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AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

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Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#11

Post by natdempk »

h2odragon wrote: post #7
kohlerm wrote: post #3

it's great project. No idea why some people do not want to eq their headphones at least a little bit. It can make a huge difference. Also frequency response is IMHO at least partially a matter of taste.

> a matter of taste Taste, yes; and individual circumstances. My hearing is so good it might count as a disability, but I know where I have peaks and valleys in my sensitivity and a good EQ can help with the spikes taken by tinnitus ringing from youthful big boom car stereo work and explosives. I checked their suggestions for my headphones against my EQ profile and theirs is pretty good. I like more lowfreq and much…

How can you find out where the peaks and valleys in your hearing are? I've wanted to get basically an EQ curve for my own ear hearing issues if possible as I'm sure I have some minor hearing loss, but wasn't sure how to do that. Any tips?

Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#12

Post by Bayart »

The precompiled AutoEQ/results/ tree has been a godsend, and so is Wavelet. I honestly would think about buying a pair of headphones that's not in it, unless I'm actively looking for a specific sound signature (but it's really all about price and comfort as far as I'm concerned).

Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#13

Post by h2odragon »

natdempk wrote: post #11
h2odragon wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a matter of taste Taste, yes; and individual circumstances. My hearing is so good it might count as a disability, but I know where I have peaks and valleys in my sensitivity and a good EQ can help with the spikes taken by tinnitus ringing from youthful big boom car stereo work and explosives. I checked their suggestions for my headphones against my EQ profile and theirs is pretty good. I like more lowfreq and much…

How can you find out where the peaks and valleys in your hearing are? I've wanted to get basically an EQ curve for my own ear hearing issues if possible as I'm sure I have some minor hearing loss, but wasn't sure how to do that. Any tips?

listen to a frequency generator while twiddling its dial. I dunno what would be the easiest tool to do that with right now, i'd start in audacity or some "audio programming toolkit".

Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#14

Post by h2odragon »

mckirk wrote: post #10
h2odragon wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a matter of taste Taste, yes; and individual circumstances. My hearing is so good it might count as a disability, but I know where I have peaks and valleys in my sensitivity and a good EQ can help with the spikes taken by tinnitus ringing from youthful big boom car stereo work and explosives. I checked their suggestions for my headphones against my EQ profile and theirs is pretty good. I like more lowfreq and much…

In which sense is your hearing 'so good it might count as a disability'?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis

I don't hear "notes" and "chords", I hear frequencies. My range (at near 50) still goes up to where i can hear the bats talking. In a room with people, i cannot not hear their pulse, breathing, and other biological proceedings...

Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#16

Post by natdempk »

h2odragon wrote: post #13
natdempk wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can you find out where the peaks and valleys in your hearing are? I've wanted to get basically an EQ curve for my own ear hearing issues if possible as I'm sure I have some minor hearing loss, but wasn't sure how to do that. Any tips?

listen to a frequency generator while twiddling its dial. I dunno what would be the easiest tool to do that with right now, i'd start in audacity or some "audio programming toolkit".

Yes, I know enough to know I can sweep a sine wave, but I also know enough to know it’s more complicated than that. There are various curves that affect the perception of sound volume at different frequencies, like the response of the headphones, the varying response curve of frequency perception at different volumes, the inherent differing volume response curve in your brain/ears that is the basis for stuff like LUFS. I was wondering if there is a correct way to do this that corrects for all these different effects, or something professional you can do or pay for to get this measured correctly.

Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#17

Post by MCllorf »

kohlerm wrote: post #3

it's great project. No idea why some people do not want to eq their headphones at least a little bit. It can make a huge difference. Also frequency response is IMHO at least partially a matter of taste.

from my experience, it's absolutely necessary if you listen to a lot of podcasts because every tech-illiterate podcaster dude will see an EQ setting on their microphone/recording software and think "low frequencies are manly and sound good" and boost the hell out of it, and it sounds absolutely awful.

Granted my home speakers might have something to do with it, and headphones/earbuds do tend to have a high-pass filter built in just from their construction, so it probably doesn't affect everyone the same way.

I've been using equalizerAPO for desktop for years. I can only think of a handful of content creators that don't pull that bass-boosting garbage anymore, so the high-pass filter pretty much always stays on unless I'm playing music.

Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#18

Post by h2odragon »

natdempk wrote: post #16
h2odragon wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

listen to a frequency generator while twiddling its dial. I dunno what would be the easiest tool to do that with right now, i'd start in audacity or some "audio programming toolkit".

Yes, I know enough to know I can sweep a sine wave, but I also know enough to know it’s more complicated than that. There are various curves that affect the perception of sound volume at different frequencies, like the response of the headphones, the varying response curve of frequency perception at different volumes, the inherent differing volume response curve in your brain/ears that is the basis for stuff like LUF…

AFAIK "professional/medical" tests like 8 bands and may have put a decibel meter to their equipment this month. or not.

some professional audio engineers have some special recordings they listen to on everything and use a faith based or at least difficult to quantify internal process to come up with the "right" sound. I'm more in that end of the spectrum.

Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#19

Post by scblock »

I would caution against applying an EQ curve to headphones without review beforehand. If EQ includes large boosts (which the example image and table shows) that can easily introduce clipping distortion if applied linearly without appropriate headroom adjustments.

Additionally, depending on transducer performance large bass boosts may simply increase transducer distortion in the bass frequency. Some headphones respond well to EQ, and others not so much.

I am not opposed to EQ, but it should be applied judiciously, and at least partially by ear. I don't believe trying to exactly match a target curve will necessarily provide good results compared to a more judicious approach.

Re: AutoEQ: Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses

#20

Post by O_H_E »

h2odragon wrote: post #14
mckirk wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In which sense is your hearing 'so good it might count as a disability'?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis I don't hear "notes" and "chords", I hear frequencies. My range (at near 50) still goes up to where i can hear the bats talking. In a room with people, i cannot not hear their pulse, breathing, and other biological proceedings...

> i cannot not hear their pulse, breathing, and other biological proceedings

Oh WOW, that is ...... wild and interesting

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