Comments on Profile Post by E_Schaaf

  1. E_Schaaf
    E_Schaaf
    bass boost defeats side chained brick walled mastering for actual dynamic range. Flat is inherently less dynamic with a wide variety of music. Why would you want a presentation devoid of flavor and character? Like eating flour and water for every meal
    Jan 30, 2021
  2. E_Schaaf
    E_Schaaf
    something can be both 'neutral' and sloped. People can't conceive of this idea because most sloped 'phones have dips and bumps other places in the FR, poor linearity. Pink noise is as 'neutral' as white noise. Which one is more pleasant to listen to?
    Jan 30, 2021
  3. Vtory
    Vtory
    Using EQ could be educational for that aspect. I learned a lot (mostly in negative directions) about what flat fr means after intensively equalizing various products myself.

    Btw flat vs non-flat is fairly easy debate imho. But linear vs non-linear or smooth vs non-smooth feel like a lot trickier topic to me.
    Jan 31, 2021
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  4. E_Schaaf
    E_Schaaf
    I don't need EQ to hit a damn-near flat response. Linear is important, but a net slope of 0db is not. I could have been more clear about what I meant. A slope of about -15dB from 20-10k is the sweet spot for me. 'smooth' is too ambiguous a term to argue about.
    Jan 31, 2021
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  5. Lyander
    Lyander
    LOL! Flat works for being genre agnostic, and though the HD600 isn't perfectly neutral it's enough to teach that there's always a place for it. It's all preferences and use case IMO.
    Jan 31, 2021
    Jinxy245, E_Schaaf and nishan99 like this.
  6. Psalmanazar
    Psalmanazar
    A 15db slope basically nukes midrange. The solution is to listen to better music.
    Jan 31, 2021
    Priidik likes this.
  7. nishan99
    nishan99
    Not all headphones can afford to be "flat", most of them need some "cheating", adding coloration here and there.

    For example I never EQ lower end stuff, they just sound super boring after EQ. No great dynamics or resolution to help you enjoy the neutrality.
    Jan 31, 2021
  8. rhythmdevils
    rhythmdevils
    I like flat headphones. I find almost all recordings are not harsh on truly flat gear.
    Jan 31, 2021
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  9. E_Schaaf
    E_Schaaf
    I'm not trying to be antagonistic, I am truly seeking understanding. @Magnetostatic_Tubephile care to justify your opinion? Have you heard a perfectly linear downsloping headphone?
    Jan 31, 2021
  10. E_Schaaf
    E_Schaaf
    @Lyander wrong on the genre-agnostic front IMO, dead flat automatically makes all modern music sound like ass. Unless you're living in the past or only listen to pedophile-produced eurocentric acoustic fetish music
    Jan 31, 2021
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  11. E_Schaaf
    E_Schaaf
    @rhythmdevils ever listen to Michael Jackson, future funk, hyperpop, DNB , pretty much any non-acoustic music at a level over 85dB? I mean maybe I'm the oddball here but I still maintain there is no widespread reference for a linear downsloped headphone so it's all speculative until both can be compared with a wide spectrum of music.
    Jan 31, 2021
  12. rhythmdevils
    rhythmdevils
    I don’t find that to be the case. My Yamaha orthos measured as some of the flattest headphones ever maybe THE flattest and almost no recordings are harsh. Maybe you haven’t heard truly flat headphones because they don’t exist?

    My mackie monitors are dead flat and almost no, close to zero recordings are actually harsh. Close maybe, but never painful
    Jan 31, 2021
  13. Psalmanazar
    Psalmanazar
    @rhythmdevils Your Mackies are super scooped and have ultra damped poly woofers and low detail plate amps unless they’re 20 years old, when they’re warm and cuddly and scooped. Those are both not even close to flat and are very “voiced”
    Jan 31, 2021
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  14. rhythmdevils
    rhythmdevils
    I have the older wooden finish hr624 and I would strongly disagree with that analysis having owned them for years, compared them with measured headphones and used them as a reference for tuning headphone that measure dead flat.
    Jan 31, 2021
  15. E_Schaaf
    E_Schaaf
    I will concede the idea that theoretically flat can be a useful albeit boring point of reference for exclusively low-level listening ASSUMING the timbre is flawless, there are ZERO peaks or ringing of any kind above 4khz, the recording is masterfully produced, and no part of the chain adds any annoying colorations. But still I would prefer linear+sloped for higher level listening and with 99% of music.
    Jan 31, 2021
  16. E_Schaaf
  17. Syzygy
    Syzygy
    Maybe your ear shape and hearing are just more sensitive to the higher frequencies than most?
    Jan 31, 2021
    Jinxy245 and E_Schaaf like this.