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Does sources matter in the quality of an EQ?

MrBlitzpunk

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My current setup is the hifiman HE400se connected to the Topping L30 which is connected to a cheap dongle DAC into my PC. weird i know, haven't got a proper DAC yet.

Tried messing with EQAPO a bit, didn't do anything drastic just bumping up the 1.5k scoop and giving it a little bit of low-bass shelf, i've also tried oratory harman EQ and i noticed that the changes between each EQ and stock were not significant, if anything the overall sound got weaker eventhough i boosted the volume on my amp to offset the negative preamp value. It sounds like the vocals took a step back eventhough i filled in the upper-mids scoop, it's kind of like how it sounds when i underpowered it.

I understand that the cheap dongos im using might not be suplying enough voltage to the amp, and i have to set my volume to 2-3 o'clock on high gain after EQing to get comfortable volume which doesn't leave as much of a headroom as i would like. So im assuming the problem im facing is a power issue? Will getting the Topping E30 makes the headphones respond better to changes in EQ?
 

Helicopter

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My current setup is the hifiman HE400se connected to the Topping L30 which is connected to a cheap dongle DAC into my PC. weird i know, haven't got a proper DAC yet.

Tried messing with EQAPO a bit, didn't do anything drastic just bumping up the 1.5k scoop and giving it a little bit of low-bass shelf, i've also tried oratory harman EQ and i noticed that the changes between each EQ and stock were not significant, if anything the overall sound got weaker eventhough i boosted the volume on my amp to offset the negative preamp value. It sounds like the vocals took a step back eventhough i filled in the upper-mids scoop, it's kind of like how it sounds when i underpowered it.

I understand that the cheap dongos im using might not be suplying enough voltage to the amp, and i have to set my volume to 2-3 o'clock on high gain after EQing to get comfortable volume which doesn't leave as much of a headroom as i would like. So im assuming the problem im facing is a power issue? Will getting the Topping E30 makes the headphones respond better to changes in EQ?
Agree your hypothesis makes sense and E30 should improve things. Hard to say for sure without comparing actual measurements though. What is the dongle?
 
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MrBlitzpunk

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Agree your hypothesis makes sense and E30 should improve things. Hard to say for sure without comparing actual measurements though. What is the dongle?
It's a 10$ conexant cxpro (with some numbers i can't remember) not sure what chip it is using. It has less power than if i were to just plug it straight to my PC but that dongle at the very least reduced static noise quite noticeably. I've been using said EQ setting for a couple of days now i think my ears have finally adjusted to the sound. But yeah i had to turn the volume on the amp to quite high which kinda concerns me
 
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MrBlitzpunk

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I would try Amir’s EQ over Oratory’s. My experience has been more positive with Amir’s.

Your problem is the EQ not the hardware or the software.
Yeah i ended using Amir's for my he400se. It's good. Still has to turn volume way up though. Does a better DAC will allow me to do more EQ without it clipping/having to turn down the preamp value? Or is it gonna be the same?
 

abdo123

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Yeah i ended using Amir's for my he400se. It's good. Still has to turn volume way up though. Does a better DAC will allow me to do more EQ without it clipping/having to turn down the preamp value? Or is it gonna be the same?
I'm running the Qudelix 5K to an impressive level of loudness with the HD400SE. I recommend getting it as you wouldn't need to use EQAPO anymore, it has a built-in 10 band PEQ.

If you like to listen at over 95dBSPL you're going to need a desktop amplifier. There are many here reviewed and I'm sure you will find one with the feature set that you desire, I know only the RME ADI-2 has 6 band PEQ. you need 100mW @ 32Ohm for the HD400SE minimum.
 
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Jimbob54

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I'm running the Qudelix 5K to an impressive level of loudness with the HD400SE. I recommend getting it as you wouldn't need to use EQAPO anymore, it has a built-in 10 band PEQ.

If you like to listen at over 95dBSPL you're going to need a desktop amplifier. There are many here reviewed and I'm sure you will find one with the feature set that you desire, I know only the RME ADI-2 has 6 band PEQ. you need 100mW @ 32Ohm for the HD400SE minimum.
Theyve got a desktop amp. Topping L30.

