• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

AKG K702: a valid alternative EQ to Harman Curve for you to try

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
I'd like to offer you all an alternative EQ to the Oratory EQ, it's still done to the Harman Curve but it's using a different set of measurements. Oratory's measurement for the K702 has changed by a large amount over the various versions of pdf's he's released for it, and for my 4 units of K702 (at least) it's going in the wrong direction, with his measurements getting darker which in turn is resulting in his EQ's being brighter than the earlier versions.

Following is how his published measurement has changed from his first version compared to the latest version, the latest version is the dark highlighted line in the following graph, and you can see how much darker that measurement is in comparison:
K702 Oratory change from v1 to 26.10.22.jpg



Right, so Oratory measured one of my units of K702 (ages ago), and he sent me the measurements for that unit which was the same as his first published measurement (as I was the first person to send him a K702 to measure) - anyway I've measured that unit on my miniDSP EARS (ages ago) and was therefore able to create a conversion curve for turning a miniDSP EARs measurement into GRAS style measurement - that's valid a thing to do, but note that conversion curve is only applicable to that model of headphone (K702). I measured all 4 units of mine on my miniDSP EARS, averaged them & then converted into a GRAS style measurement, then did an EQ to the Harman Curve. I've tested the EQ on all 4 units of my K702 and it sounds good on all of them. The Oratory EQ is just too bright for my 4 units of headphone. In fact, my two newer K702 are brighter headphones than my two older K702, eventhough they've all got new pads on. With this in mind it's interesting that Oratory's measurement has become darker over the years, whereas my K702 units have shown that the newer ones are brighter than the older ones (so the opposite trend). So it's possible that the EQ I will show you will be more applicable for newer K702, it might be worth a try......but even on my older K702 I prefer my EQ. So that was my overall approach and overview, and following are the graphs/data to back it up.

My 4 units of K702 measured on miniDSP EARs (new pads)
You can probably just about make out in the following graph that the two newer K702 (Unit 3 & 4) are brighter than the older Unit 1 & 2.
K702 All Units normalised at 700Hz.jpg



and the same as above but showing the average line of all of them:
K702 avg line highlighted.jpg

this average line was then converted to a GRAS style measurement and then EQ'd by me to the Harman Curve:
K702 all units AVG EQ.jpg



and the EqualiserAPO file for the EQ is attached at the end of this post. Note for those entering the EQ manually, you'll want a -9dB Negative Preamp.

Footnote: Units 1 & 2 have an aftermarket pad attached, which are made of same material as original pad and of same texture and appearance, I did measure to see what the difference was between aftermarket pad and stock pad (on the same unit) and they're practically identical or just a tad tad darker (if perceivable), see following graph:
K702 Unit 3 Beige Pads vs Stock Pads.jpg

Anyway, you're welcome to try my EQ based on my measurements which were backed up by an original GRAS measurement, and for my 4 units they are an improvement over the Oratory EQ, and there's a possibility that this EQ is even more relevant for newer K702 units, but I even prefer this one on my older K702 units dating back to 2015.

I had posted this yesterday in a seperate AKG K702 thread, but perhaps it's better it has it's own thread. You're welcome to try it and let me know what you think to it, indeed it's possible this EQ might be more valid & suited to newer K702 that also have new pads as it's based on 4 units of mine that have been measured with new pads, and it does seem that the newer K702 are trending to be brighter headphones, at least for my 2 fairly recently purchased units. So from that point of view, some users may find this a better fit than the Oratory EQ, no guarantees of course, lol!

It'll be interesting to see how many people end up trying this EQ, as I don't know how popular the K702 is here on ASR. In the past it's been a very popular headphone.
 

Attachments

  • K702 All Units EQ.txt
    717 bytes · Views: 390
Last edited:

usern

Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2020
Messages
488
Likes
499
How loud can you push the K702 before it is going to distort compared to 560S (with Harman EQ on both)?
 
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
I don't know actually, I've not tested that. I've not driven either of them to levels where I thought - this bass is definitely distorting. On a subjective level at my normal listening volumes I think the HD560s has more definition & detail within the bass when both are boosted to Harman levels according to the measurements (I do put +1dB more on my HD560s bass though, but subjectively bass levels sound the same ballpark).

EDIT: I have done some distortion measurements in the past, but not compared them. I'll probably update this post later with a comparison if I can.
 

