Why buy new headphones when your existing ones can be EQed to whatever you like

[fin]

Mostly about marketing & hype I think?
Seems only very few people with this hobby will just rest with something comfortable like HD650 and call it end game and never buy a new headphone again until old one's broken.
Things I can think of:
- Convenience & Simplicity: not every listening environment got EQ, so sometimes still people want that hardware FR to be pleasant on its own.
- Different use cases like open/closed ear, wired and wireless, different feelings when wearing different ones during summer/winter
- Just want something new and feels good about collecting.
- Something can't be EQed but very important to you (and what are these?)
So what's your story about buying many new headphones even you know you already got everything you need with your current ones EQed.

 

[ZolaIII]

Physical choices apply regarding EQ-ing (design, driver limitations and properties...).
Highs can't be precisely EQ-ed (they can to a extent if autended not beeming much but it's complicated same as for speakers).
Half a dozen regarding comfort and fit, another one regarding use case (including various properties), a dozen regarding aesthetics... The evil spirit watching and controlling us telling you, you need new IEM's because they are so cute.

 

[Joachim Herbert]

Capabilities, like low distortion over the frequency range at all levels, no resonances or sensivity.Then there is weight, fit, comfort, looks, haptics. Also, I prefer headphones that do not need eq.

 

[Galliardist]

My old ones broke.
I have two pairs, both replacements for ones that broke, in fact. Neither were economically repairable. Though I spent more money on my home phones to finally get something that fits my stupid big ears, so you can say fit as well.

 

[andymcbain]

I’ve owned my HD650 since 2008 and I’ve been EQing it to Harman (based on the ASR review’s suggestions) for a year or so. I consider the tuning to be spot on, but I perceive the soundstage as narrow and “on the ear”. I’ve only recently got into headphone listening for pleasure thanks to my AirPod Pro 2, which I love - and perceive to sound surprisingly immersive for an in ear device. The HD650 have always been a studio tool for me.

Some other open headphones I auditioned recently -

Fidelio X2HR - annoying top end and low end, even when EQ’d. EQ also collapsed the soundstage a bit and I found them quite heavy.

HD560s - quite enjoyed these, but found them uncomfortable.

AKG K712 - nice wide soundstage (even without any correction to the midrange) - decent enough, but expensive for what they are (also I only had them on loan)

So yeah I guess you could say I’m still on my quest for an “endgame” open back headphone for my collection. As well as comfort issues I’m sensing there’s other stuff going on beyond frequency response alone that’s affecting my judgement. And I know that’s not a popular opinion to hold around these parts…

 

[Jimbob54]

Shape / fit/ comfort are obvious. Also I prefer to have something tuned pretty close to how I like out of the box and minor tweak as required rather than making large adjustments.

For eg adding a large bass shelf to a pair of hd600 or 800 doesn't give as good quality bass as a planar with that amount of bass baked in IME.

 

[doalt]

even you know you already got everything you need with your current ones EQed.

For headphones, size and fit can affect the sound. EQing to a graph doesn't mean they will sound like that on your head.
How do you know the current one is the best sound you can get?

 

[Cecill]

Shape / fit/ comfort are obvious. Also I prefer to have something tuned pretty close to how I like out of the box and minor tweak as required rather than making large adjustments.

For eg adding a large bass shelf to a pair of hd600 or 800 doesn't give as good quality bass as a planar with that amount of bass baked in IME.

I have the HD650 and listen EQued through Roon on the latest MacBook Pro, which has an outstanding headphone output that even adjusts to the sensitivity of the connected headphones. I always hear about planar bass - something I must try someday.

 

[Bleib]

Weight, comfort, pressure, distorsion, depth, big soundstage, sound isolation, leakage etc, there are things which EQ cannot easily fix

 

[Joe Smith]

FOMO, mostly.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

The answer is: I don't
I haven't bought new headphones since owning a pair of Stealth aside from one pair of ANC headphones when my old ones started having battery issues.

 

[Peterinvan]

My solution is the Schiit Loki+. It's a very effective analogue tone control.

I see no point trying to use digital EQ to set up my headphones, because to me, it's not a set-up-and-leave-it use case.

I use the Loki+ to set the tone I prefer, on the fly, as I listen to each album, and even each track.

 

[Merkurio]

I mean, I don't.

My EQ'd MV1s are truly endgame for me.

 

[SuicideSquid]

Different use cases. I've got AKG 271s for recording, 702s for serious listening in my bedroom, several different sets of IEMs for use with recording, using at the gym, etc.

Headphones wear out, break, sometimes it's just fun to play with new gear.

 

[MRC01]

1. EQ doesn't address distortion or resonances.
2. EQ having large amplitudes or overlapping bands can be difficult to implement and cause increased noise or distortion.
3. EQ may not always be available, or in a sufficiently accurate form (PEQ vs. fixed bands).
4. EQ doesn't address build quality.
5. EQ doesn't address comfort.

 

[TippyDi]

This is a VERY huge misconception on EQ. EQ can change and maybe "clean up" the sound for sure but there are things it cannot copy like transients or distortions or the physical characteristics of the headphones itself.

here's a pretty ok discussion on it: https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/10/eq-cheap-headphones-high-end-rivals/

 

[Brian Hall]

Mostly about marketing & hype I think?
Seems only very few people with this hobby will just rest with something comfortable like HD650 and call it end game and never buy a new headphone again until old one's broken.
Things I can think of:
- Convenience & Simplicity: not every listening environment got EQ, so sometimes still people want that hardware FR to be pleasant on its own.
- Different use cases like open/closed ear, wired and wireless, different feelings when wearing different ones during summer/winter
- Just want something new and feels good about collecting.
- Something can't be EQed but very important to you (and what are these?)
So what's your story about buying many new headphones even you know you already got everything you need with your current ones EQed.

Even with EQ, there is a big difference between the HD650 and the HD800S. I still use the 650 a little, but almost always go for the 800S. I'm listening to a Muse album (The 2nd Law) right now on the 800S.

Switched to the 650. After listening with the 800S for a while, the same music with the 650 sound "muffled".

 

[A Surfer]

It is a falacy to suggest that all headphones are fully able to be equalized to taste. There are clearly so many reasons why you can never assume such a thing.

So the answer to the OPs question is there is absolutely a need for multiple headphones depending on what the user wants, and what sonic comprises they may or may not be willing to accept.

 

[Earwax]

I tried Amirm`s Parametric EQ settings for the ATH M50X it`s not for my music taste it changed to many different instruments along with the soundstage they sound perfect the way they are. The real game changer is a small simple DAC.