Hi Percy,
Thanks for your reply.
By the way, combo jazz from the 40s and 50s is my favorite genre of instrumental music.
I think I understand the gist of what you are saying. I am going to play with the 200-1000 Hz settings to see how that affects the soundstage dimension, location and clarity.
I don’t understand the “Q” cut. There is a whole ballpark of technical knowledge to assimilate!
John
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Raymond,
The RW-9’s were shipped from China. Tracking indicated they are in the US so hopefully they will arrive this week.
I am listening to some RevoNext QT5 buds I received yesterday. A couple more iems are on the way.
Thanks for the reply!
John
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Neat! Hope to hear impressions of the RW-9 when you get them!
Q relates to parametric equalizers, which are different from the graphic EQs to which you may be accustomed (see this okay article).
EDIT - The linked article refers to “Q” as “quotient of change”. It’s actually “quality factor”.
When correcting defects in a headphone’s frequency response, I always use parametric EQ because of the precision it offers. Graphic EQ is okay for making more general adjustments, like “I want more bass” or “I want less treble”.
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https://www.lifewire.com/graphic-vs-parametric-equalizer-3134842> stated:
" A parametric equalizer can also control bandwidth/range – the sloping that affects neighboring frequencies – of each individual frequency. For example, if the center frequency is 30 Hz, a wide bandwidth would also affect frequencies as low as 15 Hz and as high as 45 Hz."
So, in a very simplistic way of understanding “Q”, it creates a more refined mini slope within the larger EQ slope???
I do find EQ manipulation fascinating and want to learn more.
Because of how most filters work, they don’t just apply to a single frequency, nor do they apply equally to a range of frequencies. There are brick-wall filters that do pretty much come into effect almost immediately at a given frequency, but typical filters like peaking filters and shelving filters are more gradual.
Sometimes a picture is worth more than words. Here’s a fairly recent EQ profile for my KZ ZS7:
You can see 6 bands of EQ (analogous to 6 sliders on a graphic EQ).
For each band, we define:
Type of Filter - Most common is Peak, which creates a peak (or dip) centered at a certain frequency and tapering off to either side from it.
Center Frequency - The frequency at which the correction is applied
Q - Defines how wide of a frequency range the band’s adjustment affects
DB - The amount of adjustment
Take the band at 100 Hz for example. This is a peak filter. The -3 dB adjustment applies fully at 100 Hz and tapers out from there. A low Q of 0.7 means that the adjustment has a fairly wide impact.
Contrast this with the adjustment at 2300 Hz. The relatively higher Q of 5 means that this adjustment is much narrower, which you can see in the graph.
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I get it!..maybe Q is like a variable mini bell curve effect within the larger EQ?
Here’s another approach to EQ’ing the ZS7 that’s a little less heavy-handed and more laid back.
Basically, it does the following:
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The ZS7 has a resonance peak in the bass region around 80-90 Hz that makes it sound a bit muddy. This EQ shifts that peak down to 60 Hz and reduces it a few dB in level. That helps clear up the sound and improve separation while still keeping a pleasingly warm tonality and maintaining good bass impact and extension.
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The upper mids around 2-5 KHz are a bit uneven. This evens them out by bringing down a couple of peaks. As opposed to my old EQ which filled in the dip between those peaks, this makes for a slightly more relaxed/less forward presentation that actually sounds a bit more natural to my ears.
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The ZS7’s treble is somewhat rolled off. My old EQ boosted this quite a bit, but with the more aggressive bass correction on this new EQ I don’t feel like it needs as much nor as broad of a boost here. Depending on how “airy” you like your highs, you might like a bigger and/or wider boost, but I find this strikes a good balance between sounding natural and open while still staying laid back.
Overall, this EQ creates a pretty “musical” presentation that keeps the best aspects of the stock sound while adding some much needed clarity.
EDIT - Another reason I like this EQ is that it works nicely at low listening levels, but sounds even better as I turn up the volume. I think that’s a good sign 
EDIT 2 - The preamp is lower than it needs to be (only need -2.5), but -5 works well with the volume steps on my phone.
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Okay, while this is pretty darned good, it’s a little too laid back for metal. The below fixes that, at the cost of being a tad less said back. Interestingly, as the upper mids get less laid back, soundstage seems to decrease somewhat.
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Hi have you tried the Senfer DT6?
It is about 20 bucks for this IEM, and considering its price, I found the soundstage and detail retrieval very good. Separation of instruments is quite good too.
It does require an amp to really make the treble shine, as the piezo treble drivers it contains requires some power.
But having said that, I think most IEMs cannot compete with open backed/semi open headphones for soundstage.
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A friend of mine from the UK sent me a pair of DT6. I never found them to be particularly good. The bass response is fast for a DD, and doesn’t roll off that badly. However, my experience with the treble and the mids on this unit are bad. It’s not tonally accurate, and I find any brass instrument (Saxophones, tubas, etc) sound way off, and very shouty. I’m not sure if it’s just my pair but I find that they have bad treble coherency. I’d rather use my E2000 or MH755.
Speaking of the Final E2000, I’ve been using it a bit lately and I’m finding it to be a good performer. It’s warm, and has more of a V-shape signature than other Final IEMs. It has good soundstage and imaging, and the treble extension is acceptable. Decent little pair in case anyone wants to check them out. I’ll likely put out a review of them.
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Actually i have read a lot of feedback on forums that the DT6 has inaccurate tonality/timbre with orchestra instruments as you have said. I personally don’t listen to orchestral instruments/music so maybe I don’t have this issue.
But the MH755 is also a super good pair of IEMs, especially for the cheap price. Unfortunately the cable is short and has bad microphonics.
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I agree. Senfer DT6 was decent for some of the electronic music I listen to, so there’s that. I also find they’re good for gaming. Shame they didn’t work well with metal, and orchestral music.
On the topic of MH755, they have a very intimate soundstage, and tend to be bright, with a lot of sub bass/rumble. They’re very good. I admire their tonal quality and balance. MH755 are a solid pair, but due to their tuning they ain’t for everyone. I know a few people who hate Harman, especially the bass-boosted Harman that the MH755 follows. If you have the tools to modify them, I recommend it. Get some MMCX terminals, and get them put into the shells.
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tjsgarden I recommend getting E2K or E3K if you’re looking for a pair with good headstage (Soundstage isn’t the right term to describe it, as it sounds a bit “out of the head” but doesn’t “fill a room”).
I’ve been using E2K since last week and they’re a solid pair. Even if you don’t like the sound sig, getting the Final E-series tips allows you to achieve a great seal with most IEMs.
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Thanks for all the suggestions!
I ordered the Senfer DT6s on July 2nd from China.
Thus far, in general, the earbuds that fit in the ear but not in the ear canal, (Monk+, RW-9 and Headroom MS 16 designs) seem to have a a more airy soundstage than the iems fitting inside the ear canal, ( ZSN Pro, CCA C10 and RevoNext QT5 models).
I do plan on writing my listening impressions soon.
As a spoiler, of the iems tried thus far, one pair stands out for overall musicality and not just soundstage extension. The RevoNext QT5s have the most realistic tonality and cohesiveness of the bunch.
@nitrokojote, the Final E2000 is already on my radar. I look forward to your review. I searched for E2K and E3K on the web but couldn’t find information about them. Do you have a link?
@baskingshark the Sony MH755 cost $3.38! How can I pass up such a deal?
Thanks again to All,
John
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Hope you enjoy your haul!
Just a word of advise, there are many fake sony MH755s being sold. Do check the reviews of the forums and sellers on trustworthy sellers before purchasing.
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Apologies! E2K and E3K refer to the Final E2000 and E3000, respectively.
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I hope you give them a try as well. MH755 and E2000 are solid pairs. E2000 are more of a V sig, while E3000 are supposed to be more of a warm, and bass-heavy signature. E1000 is supposed to be a neutral signature. Despite the low price of the E1000, they still come with Final E-series eartips, and silicone ear loops for wearing them around the ear. I have only fried E2000 so far.
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The famous Crinacle has a target curve that deviates pretty significantly from Harman. For fun, I gave it a try with the ZS7. I think Crinacle’s 1-5 KHz boost is too low in level, but I do agree with him that Harman is probably overdone and that if you keep the bass and lower mids flat like in Crinacle’s target, you don’t need to boost the upper mids nearly as much.
After some tweaking by ear, I ended up with this.
Bass isn’t completely flat, but close to it, and upper mids peak about 8 or 9 dB above the rest of the mids vs 13 dB stock. The upper mids also start their rise a little earlier than stock, which seems to add some nice clarity. Lower treble is brought up to a more appropriate level, which definitely adds some air.
I think I like better than a more Harman-focused approach. In particular, the timbre so far seems good on everything I’ve listened to. Yes, the bass is a bit less visceral, but because the mids aren’t so overcooked, I can turn up the volume a tad more and thereby lift the bass to solid levels.
I like how well the ZS7 takes EQ. It seems that between the dynamic driver and the 4 BAs, it’s got enough of the frequency range covered to let me tweak to my heart’s content.
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