Dazerdoreal

Active Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
212
Likes
216
Your EQ doesnt sound right on my 702, but this could absolutely have to do with my positioning and/or my ears. I just dont hear that huge ~5,5khz peak on mine. While there is a peak in that area, it is way smaller. When I apply your EQ I hear a dip at ~5,5khz. I hear my 702 closer to Crinacles measurement.

On his AKG 612 measurement, he measured a little (!) peak at ~5,6khz. This is similar to how I perceive it on my 702.

 

Shazb0t

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
May 1, 2018
Messages
643
Likes
1,230
Location
NJ
I have an older Austrian made Q701. I can't remember if consensus from the past was that they were just rebaged K702s, does anyone definitively know? If so, I'd be interested in giving your EQ a listen.
 
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
Your EQ doesnt sound right on my 702, but this could absolutely have to do with my positioning and/or my ears. I just dont hear that huge ~5,5khz peak on mine. While there is a peak in that area, it is way smaller. When I apply your EQ I hear a dip at ~5,5khz. I hear my 702 closer to Crinacles measurement.

On his AKG 612 measurement, he measured a little (!) peak at ~5,6khz. This is similar to how I perceive it on my 702.

Fair enough, but how did you ascertain whether you had a peak or not in your headphone? I know from experience that you have to be careful when it comes to listening to sine sweeps or tones, as your natural hearing will have various natural peaks & troughs (that are specific to you) which you shouldn't EQ out. For instance, I know I have a massive localised increase in hearing sensitivity between 8-12kHz which I experience when listening through various headphones as well as Anechoic Flat Speakers - so I know not to EQ out that peak I hear in this location - it might be worthwhile for you to check with other headphones and flat speakers where you have natural peaks in your hearing, then make sure you don't EQ those out.
 
Last edited:
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
I have an older Austrian made Q701. I can't remember if consensus from the past was that they were just rebaged K702s, does anyone definitively know? If so, I'd be interested in giving your EQ a listen.
Oratory hasn't measured Q701, nor has Crinacle, so I don't know if they're the same or not as the K702 - I would wager that they're different, because even the K702 is a bit different to the K701 for instance. I wouldn't use my EQ on your Q701, but thanks for the interest nonetheless!

On a seperate note, I was kinda expecting more replies to this thread, as I know there are a few K702 users here on ASR, I'll see if I can tag the ones I remember from another thread (although these might instead just be also people who have been interested in K702 in the past): @samwell7 , @Ravix , @jhaider , @Nango , @Seta Seta Pop , @Bob-23
 

Dazerdoreal

Active Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
212
Likes
216
Fair enough, but how did you ascertain whether you had a peak or not in your headphone? I know from experience that you have to be careful when it comes to listening to sine sweeps or tones, as your natural hearing will have various natural peaks & troughs (that are specific to you) which you shouldn't EQ out. For instance, I know I have a massive localised increase in hearing sensitivity between 8-12kHz which I experience when listening through various headphones as well as Anechoic Flat Speakers - so I know not to EQ out that peak I hear in this location - it might be worthwhile for you to check with other headphones and flat speakers where you have natural peaks in your hearing, then make sure you don't EQ those out.
I know from other headphones who my sweeps are supposed to sound like - not saying that I dont have any open questions left, but usually not in that area.
When I use your measurement, I really hear an unusual downward slope.

But again, this does not mean at all that your EQ or measurements are "wrong". It is completely normal that there are variations among headphones of the same type, and that headphones sound differently on different ears. Solderdudes measurements also look different, for example. https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/akg/k702
 
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
I know from other headphones who my sweeps are supposed to sound like - not saying that I dont have any open questions left, but usually not in that area.
When I use your measurement, I really hear an unusual downward slope.

But again, this does not mean at all that your EQ or measurements are "wrong". It is completely normal that there are variations among headphones of the same type, and that headphones sound differently on different ears. Solderdudes measurements also look different, for example. https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/akg/k702
Ok then, as long as you're aware of the difficulties/pitfalls re listening to sine sweeps/tones. What do you mean re Solderdude's measurement? It certainly looks different because it's done on a flat plate, or do you mean something else?
 
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK

V17

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2022
Messages
11
Likes
7
Thank you for this!
I can confirm that this sounds better than Oratory1990's settings on my K702 - can't immediately remember if I bought them a year ago or two years ago, but they're relatively new in any case. I've been using some older AutoEQ settings that I tuned over time by ear, and on first listen this seems to be comparable but simpler, after tilting down the treble a bit (default settings typically sound too bright to me).
 