@MrBlitzpunk you may be right. Find out if your dongle is full 2v output. If it isn't, then yes, a matching 2v desktop dac (like the e30) might help. If it is 2v output, then you need a bigger amp and /or different eq.
 

abdo123

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Theyve got a desktop amp. Topping L30.

@MrBlitzpunk you may be right. Find out if your dongle is full 2v output. If it isn't, then yes, a matching 2v desktop dac (like the e30) might help. If it is 2v output, then you need a bigger amp and /or different eq.
Then something is incredibly wrong here, I would probably just connect the topping L30 directly to the computer's headphone jack. Even my laptop headphone jack can output well above 2Vrms with just a little bit of distortion.

Thank you for bringing it up. I missed that.
 

Jimbob54

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Then something is incredibly wrong here, I would probably just connect the topping L30 directly to the computer's headphone jack. Even my laptop headphone jack can output well above 2Vrms with just a little bit of distortion.

Thank you for bringing it up. I missed that.
Agreed. But I think he gets noise from the mobo
 
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MrBlitzpunk

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yeah, while
Theyve got a desktop amp. Topping L30.

@MrBlitzpunk you may be right. Find out if your dongle is full 2v output. If it isn't, then yes, a matching 2v desktop dac (like the e30) might help. If it is 2v output, then you need a bigger amp and /or different eq.
yeah, while it doesn't have as much power as plugging it straight to PC, the power that it does have is pretty clean (for 10$ dongos that is). im pretty sure it doesn't do full 2vrms because plugging it straight to mobo i could get comfortable listening volume at 10-11 o'clock. but i had to turn it up a notch (11 - 12 o'clock) when plugged via the dongles, that's is while not using EQ. currently im at 2 o'clock while having EQ on.

i guess the problem was i was using oratory EQ before, which is quite drastic. maybe my DAC and/or AMP couldn't handle it. i reverted to using my own personalized EQ based on Amir's recommendation. which is a lot more subtle and it does sound noticeable better. or idk, maybe this entire problem is purely psychological. i do have another headphones, that is the Samson sr850. i think that one performed even worse when EQ'd. i guess not all headphones respond to EQ well?
 

Jimbob54

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yeah, while

yeah, while it doesn't have as much power as plugging it straight to PC, the power that it does have is pretty clean (for 10$ dongos that is). im pretty sure it doesn't do full 2vrms because plugging it straight to mobo i could get comfortable listening volume at 10-11 o'clock. but i had to turn it up a notch (11 - 12 o'clock) when plugged via the dongles, that's is while not using EQ. currently im at 2 o'clock while having EQ on.

i guess the problem was i was using oratory EQ before, which is quite drastic. maybe my DAC and/or AMP couldn't handle it. i reverted to using my own personalized EQ based on Amir's recommendation. which is a lot more subtle and it does sound noticeable better. or idk, maybe this entire problem is purely psychological. i do have another headphones, that is the Samson sr850. i think that one performed even worse when EQ'd. i guess not all headphones respond to EQ well?
You could do worse than picking up something like the Meizu Hifi dongle or Tempotec Sonata HD Pro . Both are around $30 from the respective manufs Aliexpress stores. Both do 2v into amps and both measure very well.
 
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MrBlitzpunk

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You could do worse than picking up something like the Meizu Hifi dongle or Tempotec Sonata HD Pro . Both are around $30 from the respective manufs Aliexpress stores. Both do 2v into amps and both measure very well.
at the time i didn't have the money so i just did the cheapest quickest available way which was getting the dongle, and it did serves it purpose well which was to remove static noise so it's a good enough temporary solution (it is also capable of 32bit/384khz btw, didn't exactly need it but eh)

i also intentionally avoided something with a volume control like the Sonata HD, because of the way my PC works meant that i have to manually max out the volume on the DAC every time i boot up my PC, so it's gonna be quite tedious. im not sure about the Meizu but the Sonata HD costs 50-60$ here, and i am currently saving up to get a Topping E30 or a D10s, so no reason to spend 50$ if i'm gonna replace it soon anyway.
 
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