What is the flattest target curve?

[heraldo_jones]

Hi fam, maybe the FATfreq Tsuru can also be an option for this target?

 

[restorer-john]

And for whatever reasons, flat headphones don't "sound right" (to most listeners).

Are there any actually truly flat headphones out there? I'd buy them tomorrow.

For a start, you could do away with all this Harman curve stuff half-baked into myriad headphones and just apply a simple curve that suits the listener, instead of fighting excessive bass, holes in the midrange and various 'takes' on treble.

 

[Vamp898]

Are there any actually truly flat headphones out there? I'd buy them tomorrow.

For a start, you could do away with all this Harman curve stuff half-baked into myriad headphones and just apply a simple curve that suits the listener, instead of fighting excessive bass, holes in the midrange and various 'takes' on treble.

In my experience, its much harder to make Headphones sound flat than IEM. Probably because they usually only use one single driver and have to cover 20Hz to 20kHz with that driver + make the whole range sound flat. But there are quite a few that sound flat enough, for example the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro gets pretty close imho but yes, not perfect.

It is hard to compete against Multi-Driver Speakers or IEM for optimized drivers for each range and the option of cross-overs to mask disadvantages of one driver with the advantages of another. And then you have the issue with the reflections from your had that directly interfere with the sound source, an issue you have neither with speakers nor with IEM.

But, again, given all these disadvantages, there are some samples that get very close to flat, close enough that you can use them for mixing/mastering without issues.

 

[dasdoing]

The four Buds FE measurements on squig.link all look a bit different from each other, so I don't know. TWS measurements can be suspicious because of how their additional processing works. But assuming the one you referenced from ReganCipher is correct, it's a closer match in the midrange to WIP-H Target, AKA ISO+Harman Target
View attachment 400183

WIP-H vs. Harman 2019

View attachment 400184

might sound like a crazy twist, but at the end after trying out a lot "oratory1990 in-ear without bass" is the best base for me.
I still have to give it a little 4k and 6k though, just a little. I think that slope down from 3.5-7k is too steep. mids are perfect though.

 

[Human Bass]

Yet still more thoroughly tested than any other proposed IE target, most of which have zero confirmed scientifically valid blind-test backing whatsoever, and as shown above Harman's tests suggest they would not do well once proper such controls are implemented.

Harman isnt neutral, it is just what some people prefered, any FR preference is subjective.