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
Thank you for this!
I can confirm that this sounds better than Oratory1990's settings on my K702 - can't immediately remember if I bought them a year ago or two years ago, but they're relatively new in any case. I've been using some older AutoEQ settings that I tuned over time by ear, and on first listen this seems to be comparable but simpler, after tilting down the treble a bit (default settings typically sound too bright to me).
Ha, good, you're welcome, I'm glad at least one other person (apart from myself) has gotten some value from it, lol!
 

skyair

New Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2023
Messages
2
Likes
1
Location
Canada
Somehow this sounds overly dark and muddied on my K702. Both your and oratory1990's measurements suggest a peak at around ~5.4kHz, but from my subjective experience and crinacle's measurement, the peak does not exist. When I apply filters at around 5kHz, the detail is lost by a significant margin, and the overall tonality sounds suffocated. There is indeed a peak at around ~2.3kHz which can be solved via EQ.

Below is my EQ profile and I am confident that the tonality will be more neutral than the configuration above. The profile is a mixture of crinacle's (band 1-4, which result in a better bass extension for me) and oratory1990's filters.

Code:
Preamp: -6.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 60 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 4.570
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 76 Hz Gain -0.6 dB Q 3.760
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 97 Hz Gain -2.7 dB Q 0.490
Filter 4: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain 6.7 dB Q 0.710
Filter 5: OFF PK Fc 210 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 0.600
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 760 Hz Gain 2.2 dB Q 1.500
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 1020 Hz Gain -1.1 dB Q 3.500
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2300 Hz Gain -3.6 dB Q 1.900
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 2650 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 5.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 3500 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 1.400
Filter 11: ON HSC Fc 12000 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 0.710

Note: band 5 is OFF by default but you can adjust it to your preference in warmth/muddiness.

Below is the FR before/after EQ. It uses crinacle's measurement but I don't find it deviating from oratory1990's except at the 5kHz area.

Screenshot 2023-03-16 at 1.55.42 PM.png
 

Dazerdoreal

Active Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
212
Likes
216
Skyairs EQ works for me for most songs. As I said above, I hear a slight peak in that area, but nothing which urgently needs to be adressed.

This is the one I am currently using, also vaguely based on Oratory1990s EQ. But this is not scientific and not supposed to hit the harman target perfectly. It likely doesnt sound correct on someone else's ears.

What I recommend doing is to find your personal upper treble peak and to adress it instead of using a high shelf filter.

Preamp: -5.6 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 70 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 1.200
Filter 2: ON LSC Fc 110 Hz Gain 5.7 dB Q 0.710
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 210 Hz Gain -2.2 dB Q 0.600
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 800 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 1.500
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1000 Hz Gain -1.1 dB Q 3.500
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 2200 Hz Gain -4.5 dB Q 1.900
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 2600 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 5.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 3500 Hz Gain 0.3 dB Q 1.400
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 5500 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 3.500
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 6900 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 4.000
Filter 11: ON PK Fc 10500 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 4.000
Filter 12: ON PK Fc 13500 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 5.000
Filter 13: ON HSC Fc 12000 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 0.800
 

Attachments

  • Bildschirmfoto_2023-03-17_00-46-28.png
    Bildschirmfoto_2023-03-17_00-46-28.png
    48.7 KB · Views: 85
Last edited:

jtavy

Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2023
Messages
15
Likes
6
I'd like to offer you all an alternative EQ to the Oratory EQ, it's still done to the Harman Curve but it's using a different set of measurements. Oratory's measurement for the K702 has changed by a large amount over the various versions of pdf's he's released for it, and for my 4 units of K702 (at least) it's going in the wrong direction, with his measurements getting darker which in turn is resulting in his EQ's being brighter than the earlier versions.

Following is how his published measurement has changed from his first version compared to the latest version, the latest version is the dark highlighted line in the following graph, and you can see how much darker that measurement is in comparison:
K702 Oratory change from v1 to 26.10.22.jpg



Right, so Oratory measured one of my units of K702 (ages ago), and he sent me the measurements for that unit which was the same as his first published measurement (as I was the first person to send him a K702 to measure) - anyway I've measured that unit on my miniDSP EARS (ages ago) and was therefore able to create a conversion curve for turning a miniDSP EARs measurement into GRAS style measurement - that's valid a thing to do, but note that conversion curve is only applicable to that model of headphone (K702). I measured all 4 units of mine on my miniDSP EARS, averaged them & then converted into a GRAS style measurement, then did an EQ to the Harman Curve. I've tested the EQ on all 4 units of my K702 and it sounds good on all of them. The Oratory EQ is just too bright for my 4 units of headphone. In fact, my two newer K702 are brighter headphones than my two older K702, eventhough they've all got new pads on. With this in mind it's interesting that Oratory's measurement has become darker over the years, whereas my K702 units have shown that the newer ones are brighter than the older ones (so the opposite trend). So it's possible that the EQ I will show you will be more applicable for newer K702, it might be worth a try......but even on my older K702 I prefer my EQ. So that was my overall approach and overview, and following are the graphs/data to back it up.

