@Resolve I’ve been experimenting with adding additional tilt through EQ and I find that +2dB sounds pretty right to me. Not surprisingly I can reduce my prefered setting for the 3khz filter to -1dB and remove the LS 80hz +3dB I added. Increasing to +3dB tilt goes too far though.
Today I watched the recent DMS review of the LCD 2 and LCD 3 where he mentions that the compensated measurements are based on diffuse field with a 10dB slope. And you state that these 5128 EQ profiles are based on an 8dB tilt. Does that mean you have revised the amount of slope in your compensated measurements or am I confusing two related but not identical concepts?
Score before 3khz adjustment (1 is low, 5 is high): 2
3khz Filter: -4dB
Score after 3khz adjustment: 3.5
Notes: I’ve been using Oratory’s Harman AE/OE EQ for a long while now, which for me is nearly perfect for mixing with this headphone, so that’s my reference and preference. I find your EQ overall brighter and thinner, with what I hear as an unnatural emphasis in the upper mids/lower treble, which makes cymbals, guitars, horns, etc. sound harsh and unnatural. Dropping the 3kHz peak by 4dB takes care of most of this glare. Overall, after the adjustment, the sound is not too far off, but it still lacks some warmth and punch that could possibly be remedied by a small increase in the downward tilt or perhaps simply more emphasis below 100Hz. Nice work!
Yeah you’ll likely want a 10 or 12dB slope for a warmer signature. I’ll need to do an update on this at some point but essentially we ran with 8dB to start with but most likely we’ll end up using 10 or 12dB for the tilt, and that should take care of many of the worries.
Score before 3khz adjustment (1 is low, 5 is high): 4.0
3khz Filter: -2 ~ +3 db (I found that I prefer different settings depending on the track)
Score after 3khz adjustment: 4.35
Notes: This sounds much much better compared to the harman target EQ I downloaded. It also partially solved the vocal veiling issue of the Edition XS. I feel like this EQ is in a strange place balanced between warm and bright. Before the EQ, it sounds bright & dull(‘neutral’). Overall this is the best EQ I’ve found for my pair.
In addition, can you please create a EQ for ATH-R70x ? I’d really love to hear what it sounds like with this tone.
Score before 3khz adjustment (1 is low, 5 is high): 2.5
3khz Filter: -2 dB
Score after 3khz adjustment: 3.5
Notes: Vocals are less harsh and more natural to my ears after applying some reduction on the 3 kHz zone. However, the low score is because… the treble measurements or target does not correspond to my hearing. Treble sounds unnatural to me and using a tone generator I can confirm there’s no peak to my ears at 8.1 kHz. In fact, that zone is actually recessed and needs some boosting. Oratory1990’s measurement and target seems to be more representative to my hearing from low to high treble.
That’s because it’s most likely the canal entrance resonance - similar to the 9khz dip on the GRAS systems. Basically you can ignore the 8khz peak on the 5128 just like you ignore the dip at 9khz on the GRAS.
Thanks for the reply, I was guessing that after comparing several measurements… It would be a good idea to edit the EQ screenshot for the HD 600 because it shows a filter to remove that peak. Maybe I will try the EQ again tomorrow without that filter.
