Recommendation request thread

[Robbo99999]

8 band

That should be ok, I'll do it now while I'm watching the football.

 

[Robbo99999]

Yes, K361 would be awesome. Thanks!!
Yes, I can load Ozone EQ on SoundSource.
Thanks again!

Ok, I've done it. Here's the main result comparing the EQ'd K361 vs your T70 (yellow line is EQ'd K361, and the green line is your T70):

And following is a screenshot showing you the filters to use, the blue line is the target I was EQ'ing to which is just your T70 frequency response but with one-sixth smoothing applied to make it visually easier to EQ to.....whilst the highlighted orange line is your EQ'd K361:

In the above filter listing the HS stands for High Shelf and would have a Q of 0.707. Likewise LS stands for Low Shelf and would have a Q of 0.707.
For the High Shelf Filter you might want to decrease the Gain if there's any peakiness up there that is bothering you. I didn't match the whole frequency response perfectly as not enough filters to do so, but I picked the most significant features to EQ accurately to.

Try it out and let me know what you think, I might be able to help you tweak it some more if it doesn't sound the same as your T70 (mind you, you won't be able to remember exactly what your T70 used to sound like). Ask me questions if you have any issue applying the EQ or understanding the filter listing.

EDIT: you'd need to use a -10.6dB Preamp with this EQ to avoid any digital clipping.

EDIT#2: find attached at end of post the EqualiserAPO text file that describes the filters and includes the negative preamp too - I don't know what format your SoundSource program uses, but might save you typing out all the filters:

 

[buxtehude]

Ok, I've done it. Here's the main result comparing the EQ'd K361 vs your T70 (yellow line is EQ'd K361, and the green line is your T70):
View attachment 136968

And following is a screenshot showing you the filters to use, the blue line is the target I was EQ'ing to which is just your T70 frequency response but with one-sixth smoothing applied to make it visually easier to EQ to.....whilst the highlighted orange line is your EQ'd K361:
View attachment 136971
In the above filter listing the HS stands for High Shelf and would have a Q of 0.707. Likewise LS stands for Low Shelf and would have a Q of 0.707.
For the High Shelf Filter you might want to decrease the Gain if there's any peakiness up there that is bothering you. I didn't match the whole frequency response perfectly as not enough filters to do so, but I picked the most significant features to EQ accurately to.

Try it out and let me know what you think, I might be able to help you tweak it some more if it doesn't sound the same as your T70 (mind you, you won't be able to remember exactly what your T70 used to sound like). Ask me questions if you have any issue applying the EQ or understanding the filter listing.

EDIT: you'd need to use a -10.6dB Preamp with this EQ to avoid any digital clipping.

EDIT#2: find attached at end of post the EqualiserAPO text file that describes the filters and includes the negative preamp too - I don't know what format your SoundSource program uses, but might save you typing out all the filters:

Wow, this is incredible, Robbo99999. Thank you so much! let me try it now. I am not sure how to use the text file so I'll copy and paste values and replicate the whole thing. Thanks again!!

 

[Robbo99999]

Wow, this is incredible, Robbo99999. Thank you so much! let me try it now. I am not sure how to use the text file so I'll copy and paste values and replicate the whole thing. Thanks again!!

That's ok, no problem. Yes, you might not be able to use the text file, but yeah, you can see the filters in there as well as in my screenshot. Let me know if you have questions & what you think once you've listened to it.

 

[buxtehude]

That's ok, no problem. Yes, you might not be able to use the text file, but yeah, you can see the filters in there as well as in my screenshot. Let me know if you have questions & what you think once you've listened to it.

Used the same numbers in Ozone EQ and wow what a difference it made!!!!! Absolutely night and difference. I absolutely love the sound. Fantastic!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this. Bless you, sir!

BTW, is there a tutorial on how to do this? Making one headphone sound like another one?