My 4 units of K702 measured on miniDSP EARs (new pads)
You can probably just about make out in the following graph that the two newer K702 (Unit 3 & 4) are brighter than the older Unit 1 & 2.
K702 All Units normalised at 700Hz.jpg



and the same as above but showing the average line of all of them:
K702 avg line highlighted.jpg

this average line was then converted to a GRAS style measurement and then EQ'd by me to the Harman Curve:
K702 all units AVG EQ.jpg



and the EqualiserAPO file for the EQ is attached at the end of this post. Note for those entering the EQ manually, you'll want a -9dB Negative Preamp.

Footnote: Units 1 & 2 have an aftermarket pad attached, which are made of same material as original pad and of same texture and appearance, I did measure to see what the difference was between aftermarket pad and stock pad (on the same unit) and they're practically identical or just a tad tad darker (if perceivable), see following graph:
K702 Unit 3 Beige Pads vs Stock Pads.jpg

Anyway, you're welcome to try my EQ based on my measurements which were backed up by an original GRAS measurement, and for my 4 units they are an improvement over the Oratory EQ, and there's a possibility that this EQ is even more relevant for newer K702 units, but I even prefer this one on my older K702 units dating back to 2015.

I had posted this yesterday in a seperate AKG K702 thread, but perhaps it's better it has it's own thread. You're welcome to try it and let me know what you think to it, indeed it's possible this EQ might be more valid & suited to newer K702 that also have new pads as it's based on 4 units of mine that have been measured with new pads, and it does seem that the newer K702 are trending to be brighter headphones, at least for my 2 fairly recently purchased units. So from that point of view, some users may find this a better fit than the Oratory EQ, no guarantees of course, lol!

It'll be interesting to see how many people end up trying this EQ, as I don't know how popular the K702 is here on ASR. In the past it's been a very popular headphone.
I take it that you don't feel that it is just the age difference that is the reason for the EQ differences? I enjoyed your work here and have used my K701 for years now and was thinking about an upgrade pair that might be bettter for my old ears. My 701 are still my FAV.
 

skyair

New Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2023
Messages
2
Likes
1
Location
Canada
Skyairs EQ works for me for most songs. As I said above, I hear a slight peak in that area, but nothing which urgently needs to be adressed.

This is the one I am currently using, also vaguely based on Oratory1990s EQ. But this is not scientific and not supposed to hit the harman target perfectly. It likely doesnt sound correct on someone else's ears.

What I recommend doing is to find your personal upper treble peak and to adress it instead of using a high shelf filter.

Preamp: -5.6 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 70 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 1.200
Filter 2: ON LSC Fc 110 Hz Gain 5.7 dB Q 0.710
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 210 Hz Gain -2.2 dB Q 0.600
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 800 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 1.500
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1000 Hz Gain -1.1 dB Q 3.500
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 2200 Hz Gain -4.5 dB Q 1.900
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 2600 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 5.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 3500 Hz Gain 0.3 dB Q 1.400
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 5500 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 3.500
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 6900 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 4.000
Filter 11: ON PK Fc 10500 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 4.000
Filter 12: ON PK Fc 13500 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 5.000
Filter 13: ON HSC Fc 12000 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 0.800
Thanks for the config and advice.

I'm thinking about upgrading to the HD560s/600. Would they be much different after applying EQ?

My K702 rubs against my glasses and makes a noise whenever I move my head. Not sure whether I can solve that by replacing the earpads though - but it will involve re-tweaking the EQ.
 

Dazerdoreal

Active Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
212
Likes
216
Thanks for the config and advice.

I'm thinking about upgrading to the HD560s/600. Would they be much different after applying EQ?

My K702 rubs against my glasses and makes a noise whenever I move my head. Not sure whether I can solve that by replacing the earpads though - but it will involve re-tweaking the EQ.
(This is off topic. Maybe you should ask this in the topics below or in a new thread.)

