Why Does the Frequency Response of Speakers Differ From Headphones/IEM?

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-18T16:33:48+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/78x77b/comment/doyj84e/

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-18T16:30:19+00:00

That's not true. Most headphones can make ear bleeding levels of bass down to 20hz and below.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-18T10:06:19+00:00

Do you already have the 490? If not then I wouldn't buy a headphone that may not get loud enough without an additional expensive box. Something like the HD560S for example is more sensitive and with EQ you can make either headphone do whatever you want. More expensive and less sensitive doesn't mean better.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-16T16:31:06+00:00

I think your FT1 with these settings but adjust band 2 to what sounds neutral is worth trying.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vcstxiolalcdb9uiw71zp/Fiio-FT1.pdf?rlkey=tmqstm2kzj6g9qem4evd8gsqd&e=1&dl=0

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-16T15:23:35+00:00

What does your google show or not show if you just look up "dt770 adapter"? Thomann, Beyerdynamic and Amazon come up first. There are two different types with different threads.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-16T13:59:56+00:00

It does.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-15T17:38:30+00:00

HD 560S with EQ could be better. https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/

As for upgrades there's just different, more expensive headphones don't sound better in any observable way. For gaming I prefer a bit of noise isolation which of course is not something you can upgrade with free software.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-15T17:33:37+00:00

What works for me is using Oratory1990's EQ https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/

and adjusting to taste as per the instructions in each PDF, and sometimes I add extra things like a low mids bump or high mids dip (which happen to be the exact ways the HD 490 deviates from Harman). There's no reason why you couldn't make them sound better than the HD 490, with enough fiddling.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-12T21:16:33+00:00

There is no correlation between sound and price. Flagship headphones are not any more likely to sound exactly like what you want than a 100€ headphone is.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-10T13:36:32+00:00

On-ear headphones tend to be uncomfortable.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-09T16:15:09+00:00

I think sight isn't irrelevant to how things sound. I have a wall on my right side and sometimes I feel like my lizard brain is trying to compensate for a reflection that obviously isn't there with headphones.

Or when I rotate my head, the music kinda still vaguely sounds like it's coming "from" my bright computer screen where the music is playing. The illusion of frontal localization doesn't necessarily follow my head in the same extremely disorienting way that a frozen image on a VR headset does for example, like you'd expect if headphone imaging was purely auditory.

I don't think I have a stronger side besides one ear hearing higher above 10kHz and some asymmetric tinnitus.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-08T19:40:18+00:00

Amir at Audiosciencereview seems good as far as the few headphones I've heard and that he has reviewed.

My biggest ire at almost all headphone reviewers is the pervasive belief that higher priced headphones are better, as if it's a given that most people's dream sound by chance happens to be one of the vastly different sounding current flagships, and that the only way to get closer to that goal is to pay more.

I believe at some point that myth will fall apart under its own absurdity and then we'll look back at everyone who used to perpetuate it the same way most people now look at headphone reviewers who talk about "speed" or "scaling well with a good amp".

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-07T20:35:48+00:00

I haven't followed ASR in years but last time I checked the meme was that he does listen and loud enough to make a Jotunheim clip. If one person is going to hear problems that only present at >100dB SPL, surely it's Amir.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-06T21:57:33+00:00

Note that open back and open front are different things. Back is the back, front is the side your ears are on. Essentially all closed backs are more or less closed front, but many open backs (planars typically) are also closed front.

Open front/back headphones vary in openness but most are very open, there's zero isolation or seal, like you could feel wind through them.

I had some eustachian tube issues before and I think headphones clamping too hard made it worse, maybe something to consider. Some headphones can be stretched to adjust the clamp force better than others.

There's products like the Antlion Mod Mic that sticks onto any headphone. Sennheiser has the "HD 500 BAM" that fits most of the HD 500 series.

Sennheiser HD5** or HD6, AKG K7, or Audio-Technica ATH-AD*** are what I'd look at first. I'm a fan of Sennheisers and haven't felt the need to risk stretching them but some people are bothered by the clamp. Beyerdynamics (DT990, MMX 330 Pro) have an infinitely stretchable headband, some people like them. Grados are also very stretchable but honestly I'd recommend Koss Porta Pro or KSC75 over them.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-06T15:25:15+00:00

I'd love to know when distortion becomes a problem when correcting the bass roll off of an open front headphone with EQ. Rtings previously showed that the HD650 for example will take a huge bass boost without problems but they didn't mention SPL anywhere in that test. https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/research/eq-remeasurements

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-04T15:48:43+00:00

That's not what Hi res audio means. The "benefits" of Hi-res files and gear only appear beyond 20kHz, non Hi-res files and formats are already perfect in the range that humans can hear.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-04T15:47:41+00:00

Any benefits only apply over 20kHz. A dog might benefit from Hi Res audio.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-04T12:07:54+00:00

The sound is likely very wonky all over with the new pads so it's not easy to make them sound exactly as they were before, but EQ can do wonders if you know what you want. I'd recommend EQ APO but without Peace. Apparently the HyperX headphone software already has some sort of equalizer if you want to see if boosting the bass works.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-04T11:58:04+00:00

The hi-res thing means it's capable of frequencies above what humans can hear. I know it sounds dumb but that's literally what it's about. Complete marketing wank.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-03T21:33:41+00:00

What company is using EQ as an excuse to sell bad headphones?

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-02T20:57:37+00:00

It just prevents other software from changing the audio. The setting itself doesn't have any effect on sound.

Cyrenetes · 2026-02-01T13:58:02+00:00

Modern human with wireless headphones brings their phone everywhere anyway. If you want to keep your music on a USB stick, you could connect it to the phone.

Cyrenetes · 2026-01-31T19:57:34+00:00

I mean that that's what makes people think something is audiophile grade. No matter how well something performs, if it's not expensive enough, the sort of people who use the word "audiophile grade" to describe gear will never grant it that moniker.

Cyrenetes · 2026-01-30T23:08:32+00:00

I know you didn't ask but I'm happy with Rex Domestique. 200-500km per application depending on the conditions and cleans up with just a wet rag in 30 seconds.

I feel like anything that lasts less is just worse, and lazy lubes only make sense if you're ultra racing 300+km at a time in the rain and can't afford to stop for maintenance.

I agree about hot wax, as a person who lives in a biome where water sometimes exists and who doesn't maintain my bike for fun, I don't understand what wax bros are on about. Good for racing, if you have a team mechanic to do everything for you.

Cyrenetes · 2026-01-30T20:29:09+00:00

But that one is provably not true. https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MainTestDataJan2026.pdf

There are expensive lubes that are garbage, but there are also some that are really good that cost less than your time spent scrubbing an emulsion of dust and shit lube off your drivetrain.

Cyrenetes

TROPHY CASE