EDIT> Absolutely fantastic sound!! The only downside is the low volume out of the MacBook Pro 3.5mm headphone jack. Time to get a cheap DAC/Amp combo

 

[Robbo99999]

Used the same numbers in Ozone EQ and wow what a difference it made!!!!! Absolutely night and difference. I absolutely love the sound. Fantastic!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this. Bless you, sir!

BTW, is there a tutorial on how to do this? Making one headphone sound like another one?

EDIT> Absolutely fantastic sound!! The only downside is the low volume out of the MacBook Pro 3.5mm headphone jack. Time to get a cheap DAC/Amp combo

That's great, very good to hear that you like the result! I just checked your filters against my EQ, and I noticed 3 errors though. For your 6070Hz Peak Filter it should be -1.3dB, but you have it at -3dB. And for both of your Shelf Filters (High & Low Shelf) you have Q1 rather than Q0.707 - are you limited to the number of decimals you can input? Q0.71 or Q0.7 would be fine though. I mean there are some small differences between Q1 and Q0.7 when it comes to Shelf Filters. (Your errors of input wouldn't have dramatically altered the sound overall though, so I think you'll still like it once you've corrected the input errors)

It's great news that you like the EQ though, because it saves you shelling out for another headphone, and you were never gonna match your T70 without actually buying another T70 otherwise.

EDIT: yes, I'm not surprised you're wanting to invest in an amp, because the EQ requires -10.6dB preamp, so that certainly reduces your max loudness significantly.

EDIT #2: I'm not aware of a tutorial for doing what I did re the EQ and the matching. I just used my imagination on how I could use REW to do the job (it's normally used for RoomEQ of speakers)....I've been using REW to create EQ's for my headphones for about half a year or more....but it depends on the excellent & reliable measurements from Oratory & Crinacle, so if the headphone has not been measured you can't EQ it in the way that I do, their excellent information is the starting point.

EDIT #3: On second thoughts you could be better off leaving the High Shelf at Q1, but I think you'd want to put the Low Shelf to Q0.7, but by all means try both on the originally intended Q0.7 if you can/like.

 

[buxtehude]

That's great, very good to hear that you like the result! I just checked your filters against my EQ, and I noticed 3 errors though. For your 6070Hz Peak Filter it should be -1.3dB, but you have it at -3dB. And for both of your Shelf Filters (High & Low Shelf) you have Q1 rather than Q0.707 - are you limited to the number of decimals you can input? Q0.71 or Q0.7 would be fine though. I mean there are some small differences between Q1 and Q0.7 when it comes to Shelf Filters. (Your errors of input wouldn't have dramatically altered the sound overall though, so I think you'll still like it once you've corrected the input errors)

It's great news that you like the EQ though, because it saves you shelling out for another headphone, and you were never gonna match your T70 without actually buying another T70 otherwise.

EDIT: yes, I'm not surprised you're wanting to invest in an amp, because the EQ requires -10.6dB preamp, so that certainly reduces your max loudness significantly.

EDIT #2: I'm not aware of a tutorial for doing what I did re the EQ and the matching. I just used my imagination on how I could use REW to do the job (it's normally used for RoomEQ of speakers)....I've been using REW to create EQ's for my headphones for about half a year or more....but it depends on the excellent & reliable measurements from Oratory & Crinacle, so if the headphone has not been measured you can't EQ it in the way that I do, their excellent information is the starting point.

EDIT #3: On second thoughts you could be better off leaving the High Shelf at Q1, but I think you'd want to put the Low Shelf to Q0.7, but by all means try both on the originally intended Q0.7 if you can/like.

Ah. Thanks for catching that. All the errors fixed. I am so much in love with the crystal clear sound by using your EQ settings. Nothing clouded by the bloated bass. Just the way I like it. And I'll look into the resources you mentioned to study more. Thanks again!!!!

 

[Robbo99999]

Ah. Thanks for catching that. All the errors fixed. I am so much in love with the crystal clear sound by using your EQ settings. Nothing clouded by the bloated bass. Just the way I like it. And I'll look into the resources you mentioned to study more. Thanks again!!!!

