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Best EQ Setting?


salamence502
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Equalizer settings are not exactly a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, so it's kinda hard to recommend particular settings. It depends on your speaker setup (for example: you wouldn't use the same settings for laptop speakers that you would for desktop speakers, and headphones are a completely different ballpark...).

It also depends on what you're listening to. If you're listening to a poorly mastered recording (perhaps a concert bootleg or something like that), you may want to use a custom preset to compensate. What works with one recording won't necessarily work that well with another.

To top it all off, what sounds 'good' to one person might not please another. It's really a subjective thing. I'd recommend that you just experiment with the different presets, or try making a custom one, and see what sounds best for you.

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  • 9 months later...

I just bought $200 DENON AH-D2000s. The experience between them and Sony MDR-7506s is incredible (maybe my Sonys are just really [REALLY] worn out, though). ...You may be wondering why I'm bringing up my headphones.

Well, I started messing with (Winamp's) EQ settings for the first time in my life yesterday. And I have to say that, without a doubt, there is no best EQ setting. (Technically, this is true; but if people want to "lie" to themselves ...or are too lazy ...or like to spot songs with "amazing production"* via flat listening, then go ahead and set one setting for all. I know I'll occasionally become lazy and be content with a general setting.)

This is because there are particular frequencies, in every song, that are stronger than others. (The bass---among other frequencies---in Protricity's 'Brambles in the Breeze' seems to benefit by a hefty [60hz] bass boost without a significant drop in listenability regarding other frequencies.) And since everyone uses a different setup, it's impossible to say what's best. As for my headphones of this caliber, every single song ever created sounds like shit unless I set a specific EQ, so this takes some discipline (or genuine interest in my case) to overcome.

*Unfortunately, since different producers created each of your songs with different audio setups, every song technically sounds not so amazing without EQ boosts.

Perhaps it was easier to tell what sounds good with my previous 'phones (they made me aware that certain frequencies existed that I couldn't find via "flat listening" with these new ones). But if someone listened to music with these even for the first time, the third paragraph should provide enough accurate information to create soundscapes they really enjoy.

Random/Concluding note: the Sonys didn't seem to sound good with any EQ (too tinny), but perhaps I didn't experiment enough. Can't believe I just taught myself all of this last evening/night. And I may be still learning. Like even better headphones may wield crazier results. And holy crap, Adhesive Boy's 'Cry of the Chasmal Critter Chain' might be the best song I've heard via flat listening yet. His 'Braving The Flames' sounds good with "Live", though I should be able to tweak it a little to sound even better, given willingness.

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Without question you should turn up every frequency all the way all the time, regardless of what you're listening to. You know, to make sure you can hear everything.

Except 500 Hz. Nothing good ever happens at 500 Hz. Turn that shit down.

And I'm a sound engineering major at Berklee, so I know what I'm talking about.

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Without question you should turn up every frequency all the way all the time, regardless of what you're listening to. You know, to make sure you can hear everything.

Except 500 Hz. Nothing good ever happens at 500 Hz. Turn that shit down.

And I'm a sound engineering major at Berklee, so I know what I'm talking about.

THIS MAKES NO SENSE ARG but it's funny

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