Sorry, I actually did not hear the 560s and the 600 in person and also only can tell you what I saw on graphs and heard in forums atm. I'd like to try them out though, too.
The 560s and 600 both are known to sound particularly good & neutral even without EQ (their FR graphs look great), they are well-built etc, so I would recommend it to others, especially the 560s for its fair price. But if you perceive these as an "upgrade" over the 702 if you EQ both the same way, I am not so sure.

I often read that people perceive the 600 & 650 as disappointing in terms of soundstage, which is considered to be a strength of the 702. Probably the 702 does it so well because of its big ear pads and the distance between ear and driver. That said, sound stage is a particular subjective thing.

Amirs review of the 702 measures a significant channel imbalance in the lows. In this aspect the Sennheisers will likely perform much better. But I cannot say I perceive these on mine when I listen to real music and not to sound sweeps.

Personally, my main problem of the 702 is actually the comfort. I have a big head and the head band puts a lot of pressure on it.

Have you read these reviews / topics?
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...adphone-reviews-china-and-austrian-made.30900 (AKG 701, very similar to the 702)
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sennheiser-hd560s-review-headphone.29603 (HD 560s)
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sennheiser-hd600-review-headphone.23233 (HD 600)
 
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
Somehow this sounds overly dark and muddied on my K702. Both your and oratory1990's measurements suggest a peak at around ~5.4kHz, but from my subjective experience and crinacle's measurement, the peak does not exist. When I apply filters at around 5kHz, the detail is lost by a significant margin, and the overall tonality sounds suffocated. There is indeed a peak at around ~2.3kHz which can be solved via EQ.

Below is my EQ profile and I am confident that the tonality will be more neutral than the configuration above. The profile is a mixture of crinacle's (band 1-4, which result in a better bass extension for me) and oratory1990's filters.

Code:
Preamp: -6.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 60 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 4.570
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 76 Hz Gain -0.6 dB Q 3.760
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 97 Hz Gain -2.7 dB Q 0.490
Filter 4: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain 6.7 dB Q 0.710
Filter 5: OFF PK Fc 210 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 0.600
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 760 Hz Gain 2.2 dB Q 1.500
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 1020 Hz Gain -1.1 dB Q 3.500
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2300 Hz Gain -3.6 dB Q 1.900
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 2650 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 5.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 3500 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 1.400
Filter 11: ON HSC Fc 12000 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 0.710

Note: band 5 is OFF by default but you can adjust it to your preference in warmth/muddiness.

Below is the FR before/after EQ. It uses crinacle's measurement but I don't find it deviating from oratory1990's except at the 5kHz area.

View attachment 272368
I might do some experimentation sometime to see if I really do have a peak at 5.5kHz. Given that I actually measured my various K702 units on the miniDSP EARS using a specific conversion curve, which is based on the fact that Oratory measured one of my units and me measuring that same unit on the miniDSP EARS, so I'm confident that if Oratory's measurement is good then all my 4 K702 units have that peak at 5.5kHz according to GRAS. But I may do some experimentation through sine tone listening to see if I can also identify any peak at 5.5kHz. It is interesting that Crincacle's measurements don't show the 5.5kHz peak (I've been aware of that for a while).

I don't really think you can make the following statement that you made: "Below is my EQ profile and I am confident that the tonality will be more neutral than the configuration above". I don't think you can know that. It's possible it might be better for the unit of K702 that you have, but I know for my 4 units of K702 that Oratory's latest EQ's are way too bright - I described in my original post at the start of this thread that his measurement has gotten darker overtime in contrast to his earlier K702 publications - so a darker measurement means a brighter resultant EQ, his EQ's have become brighter overtime for the K702 and it's way off when used on my 4 units. But you know, people can try Oratory's EQ, they can try EQ's based on Crinacle's measurement, they can try my EQ based on my measurements of my own 4 units which I offer in this thread - so I don't mind what people use, it's good that there are some rational choices out there that people can select from.
 