Well I'm very pleased. A good solution you have there! It is indeed my EQ but all I'm doing is matching the target response of a T70, so it might not be a frequency response that I'd recommend to most people (including myself), but you like the T70 so much that I figured we should try to match it on your existing headphones, and I'm very pleased you like it.......far better than shelling out hundreds in money for some other headphones that might be close'ish to the T70 that you have in semi-permanent unreachable storage, ha!

 

[jaraheel]

Country: USA
Budget: ~$1500
Form factor: over ear, open back
Source: (hopefully soon) D90SE paired with A90
Important things: sound quality, comfort
Use case: music and movies
I have had Sennheiser's HD650, HD660S, and HD800S. After reading the reviews here, my primary headphones are HD650. I prefer them as neutral as possible.

 

[Robbo99999]

Country: USA
Budget: ~$1500
Form factor: over ear, open back
Source: (hopefully soon) D90SE paired with A90
Important things: sound quality, comfort
Use case: music and movies
I have had Sennheiser's HD650, HD660S, and HD800S. After reading the reviews here, my primary headphones are HD650. I prefer them as neutral as possible.

In my eyes you already have the ultimate headphone in the form of the HD800s (although I have to admit to not having listened to it, but seen the measurements & reviews) - probably just about applying EQ optimally to it. First port of call would probably be trying Oratory1990 EQ to the Harman Curve for your HD800s (which I'm probably sure you've already tried). Given the high quality & different headphones you've listed, I think EQ is the only way to improve your listening experience.....rather than buying more headphones. The one exception to my recommendation is that if you like to listen very loud and whilst EQ'ing up the bass by a lot.....then praps the HD800s wouldn't be optimal re bass distortion....in which case I'd think you'd want to look at a high quality planar headphone, but otherwise I'd say you've already got the best headphone in the HD800s (for the soundstage).

 

[jaraheel]

In my eyes you already have the ultimate headphone in the form of the HD800s (although I have to admit to not having listened to it, but seen the measurements & reviews) - probably just about applying EQ optimally to it. First port of call would probably be trying Oratory1990 EQ to the Harman Curve for your HD800s (which I'm probably sure you've already tried). Given the high quality & different headphones you've listed, I think EQ is the only way to improve your listening experience.....rather than buying more headphones. The one exception to my recommendation is that if you like to listen very loud and whilst EQ'ing up the bass by a lot.....then praps the HD800s wouldn't be optimal re bass distortion....in which case I'd think you'd want to look at a high quality planar headphone, but otherwise I'd say you've already got the best headphone in the HD800s (for the soundstage).

Thank you. I saw 800S review here where it was deemed not worthy of a recommendation (without EQ), so I moved to 650..

 

[Robbo99999]

Thank you. I saw 800S review here where it was deemed not worthy of a recommendation (without EQ), so I moved to 650..

Are you gonna be EQ'ing? If you're just gonna use the headphone at stock I'd recommend the HD600. And for closed back I'd recommend the K371, but I think the HD600 would be wildly better fidelity in general terms just from owning them & also knowing the frequency response measurements of these two headphones....but they're both close to the Harman Curve. You've got the HD650 which is really quite close to the HD600 anyway. Can't really get enthusiastic about HD600 (and by extension HD650) though because of their small soundstage. You're really limiting yourself if you don't EQ, but H650 was a pretty ideal choice if you're not gonna be EQ'ing.

