Speaker manufacturer sound signature vs EQ vs Recordings

[yelloguy]

I have a lot of experience listening to B&W speakers. Also, lately I've been enjoying a pair of Wharfedale Lintons 85th - which I bought for their sound signature. And I have a Bose bluetooth Revolve 360 which has its own sound signature. B&W add a little zing to the high frequencies. People describe it as bright. You like it or you dislike it, but you definitely know it when you hear it. Wharfy's actually make the highs a little muted but very pleasant. Again it is hard to describe but you definitely notice it. Bose makes the highs even more pleasant - you have to really look for the magic but it is there. My Lexus as a very neutral sound signature in this aspect, with a more balanced take on highs (and lows) which I find very inoffensive - it is somewhere between the B&W and the Wharfedales.

Anyway, I listened to an old recording in my car, and I could swear it was like the recording artist knew what they were doing and muted the highs to be more like the Wharfedales. And that got me thinking if a sound signature can be achieved using recording, then it can be done using EQ with any speakers. In other words, I can EQ the Wharfedales to add that sparkle to the highs and maybe I can make the B&W sound like the Wharfy's.

Has anyone had any luck trying out things like that? Are there any resources on EQ to get me started down this road?

 

[Geert]

Has anyone had any luck trying out things like that?

Yes, on a few thousand occasions. (But don't think you can EQ all speakers to sound totally the same, there is more than frequency response).

Are there any resources on EQ to get me started down this road?

What sources do you use (PC, streamer, CD, vinyl...). That determines the options you have to apply EQ.

 

[yelloguy]

What sources do you use (PC, streamer, CD, vinyl...). That determines the options you have to apply EQ.

I have a PC hooked up via HDMI for applying Equalizer APO to Apple Music on Windows.

I have a WiiM Mini going into my Marantz AVR via optical for doing the same PEQ - albeit there is no Apple Music on it without AirPlay. So it is mostly unused.

No vinyl.

I do play Apple Music using Apple TV 4K but that doesn't let me PEQ so it is mostly just gets used for 5.1 movies and TV shows.

Finally a FireTV stick for playing TV shows and Youtube (videos and music). No PEQ on that either.

 

[Geert]

So you already have EQ capabilities in your system. What specifically do you want to know then? Adding some highs to the Wharfedales is just a matter of playing around with the EQ somewhere around 10kHz. If you want to try to copy the sound signature of one speaker to the other as accurate as possible it starts with learning how to take and/or read measurements, create EQ profiles and getting an understanding of the limitations of this objective.

 

[yelloguy]

Thanks for the tips. I do have the capability to measure (but not to read and understand - beyond the basic peaks and nulls). I was hoping that someone has done some profiling on speaker brands and has some notes on which frequencies correlate with what speakers if only to get me started. Pretty much like you said 10kHz would be the area to look for adding highs to Wharfedales - except more detailed.

I mean, yes I can just go crazy with sliders and see where I land based on my ears alone. But that would be re-inventing the wheel if someone smarter than me has done parts of this. I would rather build on top and contribute back, if possible.

On that same note, there should be some Audyssey calibration curves to make one speaker sound like another. I think Audyssey 1 Evo does that while loading a curve like Dr Toole's. Maybe I will have a play with that to see if there are other curves I can insert while doing Audyssey calibration.

 

[Killingbeans]

I was hoping that someone has done some profiling on speaker brands and has some notes on which frequencies correlate with what speakers if only to get me started.

Speakers from the same brand are not guaranteed to have the same sound signature.

Some brands try to aim for a "house signature" but it often changes quite a bit over time, and others will have little to no consistency between models at all.

It would be best to find detailed measurements of the specific speaker models instead. The estimated in-room response is particularly telling.

Here's for instance the Lintons:

Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary Speaker Review

Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com