it's a night-and-day difference then I'll have to figure something out.
 
Thanks!
 
EDIT: I should clarify - I'm just interested in the differences when listening to music, as that's all I'll be doing with e'm. So I'm not concerned with any differences in mixing and whatnot.

 

[chinook9]

  Okay, I got it to work with foobar2000. Here's what you need to do.
 
Download and install the free trial of Sonarworks Reference 3 Headphone. (Or purchase it.)
 
Download and install this VST adapter in foobar2000.
 
Go to Components, VST plugins and add the Sonarworks plugin.
 
Go to Playback, DSP Manager and activate the Sonarworks plugin. Then click Configure Selected.
 

 
I got the plugin working on a MacBook using JRiver but I want to try it on my Windows 10 laptop.
 
Everything goes fine on the Windows 10 laptop until the activation. 
 
The only way I could see to activate the plugin was to highlight Sonarworks in the DSP Manager and click on "Configure Selected."  At this point the activation screen shows up but everything locks up completely.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

http://www.yohng.com/software/foobarvst.html

Yohng's VST adapter for foobar2000 is a bit more complicated to use and only lets you host one VST plugin, but I have always found it more reliable in regards to getting VST plugins actually run and not crash.

 

[chinook9]

http://www.yohng.com/software/foobarvst.html



Yohng's VST adapter for foobar2000 is a bit more complicated to use and only lets you host one VST plugin, but I have always found it more reliable in regards to getting VST plugins actually run and not crash.

 


Thank you. I will probably try Yohng's VST adapter.

I was having trouble with the Win 10 upgrade on that machine so I wiped it and did a complete new Win 10 install. I've got the plugin working but I can get the up-sampling to 24/192 to work. I can get a 192KHZ test tone but cant get 192Khz out of Foobar.

I just realized that Win 10 probably cannot pass through 24/192 so I'lI probably have to change it to 16/192. I'll try that tomorrow.

Thanks again.

EDIT: Changed Win 10 output to 16/192 and works fine.

 

[M3NTAL]

  Have you reactivated your plug-in? It should re-download all of the profiles, including the new ones.

 
Was the Sennheiser Surrounder only an April Fools joke? It is not added in my profile list.   I'm only asking to make sure my list updated correctly. The rest of the supported headphones show up fine.
 
Cheers!

 

[DivineCurrent]

Just downloaded the trial today, I'm really impressed! My HD650s sound very true to life with the included HD650 curve settings. To think this is just EQ being applied... people really underestimate the capabilities of EQ don't they?
Also, @RudeWolf I see you have some high end headphones such as the Audeze LCD-2, Beyer T1 and the HD800 on the list of calibrations you have done. 
Are there any of the headphones that you find sound the most natural out of the others you guys have calibrated? My guess would be the ones that are already close to flat without the curve must sound the most natural. 

 

[RudeWolf]

  Just downloaded the trial today, I'm really impressed! My HD650s sound very true to life with the included HD650 curve settings. To think this is just EQ being applied... people really underestimate the capabilities of EQ don't they?
Also, @RudeWolf I see you have some high end headphones such as the Audeze LCD-2, Beyer T1 and the HD800 on the list of calibrations you have done. 
Are there any of the headphones that you find sound the most natural out of the others you guys have calibrated? My guess would be the ones that are already close to flat without the curve must sound the most natural. 

 
Great to hear that you liked it!
 
As for higher end headphones, after you go higher than the HD650, almost every other headphone forces you to sacrifice tonality for some other trait. The HD800 is a very good example - you get a an extremely high resolution driver, yet the treble gets that nasty peak. With LCD-2 you have the super clean planar bass, but give up treble.
 
The industry wide issue is that no one really agrees about a correct way to measure headphones and thus there can be no standard about their sound. Sean Olive from Harman is the frontrunner in this regard with his reference AFR curve. Ours is a bit different, but overall it's very similar. Even if everyone would agree to adopt Sean's curve, there would still need to be a standardised way how to measure headphones. Until then we're at the mercy of golden eared experts every mfg. has hired and their control groups.

 

[Mike F]

   
Great to hear that you liked it!
 
As for higher end headphones, after you go higher than the HD650, almost every other headphone forces you to sacrifice tonality for some other trait. The HD800 is a very good example - you get a an extremely high resolution driver, yet the treble gets that nasty peak. With LCD-2 you have the super clean planar bass, but give up treble.
 
