I’m both really disappointed and really relieved that I have an even worse issue with most over-ears — sound is always veiled/muddy, at least a little, unless I “stretch” my jaw. It’s not a pressure thing, just a canal thing I’m almost certain. I think it has something to do with the exact distance of the transducer, it very specifically only applies to the speaker being slightly outside my ear. Some over-ears are better for me than others (and the PortaPros went from pretty much fine to muddy when I added Yaxi pads… and the KPH30 that on paper I should love sounds like a fuzzy muddy mess. And I know that’s specific to me, not a trait of the set.)
Sad because headphones offer something different to IEMs and in some regions the two simply can’t compare, but good because amps/cables/pads is a rabbit hole I wouldn’t have the self control to pass by otherwise. Same as with buds, I’d like them to work out but it’s maybe for the best that they don’t.
On another note: I have compared the heart mirror (with final tip E) against the Aria (with spinfit cp100).
The heart mirror brings the voices more forward; they also have more body. The set is a little warmer, and has less bass extension. The aria has more instrument separation, though.
But for approx 40€, equipped with the good tips, the HM is definitely a good set for those who like mids/voices. .
So I had some google reward money about to expire, and thought I’d purchase the parametric EQ addon in UAPP to see if I could just tame the treble slightly on the 3DTs. Now, I have never felt the need to use eq before let alone a parametric one so could do with some pointers on how best to use it. I have tried O2 filters on the 3DTs but felt they took too much ‘bite’ out of the sound, so thought the parametric eq would allow more refined adjustment. But tbh I have no idea how to get started with this, so a bit of a Dummies Guide would be appreciated
At the moment I’ve just applied a high shelf starting at 4k with -2dB and left the other entry at 0.71 (think this is the Q value?) - and it’s definitely heading in the right direction.
I’m assuming that this applies a -2dB reduction across everything above 4k but with a smoothed transition curve back to stock curve at 4k - is that right?
Have briefly played about with the Q(?) value (increased to 2, sounded bad), but reverted back to 0.71 as I don’t really undertand how it affects the sound apart from a higher number narrows the width. I don’t think I need to change this if applying a shelf though, as seems more a factor to be used when trying to target a more specific range.
Any help/thoughts/web links much appreciated. (Not looking to start a debate on “to eq, or not to eq” by the way.)
High/low shelf don’t care about Q, since it’s before/after that frequency range, so you are right, yes.
I’m not a fan of EQ, but I started delving into it on neutral and you can pretty much do great things on good drivers (Heart Mirror comes to mind). I keep my mind open, and I think EQ is a good tool for certain aspects (Small tweeks on budget stuff, planars, bassheads, etc).
Learn to listen without EQ. With a good DAC, good IEMs and a good player, you don’t need EQ, but… EQ does not help the bad IEMs, a placebo is obtained. At the moment I’m listening to Sting on PD1 without EQ , this is the most realistic timbre I’ve heard, despite the graphics
That was my point. If you like something but not the tuning on an IEM, you can tweak it. I’m still against spending money on an IEM and then EQ it to something totaly different because, at that point, you might as well just buy a better/closer IEM for your tastes and library.
@Rikudou_Goku ok, so think I’m heading in the right direction with the Q factor with a High Shelf. I assume that I can apply a negative adjustment ok with a shelf? Thanks.
EQ is great. Allows you to fine-tune a headphone to your liking or make those with bad FR better.
Best example are my Sony WH-1000XM3. Without EQ they are a bass bloated mess. With the EQ preset from oratory1990, they become a genuinely good headphone.
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