A while back, I asked on LCD-XC review page, for feedback on subjective effects on bass output, by removing one screw from the cups.
I got talked down to by some members, as to the pitfalls of such an experiment, and how without measurements, it would be a waste of time. And the wasting time argument carried on for a good few posts! (I know, I know, it takes two to tango, guilty as charged )
I did not get even one member reporting back.
Subjectively, I believe users have acknowledged, that this headphone lacks deep bass. Amir has said it, others have said it, and I agree with them.
So why not just EQ?
On ASR, and I believe on our sister forum the Headfi, there is at least one member, who continually posts new EQ figures, with preamp cuts of up to 18-20dB!
When you need to EQ bass up by a large amount, one must apply preamp cuts, or you get into digital clipping. You can soon run out of gain! -18dB is alot!
My +4dB gain in bass (see later) equates to 2.5X in amplifier power.
So I invested in a miniDSP EARS, to actually measure my headphones.
The EARS are not factory standard for measuring headphones! Hell, even the best of reference measuring gears out there do not always agree, as conditions of tests, unit to unit variations etc. , even the seating of headphones and size of one's ears, all affect the graphs/results obtained.
However, my humble testing gear can serve one purpose! The effects of the venting on my headphones! i.e. the changes due to it.
So here are my "newbie" results:
1- this is what Audeze kindly has sent me. This is their QC FR curve for my pair:
2- This is the graph of frequency response, comparing "Factory" i.e. all four screws in place & one screw taken out & two screws taken out:
Blue is all screws in, Purple is one screw taken out and Green with two screws out.
- I can see, past 500Hz, the effects are non-existent. It is all happening from 20 to 500Hz.
- I can also see that Audeze engineers, got it right! The Blue is the smoothest, and flattest curve, bear in mind this is a zoomed graph. For those interested, here is a zoomed out version:
The effect of venting, boosts deep bass, but reduces the upper bass a little. With one screw out, I lose 1.5dB peak 250Hz, but gain 4dB at 40Hz. Two screws out, would give me another 1-1.5dB boost.
Here are the distortion curves, mostly noise (50Hz, 100Hz etc.):
First graph is factory, then one screw, and then 2 screws out.
I don't see much difference! Noise figures are a little different, and also don't forget the cups are now fastened more loosely with screws missing.
I am sure, If I could implement the right vent, with correct damping, while cups are secure, I would get better results.
My next project is changing the screws to these:
These are stainless steel screws, with a 1.2mm hole drilled into them. Both ends of the holes are flared out.
I shall report, when done.
I got talked down to by some members, as to the pitfalls of such an experiment, and how without measurements, it would be a waste of time. And the wasting time argument carried on for a good few posts! (I know, I know, it takes two to tango, guilty as charged )
I did not get even one member reporting back.
Subjectively, I believe users have acknowledged, that this headphone lacks deep bass. Amir has said it, others have said it, and I agree with them.
So why not just EQ?
On ASR, and I believe on our sister forum the Headfi, there is at least one member, who continually posts new EQ figures, with preamp cuts of up to 18-20dB!
When you need to EQ bass up by a large amount, one must apply preamp cuts, or you get into digital clipping. You can soon run out of gain! -18dB is alot!
My +4dB gain in bass (see later) equates to 2.5X in amplifier power.
So I invested in a miniDSP EARS, to actually measure my headphones.
The EARS are not factory standard for measuring headphones! Hell, even the best of reference measuring gears out there do not always agree, as conditions of tests, unit to unit variations etc. , even the seating of headphones and size of one's ears, all affect the graphs/results obtained.
However, my humble testing gear can serve one purpose! The effects of the venting on my headphones! i.e. the changes due to it.
So here are my "newbie" results:
1- this is what Audeze kindly has sent me. This is their QC FR curve for my pair:
2- This is the graph of frequency response, comparing "Factory" i.e. all four screws in place & one screw taken out & two screws taken out:
Blue is all screws in, Purple is one screw taken out and Green with two screws out.
- I can see, past 500Hz, the effects are non-existent. It is all happening from 20 to 500Hz.
- I can also see that Audeze engineers, got it right! The Blue is the smoothest, and flattest curve, bear in mind this is a zoomed graph. For those interested, here is a zoomed out version:
The effect of venting, boosts deep bass, but reduces the upper bass a little. With one screw out, I lose 1.5dB peak 250Hz, but gain 4dB at 40Hz. Two screws out, would give me another 1-1.5dB boost.
Here are the distortion curves, mostly noise (50Hz, 100Hz etc.):
First graph is factory, then one screw, and then 2 screws out.
I don't see much difference! Noise figures are a little different, and also don't forget the cups are now fastened more loosely with screws missing.
I am sure, If I could implement the right vent, with correct damping, while cups are secure, I would get better results.
My next project is changing the screws to these:
These are stainless steel screws, with a 1.2mm hole drilled into them. Both ends of the holes are flared out.
I shall report, when done.
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