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Poll: Do you like Harman's target curve for headphones bass response?

Do you like the bass response of Harman's target curve for headphones?

  • Yes, it is perfect.

    Votes: 90 36.1%

  • No, I like a little less bass.

    Votes: 68 27.3%

  • No, I like a lot less bass (less than -2dB than the target curve).

    Votes: 57 22.9%

  • No, I like even more bass!

    Votes: 34 13.7%
  • Total voters
    249
MayaTlab said:
Well it depends a lot on the shape of the FR curve above 1000hz :D.
I find it difficult to dissociate one from the other. For example, the Airpods Max has a fairly Harman-ish curve below 1000hz, but because the upper mids are comparatively recessed relative to Harman's target, it makes the frequencies below 1000hz stand out more.
Click to expand...

Someone measured them??
 
MayaTlab said:
Well it depends a lot on the shape of the FR curve above 1000hz :D.
I find it difficult to dissociate one from the other. For example, the Airpods Max has a fairly Harman-ish curve below 1000hz, but because the upper mids are comparatively recessed relative to Harman's target, it makes the frequencies below 1000hz stand out more.
Click to expand...
No it doesn't depend at all! Now please read a poll question as many time's as you need. So it's for and to the curve alone.
 
 
Very interesting thread. I feel that Harman curve has much more bass than my bookshelf speakers, but slightly less compared to my 15" horn system, so I guess it is just fine.
 
Matias said:
Many think the Harman's target curve for headphones has too much bass. What is your experience?
Click to expand...

I was looking for something more along the lines of "Yes, but I like a little more/less bass". The thread title says "do you like", while the only affirmative option in the poll is "I think it's perfect", which to me, mean different things. You're soft no(little more/less) options kinda fill that gap, though I think it's possible to like something without thinking it's perfect.
 
vert said:
OK, the Harman curve for headphones has been puzzling me. I have set up a "headphone system" fairly recently which I'm still tweaking when I have time. I've started EQing my headphones either via Morphit, or ReaQ with settings from github (typically Crinacle or Oratory1990 settings). On both my Stax Sigma and Sennheiser 280 PRO, I get way too much bass with occasional distortion, when I use the Harman correction in Morphit, and tend to much prefer their Diffuse Field correction. I'm not done exploring the github settings but they seem to work fine.
Click to expand...

The AutoEQ settings on Github are generated from Oratory1990 and Crinacles measurements, but they are not Oratory1990's or Crinacles PEQ settings. See Oratory1990's explaination here: index/faq - oratory1990 (reddit.com)

Many of the PDF files for Oratory1990's PEQ settings include sidebars with recommendations on this PEQ bands can/should be tweaked for user preference.
 
I think one overwatched aspect of headphone meassurement is the bone conduction that the meassurment devices just wont pick up. the bone conducted sound will add up to the air sound and will probably vary between models and individuals wearing them
 
Yes. I've owned DF tuned headphones like AKG K612 and Sennheiser HD25 and after listening to AKG K371 I don't feel like going back.
 
There's no one set of headphones, and no one measurement will tell you which is best. For a lot of music I love grados, which for some music (electronica, pop, rap, metal, a lot of rock) sound so so.
 
I like even more bass overall,but it depends,low frequencies are complex, IMO,especially the 50hz below are very strange.
In my experience,the 50hz below can boost the tense ambience sometimes,but they may only make the pounding sound "solid" or "hard" in some music.
 
Too much bass hurts my ears since I tend to turn the volume up till the upper-mids are at a satisfying level.

Generally, I find lots of bass... intrusive whether it's classical or EDM. IDK, I accept being a bit of an anomaly in terms of signature preferences, but I just cannot live without a well-defined and forward midrange.
 
paulraphael said:
I voted "perfect," but not with a lot of confidence ... I've never heard what that precise curve actually sounds like. I do EQ my headphones in the general direction of Harman, so in principle I like it. I might like a db or so more emphasis in the 100-200 hz area for warmth, slightly less emphasis in the deep bass, and maybe some attenuation in the 2-4khz area, where lots of things sound harsh to me. But that ideal curve of mine would probably look pretty close to Harman.
Click to expand...
Use one of the many Harman Preference Curve presets for your headphone model to experience as close to it as possible?
 
I don't think it's perfect but there is no option for "Yes, it's pretty close".

Also, this poll is basically an uncontrolled version of Olive's research where user preferences were gathered to determine the curve in the first place, but in a controlled manner.
 
For me it's usually 2-3 dB less than preset suggests. It can be fun for the first five minutes and then becomes silly.
 
I am very happy with the bass of the AKG 371.
However I am not happy with Amir’s EQ of the HD650 and I reduce but a couple of dB his PEQ bass boost.
 
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