Submitted by iBanshe3 t3_z5v208 in headphones

Hi guys, I just purchased an S12. While I’m in love with it, the only problem for me is it sounds a bit too bright for my taste in some songs. I’m using an iPhone so there is no way I can do proper EQ. So I am wondering if anyone with S12 and iPhone can help me adjust the EQ on Spotify to sound as good as you can please. I am no audiophile so I don’t trust myself doing it lol. Thanks for all your input!

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D1visor t1_ixy9cc9 wrote

Is this Spotify eq you mention exclusive to the app or is it using some system-wide built-in graphic eq?

In either instance, the easiest and most reliable way I'd say is to find some pink-noise on Spotify (if the eq is exclusive to the app and not something applied to every app capable of audio playback) and adjust the EQ so that it sounds as even as you can make it with what you have.

If there are treble spikes or too much bass, etc you will be able to hear it on pink noise and if pink noise sounds balanced so will music.

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douglasgoldman t1_ixy9krz wrote

Hey man. Spotify’s Q factor is 1 and gain value ranges from -12 to +12. So use crinacle’s or a squiglink graph to adjust the FR, then apply it on Spotify. You may get confused with adjusting gain values: I screenshot the EQ and used the ruler from the photo editor: I zoomed it full and 1 gain value appeared to be 0.45-50 mms, so I checked again after every adjustment. Good luck lol

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imsolass t1_ixy9y98 wrote

If it's the same equalizer I'm seeing on Google (bands for 60, 150, 400, 1000, 2400 and 15000 Hz), I think you just have to reduce the 2400 Hz band by around 2-3 dB to make the IEM less bright.

EDIT: If that's not good enough, I'm looking at AutoEQ's Shuoer S12 page and it has a fixed band EQ page. It doesn't have the same values to change that your Spotify EQ does, but maybe you can kinda start from there by changing the values that are almost similar?

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iBanshe3 OP t1_ixyb16o wrote

Wow never heard this way of adjusting EQ, I’ll try it now, thanks for recommendation. Btw, the EQ only works within Spotify cuz it’s the only streaming that I have beside Apple Music however I cannot adjust EQ on Apple Music

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iBanshe3 OP t1_ixymxji wrote

Yea I tried the same pink noise that you recommended and adjust it to my liking. Interestingly, the music sounds better if the pink noise is easy on my ears. However, once I turned down high frequency, I immediately recognized the loss in soundstage. Is it because Spotify EQ doesn’t work the same way with a system EQ or a proper app EQ? Thank you

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piratOLD t1_ixynqt4 wrote

Bright is what you mean? Lots of high frequencies? How do you output sound to headphones using dac?

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blorg t1_ixyupj2 wrote

More high frequency can increase the sense of soundstage, so yes turning it down can reduce that. It's a balance to get something that sounds good both tonally and with regard to soundstage.

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No-Context5479 t1_ixze6dn wrote

The thing is the the EQ is Spotify doesn't have a Filter to tackle the Glare at the 6-8kHZ region directly so any EQ used via that app will do well for everything under the 8kHz region until the actual glare that is causing you the fatigue and that has no band in the EQ to allow for direct targeting... You're better off getting the Qudelix 5K Bluetooth Receiver [https://www.amazon.com/Qudelix-5K-Bluetooth-Adaptive-Unbalanced-Balanced/dp/B088F7C976] (I know another expense... But trust me you'd thank me for that) Then with its accompanying app you can have a system wide solution that Apple for some stupid reason still hasn't implemented natively.

Also you need to set Normalisation in your Spotify settings to Quiet/Normal... Don't put it off

u/iBanshe3

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greatconcavity t1_iy05gs6 wrote

From FR graphs and my own experience with the Shuoer S12, I agree that it is the bump around 8 khz that makes the treble of the Shuoers so spicy. If Spotify does not offer to EQ that specific region, OP needs to find a different way (like the Qudelix you mentioned; I have the Fiio BTR and regret purchasing it because its EQ does not work correctly. Another question to consider: Does the iPhone support Hi-Fi audio codecs like LDAC, AptX HD?).

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iBanshe3 OP t1_iy1yr73 wrote

I’m not sure if I describe it correctly, bright to me mean sharp, for example the bass hits in a high frequency and produces a very sharp sound, it’s fatiguing after a bit

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iBanshe3 OP t1_iy1z8cj wrote

I really don’t mind paying extra however I listen music mostly on the go and I would love to minimize everything possible. Any other IEM would you recommend in the same price range? Maybe something with a warm-neutral signature? Thank you!

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iBanshe3 OP t1_iy2wgrz wrote

Thought I need to share this. So I tried to play with different tips, none of them really gave me a complete seal. Foam usually gives best result for me on ER2 or my TWS Melomania 1+. However the stock foam on S12 even at its largest size still doesn’t seem to give me a complete seal. So I tried the stock medium white tip with black core, since it still doesn’t give me complete seal, I tried to push it really in, like deep inside my ear canals (almost similar deep like the ER2 but much more comfy) and wow a world of difference, sound stage open up more like holographic, treble tame down a bit since the bass is more present and overall a much warmer sound just to my liking. I guess I need to look for another tips or just keep using the stock and push them deep inside. If you haven’t try this, please try and let me know if that works for you as well. Now I see all the rave and hype about this IEM lol

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piratOLD t1_iy36aox wrote

Try other streaming services if possible. I notice that in spotify the sound is shifted to mid-bass frequencies. Also try to listen with normalization. I previously also listened without normalization and the sound went into mid-bass. When I turned on normalization, it became less pronounced and mid-high frequencies appeared. I can also say try to listen through spotify web, it uses aac codec in the ogg application.

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iBanshe3 OP t1_iy37zl9 wrote

I actually played with different tips and found out they all not seal in my ears probably. So I chose a stock medium black core white tips (not sure what it’s called) and pushed it real deep inside my ears (almost to ER2XR level but way more comfy) and holy crap what a world of difference. I think this is how the manufacture intended it to be. I am happy now, thanks for your help

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