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
I take it that you don't feel that it is just the age difference that is the reason for the EQ differences? I enjoyed your work here and have used my K701 for years now and was thinking about an upgrade pair that might be bettter for my old ears. My 701 are still my FAV.
"Age Differences", between who?? I don't use the Oratory EQ on my K702 headphones, the reason being because they sound too bright, and I'm middle-aged, hear up to about 15kHz something last time I checked - so there's no mechanism of me finding Oratory's EQ too bright because I'm a spring chicken, I'm not a spring chicken, ha! My EQ in this thread is literally based on the measurements of my 4 units of K702, which have been done using a conversion curve (from miniDSP EARS to GRAS) which was created from the same unit of K702 being measured on Oratory's GRAS and then measured on my miniDSP EARS. So my EQ is based on measurements, and my EQ certainly fits my 4 units of K702 better than Oratory's EQ - as I said in the previous post to @skyair (above), I explained that Oratory's EQ's have gotten brighter with the newer releases of his K702 EQ's - his original K702 EQ was a lot darker, this is because his published measurement of the K702 has changed over time (explained & shown in first post of this thread).
 
OP
Robbo99999

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,875
Likes
6,673
Location
UK
Somehow this sounds overly dark and muddied on my K702. Both your and oratory1990's measurements suggest a peak at around ~5.4kHz, but from my subjective experience and crinacle's measurement, the peak does not exist. When I apply filters at around 5kHz, the detail is lost by a significant margin, and the overall tonality sounds suffocated. There is indeed a peak at around ~2.3kHz which can be solved via EQ.

Below is my EQ profile and I am confident that the tonality will be more neutral than the configuration above. The profile is a mixture of crinacle's (band 1-4, which result in a better bass extension for me) and oratory1990's filters.

Code:
Preamp: -6.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 60 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 4.570
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 76 Hz Gain -0.6 dB Q 3.760
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 97 Hz Gain -2.7 dB Q 0.490
Filter 4: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain 6.7 dB Q 0.710
Filter 5: OFF PK Fc 210 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 0.600
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 760 Hz Gain 2.2 dB Q 1.500
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 1020 Hz Gain -1.1 dB Q 3.500
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2300 Hz Gain -3.6 dB Q 1.900
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 2650 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 5.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 3500 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 1.400
Filter 11: ON HSC Fc 12000 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 0.710

Note: band 5 is OFF by default but you can adjust it to your preference in warmth/muddiness.

Below is the FR before/after EQ. It uses crinacle's measurement but I don't find it deviating from oratory1990's except at the 5kHz area.

View attachment 272368
I might do some experimentation sometime to see if I really do have a peak at 5.5kHz. Given that I actually measured my various K702 units on the miniDSP EARS using a specific conversion curve, which is based on the fact that Oratory measured one of my units and me measuring that same unit on the miniDSP EARS, so I'm confident that if Oratory's measurement is good then all my 4 K702 units have that peak at 5.5kHz according to GRAS. But I may do some experimentation through sine tone listening to see if I can also identify any peak at 5.5kHz. It is interesting that Crincacle's measurements don't show the 5.5kHz peak (I've been aware of that for a while).

I don't really think you can make the following statement that you made: "Below is my EQ profile and I am confident that the tonality will be more neutral than the configuration above". I don't think you can know that. It's possible it might be better for the unit of K702 that you have, but I know for my 4 units of K702 that Oratory's latest EQ's are way too bright - I described in my original post at the start of this thread that his measurement has gotten darker overtime in contrast to his earlier K702 publications - so a darker measurement means a brighter resultant EQ, his EQ's have become brighter overtime for the K702 and it's way off when used on my 4 units. But you know, people can try Oratory's EQ, they can try EQ's based on Crinacle's measurement, they can try my EQ based on my measurements of my own 4 units which I offer in this thread - so I don't mind what people use, it's good that there are some rational choices out there that people can select from.
Hi, an update on this, I took my Unit #4 and listened to some slow sine tone sweeps, and there is indeed a large peak for me at 5000Hz, and there was one at 7000Hz too, and they were really the only ones I noticed when doing it with my eyes closed so I couldn't see what the frequency was (to prevent bias). I don't think I really detected the one at 2500Hz, but that's probably because my Unit #4 has a slow roll off of the frequency after 2500Hz so probably not that detectable, whereas the peak at 5000Hz is an abrupt change (note that the faint line in the following graph is my average of 4 units of K702 measurement without EQ - you can see the peak at 5000Hz):
index.php

So I'm confident that the Oratory measurements are a closer fit for my headphones than the Crinacle measurements, as Crinacle doesn't show a peak at 5000Hz, yet I've clearly heard the peak during sine sweeps. (Interesting that the peak at 7000Hz that I heard is not shown in the measurements of my Unit#4, and I certainly didn't used to have a natural peak in my hearing at 7000Hz when I've listened to slow sine sweeps on anechoic flat speakers....so I'd say the 7000Hz peak that I heard is also a real thing in these headphones when I wear them).
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom