[thatBeatsguy]

I've tried a simulation of the HD600 (on fresh pads) vs the HD800, and the sound is close in terms of the frequency response (by ear, of course), but it can't replicate the finer details and absolutely not the soundstage. I prefer the "Flat" or "Hi-Fi" simulation settings over flat as in EQ off on the HD600 though, but given the bugs that sometimes the library just gets modified on its own (missing albums, etc), I just went back to FLAC Player.

Ah, so you really can't replicate the soundstage, as I thought. Thanks very much for your info. So, to sum it up, you can try to replicate the sound, but everything else can't. Even then, it's a great effort made by the devs at Golden Ears, which I will praise.

Well, if anyone'd like to know what my settings are, it's the AUDEZ'E LCD-2 setting on Hi-Fi, using the Beats Pro.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Ah, so you really can't replicate the soundstage, as I thought.

 
It's really impossible to do because the HD800 chassis (as on the T1, etc) positions the drivers forward of the ears and angles them, simulating toe-in on speakers. With speakers it's already hard to replicate the sound of the same speaker on a well-dampened room vs a room with minimal acoustic treatments, and as much as headphones do away with dealing with the room, the manner of wearing headphones is another matter. Chassis design as on the HD800 prevents a lot of that - I've seen people who think the HD600s are too far forward, but the rear of the pads are barely touching their ears, which means the drivers are smack on top of their ear openings.

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Quote:

 
It's really impossible to do because the HD800 chassis (as on the T1, etc) positions the drivers forward of the ears and angles them, simulating toe-in on speakers. With speakers it's already hard to replicate the sound of the same speaker on a well-dampened room vs a room with minimal acoustic treatments, and as much as headphones do away with dealing with the room, the manner of wearing headphones is another matter. Chassis design as on the HD800 prevents a lot of that - I've seen people who think the HD600s are too far forward, but the rear of the pads are barely touching their ears, which means the drivers are smack on top of their ear openings.

     But considering that the HD800s have a really wide soundstage, what happens if you try to replicate those of closed back headphones using closed-back headphones? It's an experiment I'd love to try.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

     But considering that the HD800s have a really wide soundstage, what happens if you try to replicate those of closed back headphones using closed-back headphones? It's an experiment I'd love to try.

 
The chassis of the HD800 isn't just open-back, it also places the driver at a position that helps the soundstage. An M50 for example won't have the same angle mount as a Sony MDR-1R, let alone the added space around the ears and the angle mount of a K550. As such, the frequency response can be mimmicked using a custom EQ, but I doubt how much better the soundstage will get.

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Quote:

 
The chassis of the HD800 isn't just open-back, it also places the driver at a position that helps the soundstage. An M50 for example won't have the same angle mount as a Sony MDR-1R, let alone the added space around the ears and the angle mount of a K550. As such, the frequency response can be mimmicked using a custom EQ, but I doubt how much better the soundstage will get.

     True. I guess I have nothing left to say on this.

 

[Malfunkt]

Just started using this. Was glad to see my Shure srh840 was listed, and using the setting helped clear up some minor issues with the treble and over emphasized bass hump. They do indicate that, using a rating, that some headphones are going to be better suited to the compensation.

What's interesting is that switching back to the 'normal' uncompensated setting, after getting used to the compensated setting can make it sound like a filter/eq is applied on your headphone! Amazing how you ears adjust.

The app didn't have a setting for the MDR-ex600 but had one for the ex1000. Applying this to my ex600 really helped for electronic tracks, basses and drum kicks where the ex600 could really use a boost. Also snares, claps, sounded more natural. Switching back to normal, hihats and claps sounded like they were running through a resonant filter (and looking at the ex600/1000 equiliation curve almost mimics this effect). The ex600 on its normal settings is weaker sounding but still very dynamic. I think for solo piano and jazz I may just leave the eq off.

This app is quality and its generally a good idea. It's an excellent eq overall. Definitely play around with it, but it won't replace the dynamic possibilities and innate qualities of audiophile gear. Recommended, especially as its free! Will pick up the pro version to support the development.

Cross-feed or some form of Bauer stereophonic-to-binaural would be a nice addition.

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Quote:

Just started using this. Was glad to see my Shure srh840 was listed, and using the setting helped clear up some minor issues with the treble and over emphasized bass hump. They do indicate that, using a rating, that some headphones are going to be better suited to the compensation.

What's interesting is that switching back to the 'normal' uncompensated setting, after getting used to the compensated setting can make it sound like a filter/eq is applied on your headphone! Amazing how you ears adjust.

The app didn't have a setting for the MDR-ex600 but had one for the ex1000. Applying this to my ex600 really helped for electronic tracks, basses and drum kicks where the ex600 could really use a boost. Also snares, claps, sounded more natural. Switching back to normal, hihats and claps sounded like they were running through a resonant filter (and looking at the ex600/1000 equiliation curve almost mimics this effect). The ex600 on its normal settings is weaker sounding but still very dynamic. I think for solo piano and jazz I may just leave the eq off.

This app is quality and its generally a good idea. It's an excellent eq overall. Definitely play around with it, but it won't replace the dynamic possibilities and innate qualities of audiophile gear. Recommended, especially as its free! Will pick up the pro version to support the development.

Cross-feed or some form of Bauer stereophonic-to-binaural would be a nice addition.

You're probably lucky to have an improvement in the SQ of your headphones, because mine sucked up all of that bass, until I played around and got a better setting.
Pro isn't as reliable sometimes because it loads for around 5 seconds before playing the next song. I had to switch back at times. Even then, the quality is stunning.

 

[Currawong]

It is supposed to suck out all the bass. "Flat" means all that boomy bass in the Beats wont be there. The idea is that you can a very rough idea what other headphones sound like as well as hear what an effectively neutral frequency response sounds like. 

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Quote:

It is supposed to suck out all the bass. "Flat" means all that boomy bass in the Beats wont be there. The idea is that you can a very rough idea what other headphones sound like as well as hear what an effectively neutral frequency response sounds like. 

The problem is, the bass is sucked out, and it sounds too plain and lifeless. But I changed the settings and got a better result. The bass was slightly reduced, but the treble and the midrange was significantly clarified and increased.

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to revive this thread to ask a little question: What settings do you use?
 
EDIT: Whoops, accidentally pressed Ctrl+Enter and submitted.
 
Anyway, my settings are on here:

 
   As it turns out, it's my favorite EQ setting after trying out more than a dozen of EQ settings in GE's servers. My second favorite has got to be the Yamaha Pro 500s. I gotta admit, though the upgraditis is somewhat satiated with a better, clearer SQ, the want to own the real thing still prevails. Damn, there really is no turning back the moment you come on to Head-Fi.
 
EDIT: this is actually the 100th post in this thread, yay!

 

[Abyss]

I have been using this app for several months now. I love what this app did to my Philips Uptowns.  Recently I have bought Ath CK10. Unfortunately Golden Ears did not include the said iems into their list. Do you have any suggestions regarding the equalizing values, presets for different sets that might be applicable? (I have tried CK100Pro... different iems of course and the sound seemed a little veiled).
 
Best regards!

 

[solserenade]

Quote:

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to revive this thread to ask a little question: What settings do you use?
 
EDIT: Whoops, accidentally pressed Ctrl+Enter and submitted.
 
Anyway, my settings are on here:

 
   As it turns out, it's my favorite EQ setting after trying out more than a dozen of EQ settings in GE's servers. My second favorite has got to be the Yamaha Pro 500s. I gotta admit, though the upgraditis is somewhat satiated with a better, clearer SQ, the want to own the real thing still prevails. Damn, there really is no turning back the moment you come on to Head-Fi.
 
EDIT: this is actually the 100th post in this thread, yay!

 
Does that not mean that you've found that "your setting" is FLAT? If so, isn't running your music through this App doing nothing ultimately?
 
(or is it still emulating an LCD2 with flat EQ, through your Beats?) ??

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Quote:

 
Does that not mean that you've found that "your setting" is FLAT? If so, isn't running your music through this App doing nothing ultimately?
 
(or is it still emulating an LCD2 with flat EQ, through your Beats?) ??

   Well, it's performing neither. As of my earlier post, it was doing the latter, until I found myself writing EQ reviews and wasting a few bucks on my allowance to ultimately switch to a new EQ. Way less fatiguing IMHO.

 

[Pasiasty]

Is there some Golden Ears representant reading this? Has anyone reported crashes when compilation album is playing? I wrote them an email but didn't get any answer. Also, I bought paid version through app interface but iTunes shows I'm using free version so I can't write a comment about Pro version. Seems like they don't read comments anyway...

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Quote:

Is there some Golden Ears representant reading this? Has anyone reported crashes when compilation album is playing? I wrote them an email but didn't get any answer. Also, I bought paid version through app interface but iTunes shows I'm using free version so I can't write a comment about Pro version. 

   One thing to note: Golden Ears is a pretty small group, and a majority (if not all of them) are Korean, therefore hindering their communication with English-speaking users. A GE rep is most probably nonexistent; however, they are still rather active. I could safely assume that none of the staff in GE took a step inside this forum.
 

Seems like they don't read comments anyway...

   Well, that's most likely because they can't. 
   Concerning your predicament, I don't have any compilations at all so I couldn't really provide any more useful information (sorry). However, I'd like to add my own little complaint: Accudio is really laggy when buffering lossless tracks. I have yet to report if this is a hardware issue (I use an iPod Touch 4G), but this has happened in both the Free and Pro versions. I haven't tested it on my iPad 3 yet, however.
    In all honesty, I don't think GE gives a s**t about issues on lag; though the last update reduced the bug crashes on my iPod to dust. They probably still care,  but not that much.
    Audessey Media Player looks promising and has a similar system to GE, if you're looking for an alternative. Plus, the staff there speak English (and are possibly Caucasian), so their customer service is more accessible to us. (Speaking of which, their customer service is quite active.) However, their developers are actually pretty broke, seeing as they don't have even a pair that could be considered high-end. Still, I really like their user interface and rather faster response on an older device like mine. Still, it was leagues behind the 300+ pairs that GE has tested and measured.
 
    I would also like to include a little side-note: Rin Choi, known here for his precise measurements of headphones, has stated that GE's reference standard is bass-boosted, which essentially disproves their claim of "ture, hi-fi sound." Rin has some evidence, too, which could be viewed in his blog. I'm too lazy to put up links, so you could Google that if you so choose. Anyway, that basically means that GE's measurements are actually wrong.
   ...Not that it actually matters. GE's Reference mode does in fact have a simple 5-band EQ to turn down the bass and hopefully take another step closer to experiencing true flat sound.