Hiron97 t1_iu8uvr9 wrote on October 29, 2022 at 1:40 PM

Imo, you're fine with your bass shelf. A lot of orchestral music isn't favored for the low and high end AND they tend to be at a much lower overall volume then your modern track. If the majority of your library is mainly that genre, you should be using the EQ that fits your preference towards that genre.

The volume you listen at matters a lot when it comes to AB testing... Sure, that bass boost may seem extreme if you're listening to EDM or kpop at max volume, but you can simply lower the volume... If you listen to EDM and kpop at a reasonable volume and all you hear is bass, no mids and treble, then that may be a case where you want to re-examine the overall tonal balance of your EQ.

Personally, I will use two different EQs, one with your typical Harman tuning and one with ~5 db additional bass and treble. Volume-matched while ABing testing, they're not so different, but they token the mood/genre I'm going for.

Since you used mathaudio EQ, did you tend to adjust the upper treble as well? In my experience, a lot of EQs will neglect the ends of the frequency response because there can be a lot of variability between people and the EQ creator wanted to play it safe (autoEQ/oratory).

Leidanav OP t1_iu99cm5 wrote on October 29, 2022 at 3:32 PM

I usually use Replay Gain to match the album gain, so generally, the volume issue is sorted out. Using a baffle + SPL meter, I've measured my headphones as being ~65dB for moderato, and try to adjust volumes to stay below an absolute 75dB max at full orchestral "fff". Hurts my ears way too much past that. In my chain, that's ~25% on the amp knobs.

Of course, there are some orchestral recordings that kill both bass AND treble, and I have Equalizer APO config files I can click on that adds in +3/5/7dB treble high shelves as needed for an album.

I don't listen to much rock/metal/pop, and it's only my daughter that brings EDM, so I suppose that makes a big diff.

I do tend to adjust the upper treble quite a bit, and it greatly enhances my experience. I'm treble sensitive (e.g., Philips Fidelio X2HR treble kills my ears), and many Harman tuning presets have some spikes that fatigue my ears. I turn 40 next month, and my hearing is typically goes up to 15.5kHz to 16.3kHz, depending on my health. Harman tuning presets "feel" way louder past 8kHz than the 3kHz peak the charts suggest. I will often get rid of the preset's treble entries, and replace with a -2 to -4dB high shelf around 8-12kHz, and add back in whatever dips I hear in MathAudio EQ.