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hurtyewh t1_ixlj4d7 wrote

This could really be the future. EQ allows for much easier design and avoiding compromises. This said, then they need to start offering different targets for people to choose from.

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sandarai OP t1_ixlomov wrote

i'm all for integrated dsp but it means i can't use my fancy dacs 😭 i live for the hardware volume control on my shanling ua3, it's much more granular

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ThelceWarrior t1_ixlwl9n wrote

Fair but eh if on Windows the volume controls are fairly granular.

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sandarai OP t1_ixm1nre wrote

i mostly use iems on my phone, where the volume steps are too large. i used to solve the problem by using an even channel balance, but it was so inconvenient

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Raptorv2 t1_ixm6ir7 wrote

On Android you can get an app called sound assistant which allows you to change the volume steps

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ReekyRumpFedRatsbane t1_ixo3mxu wrote

EQ doesn't avoid compromised, it makes different ones. If these are better or worse depends on the specifics.

For example, distortion. Typically in audiophile headphones, it is below audible levels and thus pretty irrelevant, but if you boost a frequency range with relatively high (although still inaudible) distortion, it can become audible.

And of course, EQ above ~5kHz is always limited by the individuality of our ears and thus can't be very granular if it should work for everyone. So, say, if there is a resonant spike somewhere between 6 and 8 kHz, if you want to address that with EQ, you have to lower that entire region because where exactly the spike is depends on your specific ears. But if you can engineer the headphones so they resonate less to begin with, then this will work regardless of the exact resonant frequency.

With that said, DSP can be a valuable tool in tuning, just like all the other tools available to engineers. So, I wouldn't necessarily say it makes design easier, but in combination with conventional tuning it can be able to overall reduce the compromises that need to be made.

This of course ignores the inherent compromise of needing to have a DAC and amp on-board, which simply won't be able to compete with bigger external stuff (but perhaps with the USB dongles many people use for their IEMs). This, in my opinion, makes DSP most useful for mobile or budget offerings, where it's quite likely the user won't have a sophisticated setup when they use it.

The Jiu, then, which builds on a strong basis of conventional tuning but with room for improvement, and is of course a budget IEM, should be a perfect fit, but for example a Blessing 2 DSP might make less sense.

That's of course just my opinion, based on my understanding of DSP and its effects. Feel free to form your own opinions and please do correct me if I'm wrong.

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