WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions.
Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!
If I use the D30 and Spark amp I have to use Peters EQ but when I up the EQ even by a small amount you can hear how horrible the distortion / clipping is. You have to use "prevent clipping which is Pre Amplify" Which makes the other bands much lower and makes the vocals sound softer.
On the Xonar control panel there is no such thing as Pre Amplyfing or prevent clipping, you can just raize the EQ and it barely distorts.
There has to be some sort of scientific explanation for this
If I use the D30 and Spark amp I have to use Peters EQ but when I up the EQ even by a small amount you can hear how horrible the distortion / clipping is. You have to use "prevent clipping which is Pre Amplify" Which makes the other bands much lower and makes the vocals sound softer.
On the Xonar control panel there is no such thing as Pre Amplyfing or prevent clipping, you can just raize the EQ and it barely distorts.
There has to be some sort of scientific explanation for this
That is interesting, as I have gone from using the Asus Xonar Audio Center EQ to the Equalizer APO and Peace GUI front end. I have not had the issue you describe, though we are are running different hardware, so perhaps that is the variable. How is your setup without using an equalizer, any problems?
I am using different EQ profiles for each of my headphones, and neither has presented me with distortion or clipping. One thing I am wondering is that you stated you experienced Xonar EQ "barely distorts". Can you explain what distortion you hear using the Xonar? I had never heard distortion at all using my STX and EQ with Asus Audio Center, so could something be amiss that is just more apparent when using your external DAC / Amp and Peace? What headphones are you using?
That is interesting, as I have gone from using the Asus Xonar Audio Center EQ to the Equalizer APO and Peace GUI front end. I have not had the issue you describe, though we are are running different hardware, so perhaps that is the variable. How is your setup without using an equalizer, any problems?
I am using different EQ profiles for each of my headphones, and neither has presented me with distortion or clipping. One thing I am wondering is that you stated you experienced Xonar EQ "barely distorts". Can you explain what distortion you hear using the Xonar? I had never heard distortion at all using my STX and EQ with Asus Audio Center, so could something be amiss that is just more apparent when using your external DAC / Amp and Peace? What headphones are you using?
if I EQ the 30hz on the Xonar to +20DB it will somewhat distort there is no escaping that. But halfway its perfect and doesn't appear to mess with the mid range much at all.
On the Peter EQ its just so bad, any slight increase will cause clipping and sound soo bad where I then have to enable prevent clipping option which will then auto adjust the pre amp but lowers the frequencies.
I'm not an expert in the matter but unlike external DACs with fixed voltage output, Xonar DG has variable voltage output. For example, your D30 puts out 2V at 0 dBFS and any digital signal higher than 0 dBFS will cause it to clip/distort. Therefore, any gain higher than 0dB on your EQ will cause it to distort. You would need to reduce the volume on the pre amplifying settings on the Peter's EQ by the amount of the highest peak that you set your EQ to prevent clipping/distorting. Then just turn up your Liquid Spark volume to regain the mids and treble peaks that were decreased during the pre amplifying stage. In the case of Xonar, the software does not run your Xonar at 0 dBFS unless you crank all of the volume up therefore there's a headroom to EQ while your Topping always run at full scale so you have to manually decrease the pre amplifying to gain headroom until you hit 0 dBFS.
I'm not an expert in the matter but unlike external DACs with fixed voltage output, Xonar DG has variable voltage output. For example, your D30 puts out 2V at 0 dBFS and any digital signal higher than 0 dBFS will cause it to clip/distort. Therefore, any gain higher than 0dB on your EQ will cause it to distort. You would need to reduce the volume on the pre amplifying settings on the Peter's EQ by the amount of the highest peak that you set your EQ to prevent clipping/distorting. Then just turn up your Liquid Spark volume to regain the mids and treble peaks that were decreased during the pre amplifying stage. In the case of Xonar, the software does not run your Xonar at 0 dBFS unless you crank all of the volume up therefore there's a headroom to EQ while your Topping always run at full scale so you have to manually decrease the pre amplifying to gain headroom until you hit 0 dBFS.
This is what I run right now, what are the pros and cons of playing music with this EQ?
Amazingly my HD58x plays really well with this setting but the mids isn't what I want it to be, why does this happen? I take it a sub woofer is theonly way to get perfect sub bass at 30hz at +25db while retaining perfect mids since it uses separate speakers?
This is what I run right now, what are the pros and cons of playing music with this EQ?
Amazingly my HD58x plays really well with this setting but the mids isn't what I want it to be, why does this happen? I take it a sub woofer is theonly way to get perfect sub bass at 30hz at +25db while retaining perfect mids since it uses separate speakers?
^ perhaps it is distorting but my feeble mind doesn't understand what distortion is?
All I know is once "prevent clipping" which reduces "pre amplifying" is enabled it basically makes everything sound softer and darker with much recessed mids, it sounds smooth with shit tons of bass, but no noticeable distortion? maybe I don't understand what distortion is?
If I don't enable "prevent clipping" in peters EQ it sounds really really distorted
So this is an entire software package? or its a plugin of some sort that needs to be used with foobar or groove music? I use windows default groove music player is that good?
*Even with ultra low distortion headphones +12dB (theoretically) is the most that I will ever dare go. FYI: I rarely use 100% EQ setting for morphit due to practical HP to HP variation of FR -- unless doing manual EQing.
So this is an entire software package? or its a plugin of some sort that needs to be used with foobar or groove music? I use windows default groove music player is that good?
VST plugin that can be used with software players like JRiver or Foobar (need another VST wrapper plugin first) ... there are other versions -- I think -- which can be used with iOS or Android. See: https://www.toneboosters.com/tb_morphit_v1.html
Same plugins installed in foobar and used with shortcut keys:
*oh, yeah... Morphit & Isone not enabled here. I have used manual EQs before with TB equalizer instead. Haven't updated my Foobar settings in a long time anyhows.
