Why don't more people use EQ to get the desired sound?

[rhythmdevils]

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It's just like when people like bass, they're called basshead, but people who like treble can't be called trebleheads, that's heretic

Yes!  I've been thinking of starting a thread about that for a while now.  Head-fi mostly seems to think that the more treble the better.  But we all have different goals, some people are looking for as much clarity and detail as possible, others want accuracy, and others want max bass vibrations. 

 

[wind016]

EQ is almost a necessity at least for me. Pin point frequency adjustments is not possible with equipment and I'm usually really sensitive to regions around 7K

 

[Roller]

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Yes!  I've been thinking of starting a thread about that for a while now.  Head-fi mostly seems to think that the more treble the better.  But we all have different goals, some people are looking for as much clarity and detail as possible, others want accuracy, and others want max bass vibrations. 

I always found it to be a bit of a touchy subject. Also, many people put clarity, detail and accuracy on the same bag, while anything bass related is frowned upon, which does feel more elitist than it should.

 

[wind016]

 
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I always found it to be a bit of a touchy subject. Also, many people put clarity, detail and accuracy on the same bag, while anything bass related is frowned upon, which does feel more elitist than it should.

Yes bass=bad on Head-fi but that's because dynamic headphones really blow when it comes to bass reproduction. Orthos and electrostatics are changing up the market where bass can have good volume without ruining the other frequencies.
 

 

[maverickronin]

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Equalizing is nothing like modding. I'm sorry, but it's just not. Most mods make the headphones more revealing. When you take the foam in front of an IEM's driver you are making it more detailed, thus lettin you hear more of what the original sound was like. Say what you want about equalizing, and I think if it's for free it's a fantastic tool, but EQ will never let you hear the sound closer to what was first recorded. It might make it more fun, but just don't compare it to phisically removing objects that are in between your ears and the driver (yes, I'm only talking about those mods).

"closer to what was first recorded"?  How do you define that?  What about HRTFs or the way it was mixed?  What if the headphone would be brighter than "being there" without some sort of filter in front of the driver.  What if the headphone's FR is incorrect for "being there" and you correct it with EQ?
 
First you dismiss 99% of mods and second you dismiss 99% of the factors in judging the accuracy of sound via headphones.
 
EQ is almost exactly the same as physical modding.  It is a tool designed to change the sound the headphone produces.  That change can make it more accurate or less accurate depending on your preferences.  The only practical difference is that the EQ stays with a piece of hardware of software while a mod travels with the headphone and effects its sound from any source.  That's the only legitimate argument I know of against it and I've never actually heard it advanced by anyone who dislikes EQ.
 

 

[maverickronin]

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Yeah I was mostly kidding.  Although I just don't like the idea of EQ.  I'd rather have equipment that is made to sound right.  Maybe it's silly, I don't know.  Not using EQ is kind of like wanting FLAC instead of 320 mp3's. 

In this case FLAC would represent the perfect headphone while mp3s would represent what actually exists.  If you know of any perfect headphones let me know and I won't have to use EQ anymore...
 

 

[1974]

I feel that some headphones benefit from a bit of EQing, even if you're flattening the frequencies of colored cans for neutral sound. Headphones with a v-shaped sound signature (such as the Denon 7000s) are notoriously mid recessed, but not if you use a quality EQ to bump the mids slightly. It opens things up and seems to tame the bass a little, at least in my experience.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

I think another point to think about is that all people have their certain personally preferred frequency response curve which is almost the only way to easily or accurately find out by EQing unless you're prepared to go through lots of headphones. There are LOTS of people that THINKS they like the sound of a perfectly flat response best because they've read that's the thing to go for. However if doing subjective listening analysis that idea might fail quite quickly. However I'm not talking about any huge derivations from flat sound, not at all, for most people probably a nearly flat sound is optimal but not necessarily a perfect flat sound. Strict audiophiles will probably want that flat sound no matter what but I think those who are going for the most enjoyable listening experience as possible, that's probably not often even the case, it's just they have never even tried to figure out what their personal preference REALLY is. Usually those who can tell their preference are often those looking for certain things in the sound, like me I'm a basshead but I've also learnt that I dislike any emphasized highs as well as I like very forward and "up-front" sound, sounding like I'd be close to the singer/band playing.
 
I just don't understand how some people (I stress yet again, some, not all) live in a world where they think they prefer a certain sound without even trying to figure it out properly. 

 

[Alghazanth]

Because it sounds much better if the desired signature is already in the headphone to begin with. Otherwise you're just trying to turn it into a can that probably already exists and would make you happier. EQ'd bass in particular is awful.

 

[Roller]

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Because it sounds much better if the desired signature is already in the headphone to begin with. Otherwise you're just trying to turn it into a can that probably already exists and would make you happier. EQ'd bass in particular is awful.

Like I said on previous posts, entertainment is one of the uses for EQing. Fixing the faults that all headphones have is the other use, and more relevant for people that start to have a more critical listening.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

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Because it sounds much better if the desired signature is already in the headphone to begin with. Otherwise you're just trying to turn it into a can that probably already exists and would make you happier. EQ'd bass in particular is awful.

Finding a headphone with ALL sound characteristics you prefer is very difficult. Often it may only be a bit of an EQ tweak to make it balanced the way you want it to be like. You can't tweak things like soundstage, forwardness/laid-back, wet/dry sounding, airy/closed, isolation, comfort etc. It's not only the frequency balance which matters in a headphone.
 
What EQ(s) have you got experience with? It's a HUGE difference between a bad and good quality EQ.
 
Ah well time to go sleep, it's 2:30 AM here and gotta wake up at 6 AM Checking back 2morrow most likely.

 

[wind016]

There are no neutral headphones as far as I'm concerned so if you're not EQing to some extent, you're not hearing an actual neutral. If you don't want to use EQ and want neutral response, you probably should change your hobby to speakers.

 

[maverickronin]

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Because it sounds much better if the desired signature is already in the headphone to begin with. Otherwise you're just trying to turn it into a can that probably already exists and would make you happier. EQ'd bass in particular is awful.

Not if you use a decent EQ and aren't trying to add bass to a =2661&graphID[1]=&graphID[2]=&graphID[3]=&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones]lost cause or crappy driver.

 

[bcasey25raptor]

the reason why i don't eq is because every software has a different eq. if i find the perfect eq for my pc i still won't have it for my portable devices. overall from what i understand so far my shure srh840 has the perfect soudn for me. i just don't like how most of my music is badly recorded. if eq can fix badly recorded music then it would be worth it. but it still doesn't solve the problem of portability.
 
edit: i do like a bit more treble emphesis though.

 

[maverickronin]

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There are no neutral headphones as far as I'm concerned so if you're not EQing to some extent, you're not hearing an actual neutral. If you don't want to use EQ and want neutral response, you probably should change your hobby to speakers.

X2
 
There can't be.  Headphones are dependent on individual anatomy in ways that speakers aren't.