1GoodEar
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2012
- Posts
- 3
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- 10
First, I am very new to this so any clarification on how to best ask these questions would be appreciated Second, I did do a search, but did not find the answer. If it has already been answered and it would be easier to just point me to the discussion thread I will look there.
A little background. I have Shure 940s and a Fiio e7 DAC/Amp. As most folks have already written, the bass is bit lacking on those headphones. Which is the basis of where my question comes from.
I primarily listen to music from my iPad. All the files I listen to are mp3s from iTunes. They are all 256K encoding, which is obviously ok but not great. I have no 320K, lossless, CDs, or any other form of music that could change the outcome. I listen to various types of music, but the genre of the music did not change the perception of the difference I will be referring to.
I use an app on the iPad called "Equalizer"
Question: Can someone explain the science difference (if there is one) between "boosting" up the bass with a "bass booster" setting in the EQ app on the iPad vs doing the same thing within the amp? I set the e7 to setting 1 on bass booster. In each case I set the side i am not boosting the bass up with to a flat EQ.
The reason I ask the question is that when I increase the bass output with the EQ on the iPad, it sounds natural, and what I was hoping for and more in balance with the mids and highs for the 940s. When I used the Fiio e7 to increase the bass, it sounded forced or unnatural. (not the audiophile nor scientific terms I know, but those are the best terms I could come up with to describe what I was hearing).
For reference, I use the camera connector kit so the e7 is being used as a DAC as well as an amp on the iPad. In the e7 there is a bass booster option; 0=off, 1, 2, and 3 for low, medium and high increases in the bass boost.
While I realize a response I could get is, "if you like the response/sound your are getting from the EQ setting on the iPad, just use that." While I get that, I am trying to learn if there is something I do not understand that would explain the difference in the sound. I am an engineer by education so I understand tech details, but just not the science of how and why. that is what I am trying to learn.
So if there is a reason for the difference, please help a newbie out
A little background. I have Shure 940s and a Fiio e7 DAC/Amp. As most folks have already written, the bass is bit lacking on those headphones. Which is the basis of where my question comes from.
I primarily listen to music from my iPad. All the files I listen to are mp3s from iTunes. They are all 256K encoding, which is obviously ok but not great. I have no 320K, lossless, CDs, or any other form of music that could change the outcome. I listen to various types of music, but the genre of the music did not change the perception of the difference I will be referring to.
I use an app on the iPad called "Equalizer"
Question: Can someone explain the science difference (if there is one) between "boosting" up the bass with a "bass booster" setting in the EQ app on the iPad vs doing the same thing within the amp? I set the e7 to setting 1 on bass booster. In each case I set the side i am not boosting the bass up with to a flat EQ.
The reason I ask the question is that when I increase the bass output with the EQ on the iPad, it sounds natural, and what I was hoping for and more in balance with the mids and highs for the 940s. When I used the Fiio e7 to increase the bass, it sounded forced or unnatural. (not the audiophile nor scientific terms I know, but those are the best terms I could come up with to describe what I was hearing).
For reference, I use the camera connector kit so the e7 is being used as a DAC as well as an amp on the iPad. In the e7 there is a bass booster option; 0=off, 1, 2, and 3 for low, medium and high increases in the bass boost.
While I realize a response I could get is, "if you like the response/sound your are getting from the EQ setting on the iPad, just use that." While I get that, I am trying to learn if there is something I do not understand that would explain the difference in the sound. I am an engineer by education so I understand tech details, but just not the science of how and why. that is what I am trying to learn.
So if there is a reason for the difference, please help a newbie out