@JohnYang1997??? The x curve is one of the worst thought of "standards" for room sound there is. There is a lot of work going ton to revise this old and ad-hoc response of a speaker in a room that is forced by Dolby for movie mixing and mastering.
I also have no idea where they come up with the assertion of how each and every sound recording and mixing room is setup as to need this and that boost in playback. There is no there, there.
Yes, but there is a misconception that it is neutral, @amirm even states so himself
Does he really say that? From what I've seen, he says that the Harman headphone target is a target derived from average listener preference. From what I understand, Harman started with a response that sounds most similar to a speaker with a flat(anechoic) response, but subsequently boosted the bass to increase average listener preference. There are theories(guesses) as to why people might prefer different curves for headphones vs speakers(bass boosted vs flat, respectively). Main one I've heard is the lack of physical bass sensation with headphones.
The OliveToole target was used as a baseline for listener preference. So no, the research doesn't prove that people want flat speakers in a treated room. Therefore, it is purely subjective.?? Are you confusing headphone targets and room targets ?
?? Are you confusing headphone targets and room targets ?
The OliveToole target is the average speaker preference from blind tests. The Harman target is the average headphone preference from blind tests. The point I am making is that neither are in any way a reference to flat speakers in a treated room.This was my question, too. I'm thinking the "Harman Target" (attached) slide he used is an average derived from in room measurements of good loudspeakers, not for headphones. The Harman headphone target looks very similar to the Etymotic(neutral) curve outside of the bass, but has boosted bass for more supposed enjoyment.
Pretty sure that curve he posted though is the wrong curve to be using, even for loudspeakers. If you ask Toole/Olive directly what the in room "target" is, they will say it doesn't exist, as it depends on the room, listening distance, and speaker dispersion width. The only correct Harman speaker target is a flat line, measured anechoically. The in room target is whatever that speaker spits out when measured at the actual listening position.
The OliveToole target is the average speaker preference from blind tests. The Harman target is the average headphone preference from blind tests. The point I am making is that neither are in any way objectively flat.
So the Harman target is for when a speaker measures flat in an Anechoic chamber but placed in a normal room?Again, though, the Harman loudspeaker and Harman headphone targets are different. Both are based on preference, but the Harman loudspeaker starts and stops with an anechoic neutral response(not to be confused with in room response), as that just happens to be what people most prefer. The Harman headphone target had a neutral basis, but added extra bass over time to account for listener preference. If you want a more neutral headphone response, the diffuse field or Etymotic curve are (imo) better.
So the Harman target is for when a speaker measures flat in an Anechoic chamber but placed in a normal room?