Rtings downloadable EQ settings for every wired pair of headphones

[thewas]

With this new project, they are providing downloadable EQ settings for every wired pair of headphones measured on their B&K 5128 benches, allowing to tune closer to the diffuse-field HRTF, Harman, SenseLab, or SoundGuys targets as well as our RTINGS house curve.

Some related links and articles:

EQ With Confidence: 200 Post-EQ Remeasurements Validate That Headphones Follow A Linear Response To Equalization

Headphones are much more linear and obedient to EQ than most people imagine. The match between the calculated curve and the real, post-EQ measurement is strikingly close.

www.rtings.com

How To EQ Your Headphones

Learn the difference between graphic and parametric EQs and how each can help you shape the sound of your headphones.

www.rtings.com

Headphone Equalizer Repository

In this article, you can find RTINGS.com's Multi-Target EQ settings.

www.rtings.com

 

[kyuu]

We provide EQ settings for the following targets:

• RTINGS House Curve
• SenseLab/Aizu
• SoundGuys.com headphone preference curve
• SoundGuys.com Studio curve
• Diffuse Field (5128 HRTF Reference)

I'm not familiar with any of those curves. Is there a generally-accepted target curve among those?

 

[kemmler3D]

I'm not familiar with any of those curves. Is there a generally-accepted target curve among those?

Harman is probably the most mainstream, but there are a lot of opinions on which is best depending on what measurement fixture is used and what target people personally prefer.

 

[PierreRtings]

I'm not familiar with any of those curves. Is there a generally-accepted target curve among those?

Hello Kyuu, they are the generally accepted target curves for measurements made on a B&K 5128 HATS. There is no convergence so far, and Harman does not have one valid for Over Ears they do have one for in ears. Sean Olive gave some lectures last years at CanJam on target curves for the 5128 platforms and we all tend to agree that there is more of a range than a single curve that are as preffered statistically. Here is one of his slide.

 

[kyuu]

Thanks for the reply @PierreRtings, good to see a representative from RTINGS on ASR!

So target curves for headphones are specific to the test fixture? Meaning what Amir tests against on his GRAS 45CA fixture isn't directly comparable?

 

[amirm]

So target curves for headphones are specific to the test fixture? Meaning what Amir tests against on his GRAS 45CA fixture isn't directly comparable?

That's correct although some regions of the curves is similar/the same.

 

[thewas]

So target curves for headphones are specific to the test fixture? Meaning what Amir tests against on his GRAS 45CA fixture isn't directly comparable?

Different testing rigs geometries unfortunately lead to deviating differences to the same target with different headphones (mainly on the upper part of the frequency range) which means as in those articles written in the end you have to listen yourself or measure with a tiny microphone in your ear.

 

[Somafunk]

From playing around with EQ targets I’m generally ok applying them <3kHz but attempting to use any targets above 3kHz more often than not makes my HD490 headphones or my IEM’s sound worse, for that reason I go it alone (gasp….horror ) with my eq for above 3kHz.

 

[respice finem]

Same here mostly. It's probably due to anatomic variance.

 

[Somafunk]

Same here mostly. It's probably due to anatomic variance.

Ear canal volume/anatomy/individual HRTF all plays a part, that’s why I don’t understand why you see/read of folk swapping EQ profiles and then proclaiming “this is the best ever”, fair enough for bass response, lower/mid mids but for treble?………gtf outa here…….

Perhaps the rise and engineering prowess of the ANC/Wireless engineering industry will be the saviour.

 

[respice finem]

Ear canal volume/anatomy/individual HRTF all plays a part, that’s why I don’t understand why you see/read of folk swapping EQ profiles and then proclaiming “this is the best ever”, fair enough for bass response, lower/mid mids but for treble?………gtf outa here…….

Perhaps the rise and engineering prowess of the ANC/Wireless engineering industry will be the saviour.

The best ever effect is typically short-lived. In hardware, I call it shiny new thing effect.

 

[PierreRtings]

Ear canal volume/anatomy/individual HRTF all plays a part, that’s why I don’t understand why you see/read of folk swapping EQ profiles and then proclaiming “this is the best ever”, fair enough for bass response, lower/mid mids but for treble?………gtf outa here…….

Perhaps the rise and engineering prowess of the ANC/Wireless engineering industry will be the saviour.

I agree, at 3k we are already well in the ear gain band and your HRTF is different than our HATS. It doesn't mean not to EQ, but it does mean EQ generated based on our measurements may not be optimal for you.

 

[respice finem]

I agree, at 3k we are already well in the ear gain band and your HRTF is different than our HATS. It doesn't mean not to EQ, but it does mean EQ generated based on our measurements may not be optimal for you.

I use a quick and dirty "hack" to tune my headphone EQ: very slow manual frequency sweep using a sine generator

Online Tone Generator - generate pure tones of any frequency

www.szynalski.com

write down "suspect" frequencies and EQ them. Repeat to verify and correct, until all is smooth audibly.
Usually it takes under 20 minutes in total.

 

[PierreRtings]

I use a quick and dirty "hack" to tune my headphone EQ: very slow manual frequency sweep using a sine generator

Online Tone Generator - generate pure tones of any frequency

www.szynalski.com

write down "suspect" frequencies and EQ them. Repeat to verify and correct, until all is smooth audibly.
Usually it takes under 20 minutes in total.

It's a good systematic way. Personally I actually use music I know very well how it should sound, and I use a completely exaggerated bell filter, like a Q of 8 and gain of 15 dB and I sweep this filter through the spectrum. It will sound bad throughout but it makes it easy to catch frequencies that are the worst ones, the ones where it's unbearably bad. It means It deserve a cut, I widen the bandwidth and adjust attenuation to taste. You can also easily catch the "good" ones that way too and do a boost but with more sensible parameters. Works for me.

 

[respice finem]

Anything that works is good, and nothing is ever really perfect - but, I only care for what I can hear, which is less and less, with age.

 

[VintageFlanker]

 

[90sNintendoKid]

I've been using the Rtings Philips SHP9500 EQ and I like how it sounds.

I tried it on a Quedelix 5K and the 12db bass boost and negative gain on the pre amp didn't leave a lot of headroom.

I used a Wiim Ultra and Fosi K7 with minus 10db on the pre amp gain and I had more than enough volume. I'm pleased with the results.