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blorg t1_j1owl7g wrote

Reply to comment by klogg4 in I am not an audiophile, so I wonder if I'm in the wrong here. by PraviPero

This is a specific issue with Abyss, not planars in general. Hifiman don't have a peak there.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,AB-1266_Phi,Arya_Stealth

The Arya is probably already "high-end" but it's not there in their TOTL stuff either:

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Susvara,HE1000se

Nor do "high-end headphones in general".

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,HD800S,Stealth

Audeze (planar) and Focal (dynamic drivers) can have a slight emphasis there, on some headphones, but it's not Abyss level, and it's typically not centered on 1kHz either, it's a bit higher or lower.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,LCD-X_(2021),Utopia_S3

I have two Audeze including the LCD-X and I do think EQ is a must, but it's more to do with the uneven and recessed upper mids than what's going on in the lower mids. I use a slightly tweaked Oratory1990 profile which does EQ down 760Hz but only by 1dB. There is maybe a slight honk that is reduced by EQing this out. But much larger issues in the upper mids where it is very muffled without EQ. Utopia the slight rise centered at ~1.2kHz really doesn't bother me. Both it and the Clear sound very similar tonally to the HD650/HD6XX, just better. HD6XX and Utopia are probably the two headphones I find most usable without EQ.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Utopia_S3,HD650_S2_(2020)_(fresh_pads)

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klogg4 t1_j1p6n25 wrote

I can say that I have heard too much 1 khz in Hifimans as well, some on the same level as Audeze, some - a bit less. One of the reasons is 2-3 khz dip, just like you said in your post (dips always make frequencies before and after it appear to be hotter), the other is evenly descending FR from 1 khz towards bass, which makes 1 khz being a peak.

I guess that open-backed Focals are more comfortable in terms of sound signature than other hi-fi headphones.

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