I own all the different headphones you see in my sig at the bottom of this post (K702 / HE4XX / NAD HP50 / HD600), and for sure my favourite headphone(s) are not based on how much I like them at stock without EQ - if you're committing & happy to use EQ then how they rank & sound to you without EQ is practically irrelevant. If you know you're not gonna be applying EQ then it's whole other ballgame and you're restricted to finding a headphone with a frequency response that you like that may or may not have the other qualities you like or just plain might not have other good qualities. The way I look at headphones is threefold - frequency response after EQ / distortion / soundstage.....those are the 3 variables that dictate a good headphone (and of course comfort & physically being able to fit on your head & ears). The distortion & soundstage variables in my experience are determined by your choice of headphone and you can EQ everything else. Therefore I think HD800s would be the perfect headphone due to it's renowned soundstage capabilities, but that's no good if you're not gonna EQ it as the frequency response is a bit bizarre.

 

[jaraheel]

Are you gonna be EQ'ing? If you're just gonna use the headphone at stock I'd recommend the HD600. And for closed back I'd recommend the K371, but I think the HD600 would be wildly better fidelity in general terms just from owning them & also knowing the frequency response measurements of these two headphones....but they're both close to the Harman Curve. You've got the HD650 which is really quite close to the HD600 anyway. Can't really get enthusiastic about HD600 (and by extension HD650) though because of their small soundstage. You're really limiting yourself if you don't EQ, but H650 was a pretty ideal choice if you're not gonna be EQ'ing.

I own all the different headphones you see in my sig at the bottom of this post (K702 / HE4XX / NAD HP50 / HD600), and for sure my favourite headphone(s) are not based on how much I like them at stock without EQ - if you're committing & happy to use EQ then how they rank & sound to you without EQ is practically irrelevant. If you know you're not gonna be applying EQ then it's whole other ballgame and you're restricted to finding a headphone with a frequency response that you like that may or may not have the other qualities you like or just plain might not have other good qualities. The way I look at headphones is threefold - frequency response after EQ / distortion / soundstage.....those are the 3 variables that dictate a good headphone (and of course comfort & physically being able to fit on your head & ears). The distortion & soundstage variables in my experience are determined by your choice of headphone and you can EQ everything else. Therefore I think HD800s would be the perfect headphone due to it's renowned soundstage capabilities, but that's no good if you're not gonna EQ it as the frequency response is a bit bizarre.

I use EQ software but only minimally experiment with it. But good to know that I can improve my experience with the 800S and no need to spend any more money.

 

[buxtehude]

Well I'm very pleased. A good solution you have there! It is indeed my EQ but all I'm doing is matching the target response of a T70, so it might not be a frequency response that I'd recommend to most people (including myself), but you like the T70 so much that I figured we should try to match it on your existing headphones, and I'm very pleased you like it.......far better than shelling out hundreds in money for some other headphones that might be close'ish to the T70 that you have in semi-permanent unreachable storage, ha!

Absolutely. I've been listening with the EQ all day and I couldn't be happier. Thanks again, Robbo99999!!

 

[Robbo99999]

I use EQ software but only minimally experiment with it. But good to know that I can improve my experience with the 800S and no need to spend any more money.

https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets

 

[jaraheel]

https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets

This is awesome! Thanks a lot!!!

 

[jaraheel]

https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets

I noticed Focal's clear mg/mg pro pro there in the list too. How do they compare to HD800S in terms of soundstage especially, and other characteristics in general? Worth buying?

 

[edahl]

Recommendation for true wireless ear buds for commuting?

Also, closed back for work (any budget)

 

[Robbo99999]

I noticed Focal's clear mg/mg pro pro there in the list too. How do they compare to HD800S in terms of soundstage especially, and other characteristics in general? Worth buying?

Amir's reviewed the Clears: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/focal-clear-review-headphone.18585/
They had some clipping issues and I don't think he found the spatial qualities as good as the HD800s. Really, if you've got the HD800s, then EQ it & I think you're done.

 

[Electrolite]

Should I buy the Sundara or the Aeon Open RT/Aeon Closed (non RT)? I like the Sennheiser sound. I'm a little sensitive with treble fatigue but I'm not picky. For what I could gather the Sundara would be more airy and the Aeon Open RT would have more low-end.

But I'm having a hard time find comparisons with these, in fact it's hard to find reviews on the Open RT.