The industry wide issue is that no one really agrees about a correct way to measure headphones and thus there can be no standard about their sound. Sean Olive from Harman is the frontrunner in this regard with his reference AFR curve. Ours is a bit different, but overall it's very similar. Even if everyone would agree to adopt Sean's curve, there would still need to be a standardised way how to measure headphones. Until then we're at the mercy of golden eared experts every mfg. has hired and their control groups.

RudeWolf, it sounds as though you think that, although high end headphones have their individual strengths, they are generally flawed in one area or another. After applying your EQ, would you say that overall they are not better than the HD650, or even that the HD650 is actually overall better?

 

[MattTCG]

 
RudeWolf, it sounds as though you think that, although high end headphones have their individual strengths, they are generally flawed in one area or another. After applying your EQ, would you say that overall they are not better than the HD650, or even that the HD650 is actually overall better?

 
Not answering for him but just a IMO, for years I felt that I would say yes. The tonality of the 650 was so good that it often usurped most of the headtime over flagship headphones. But with EQ implemented properly, this is no longer the case, at least for me. Take the hd800. Once the 800 is properly EQ'ed it becomes a daily driver and not just something that I use for very good recordings. 
 
The hd650 still remains the ultimate headphone for forgiveness but the margin is not greatly reduced. 
 
Not all headphones respond as well to EQ, even good EQ. But the hd800 constitutes an impressive transformation. 

 

[RudeWolf]

With both calibrated the HD800 edges out the HD650. I'd say the LCD-2 with calibration becomes better than HD650. It's mostly due to the fact that both of the more expensive headphones can show their strengths (HD800 - resolution, headstage; LCD-2 - dat bass) and you don't need to deal with any of tonal inaccuracies.

 

[MattTCG]

I think many would be shocked at the sub bass performance from the hd800 with good EQ.

 

[edwardsean]

I think many would be shocked at the sub bass performance from the hd800 with good EQ.

Totally agree. Out of the box, the HD800 has a disappointingly weak bass. Early on, I thought it was just a limitation of the driver. Then, I started carefully adding sub bass frequencies, half expecting little response or distortion. Nope. The HD800 responds wonderfully to EQ to compensate for missing low-end. There are still phones out there that can do better, naturally, but with proper adjustment the bass becomes hugely satisfying. 
 
Also, some presets on Darin Fong's OOYH that capture the response of a subwoofer also fill out the bass on the HD800. 
 
For me, Sonarworks > OOYH > HD800 yields astonishing results. 

 

[SodaBoy]

  Did anyone here get the custom calibration done?
The service where you have to send Sonarworks your set of headphone and they tailor a profile specifically for them.
 
If so, could you please do me a favor and switch between the custom profile and the average profile that ships with the software and report back the audible difference? The reason is that sending my headphones to them, the more I look into it, it going to be an absolute nightmare. If the average profiles get me 95% there, then I won't bother and I'll just get the software. However, if it's a night-and-day difference then I'll have to figure something out.
 
Thanks!
 
EDIT: I should clarify - I'm just interested in the differences when listening to music, as that's all I'll be doing with e'm. So I'm not concerned with any differences in mixing and whatnot.

I'm using a HD800 custom calibration.
 
There is a very audible difference between the custom and average profiles. The HD800 average profile is brighter and less tonally accurate than the custom profile. The calibration of the average profile is less aggressive, and less capable. The custom profile is more aggressive and could fully level out the treble peaks from the HD800. The bass sounded the same on both profiles, but the midrange and treble were noticeably different.
 
However, even the average profile is a big improvement over uncorrected.

 

[hekeli]

  There is a very audible difference between the custom and average profiles.

 
Have you compared your custom to the well known public unlimited profile?
 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x1wuzp85cxhom7q/AB000B.swhp?dl=0
 
Bass extension etc difference is easily heard between average and AB000B.
 
Well now that I have SD mod done, I might consider shipping to for calibration anyway..

 

[SodaBoy]

   
Have you compared your custom to the well known public unlimited profile?
 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x1wuzp85cxhom7q/AB000B.swhp?dl=0
 
Bass extension etc difference is easily heard between average and AB000B.
 
Well now that I have SD mod done, I might consider shipping to for calibration anyway..

Even my custom is limited, the public unlimited profile has more bass extension and magnitude compared to both my average and custom profiles. Distortion will increase appreciably if the lower octaves are pushed too far. Conversely, we are much less sensitive to distortion in the lower octaves though.