What do you mean by outperform? Stick closer to a target that you may or may not like?
IEMs have their own set of problems compared to headphones, and some people (me included) don't like to shove things in their ears.
Yes...
Assuming that being as close to the Harman curve says the headphone is sounding close to what the music is meant to sound like.
To be honest, I was a little sceptic at first...
But after trying my own profile curves, it turned out that the Harman curve sounds like the best compromise in most cases...
All it tells is one frequency response on one measurement rig (that also changes depending on the placement of the headphone), which is better than not having the measurement at all.
Sure, but if the same measurements are reprocudced from several testers we can assume that these mesaurements are close to what you'll get with your "rig".
Or am I missing something again here ?
Same FR after EQ on a measurement rig that may not be the same FR on your head - that's why it sounds different. Headphones can couple differently for different people while listening, based on their HRTF.
I hear you. But from the globality of your reply you say that FR tells it all.
So if I understand this correctly, two headphones that have the same FR should sound almost the same.
I can admit small variations but a huge difference (at least to my ears... I understand that ears are no measurement tools (yes
@solderdude I try to learn as much as I can from you !) and that is "reproductible" (same impressions on different listening sessions)... ?
No, it's all baked in the frequency response you get with a one set of headphones on your head versus a different set of headphones. Although, some headphones present sound unlike any other, due to the angle of the drivers and the distance to the ears (this is only an opinion). Take HD800s, for example, with their soundstage. Is that baked in FR, I don't know.
After my Moondrop Venus broke, I took the old headphones out.
Sony MDR-Z7 that I used to love sounded really "muddy", like veiled even after EQ.
I took the Dan Clark AEON Flow Closed back with EQ. Nice but to my ears it was lacking some bass (and I am not a boom-boom fan AT ALL !).
The Oppo PM-1 sounded the closest to what I am looking for.
I also decided to take out the old Pioneer SE-505 that I bought some time ago...
Man, that headphone is now over 50 years old ! It was released in 1973...
Some current manufacturers should inspire themselves from Pionner : after 50 years, leather is strill fine on both headband and earcuffs ! Even the inner cushion is still intact !
To my greeat surprise, this sounded the best of all headphones At least it was the one that sounded the closest to what I was missing with the Moondrop Venus...
Would be cuirious to have them put on a rig and see what they look like on a measurement rig
And if it turns out that they are totally deviant from the Harman Curve, then so be it...
At least 4ill know what kind of "curve" I am looking for
Sure, I think most of them EQed to the same curve won't sound exactly the same.
Really, not AT ALL. And this is my squrprise : not even close !