Peace EQ with Auto EQ profile - what should I expect?

[Zapador]

I recently became aware of Peace EQ and immediately gave it a go. Definitely something I'll use. However, using the Auto EQ profiles I ran into a question.

I use a pair of HD660s. If I click the Auto EQ and load one of the Harman profiles for those headphones, eg. crinacle's ears-711_harman_over-ear_2018, the sound becomes very dull and lifeless, not pleasing at all.

If I read the text in the Peace EQ it does say that loading a profile will make the "headphones neutral so you're able to introduce what you want (bass, treble, etc.)"

I was under the impression that loading one of these "harman profiles" would make the headphones sound closer to the harman target, is that correct?

Or is the text in the Peace EQ correct, that the curve becomes flat? This corresponds to what I hear. But if this is true, why do these profiles have harman in the title? (Or rather, listed under Method).

Thanks!

 

[staticV3]

Don't use Crinacle's ears-711 presets. They were created using a DIY measurement rig with questionable accuracy.

Yes. Ideally, using EQ will make your headphones sound more neutral, however, there are many factors that can get in the way: unit variation, individual HRTF, seal, pad wear, personal preference, just to name a few.

It has been my experience that just loading a single preset for a headphone and ending it there has a pretty low chance of success.

My method is to collect all trustworthy measurements of the headphone in question, turn them into presets, then A/B them all to find the one that sounds best.

Most of the time, there's one or two that sound good, and the rest either sound just different, or straight up worse.

If you'd like, then I can prepare the presets for you.

 

[Zapador]

It has been my experience that just loading a single preset for a headphone and ending it there has a pretty low chance of success.

Thank you!

I did try a few other HD660s profiles and the result was roughly the same, so it wasn't just the questionable ears-711 profile that made them sound "bad".

I think I'll just ignore those profiles and play around until they sound as I like them to sound, after all I guess that's what it is all about.

 

[flipflop]

Try these filters: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s4isno09gt20ozf/Sennheiser HD660S.pdf
The preset adds a fair amount of gain to the treble, so the result should be anything but dull.

 

[Zapador]

Try these filters: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s4isno09gt20ozf/Sennheiser HD660S.pdf
The preset adds a fair amount of gain to the treble, so the result should be anything but dull.

Thanks! That sounds pretty good.

Would it make sense to put the pre-amp gain at 0 to make comparison with/without filter easier? I'd assume that gain applies equally to everything.

 

[Berwhale]

Thanks! That sounds pretty good.

Would it make sense to put the pre-amp gain at 0 to make comparison with/without filter easier? I'd assume that gain applies equally to everything.

No, you need the negative pre-amp gain to avoid clipping. The negative pre-amp ensures that peak stays under 0dB...

You could try setting up a flat EQ profile with the same negative pre-amp and comparing that to Oratory1990's one (which I used myself). It's not really a proper test, but better than risking clipping which would potentially be very audible.

 

[staticV3]

Or instead of Peace, you could use the default Equalizer APO GUI. which allows you to independently turn the EQ and preamp On/Off.
Makes comparing stock vs EQed super simple.

 

[Zapador]

No, you need the negative pre-amp gain to avoid clipping. The negative pre-amp ensures that peak stays under 0dB...

Yeah the clipping was very noticeable, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Zapador]

Or instead of Peace, you could use the default Equalizer APO GUI. which allows you to independently turn the EQ and preamp On/Off.
Makes comparing stock vs EQed super simple.

I'll try that. It's impossible to compare with and without EQ if the volume change drastically which it does in this case. Thank you!