Dionysiac_Thinker t1_j6ndjpb wrote on January 31, 2023 at 3:47 PM

Damn, and here I am considering the opposite. Selling my HD800S in favour of the NDH 30, crazy how subjective audio can be, though I’ve been listening to professional gear for years now so I’m probably partial to it.

pinkcunt123 t1_j6nh4hf wrote on January 31, 2023 at 4:10 PM

You know that "professional gear" means nothing, right?

Like the DT 1990 PRO and audeze LCD X are both marketed for "professional use" and have nothing in common with each other and nothing in commong with a "pro" staple like the MDR 7506.

I hope you understand that thats just a buzz word to target a specifc audience, like gaming for example.

You could just as well use a Hifiman Susvara in the studio, if you so desired :)

Dionysiac_Thinker t1_j6nzt3m wrote on January 31, 2023 at 6:04 PM

As long as you buy from reputable and transparent companies you’ll get products that are designed to perform very closely to the Harman curve and minimal distortion/modulation whether that’s the “ideal” curve is debatable ofcourse.

People often argue with “oh but you can EQ other non-professional brands to the harman curve at well”, but you’ll need to take in account the sudden cup resonances and driver limits and air pressure (think lower frequencies) issues you’ll be inevitably running into.

In the end graphs aren’t everything as seal, materials, drivers, angles, damping, pressures, air dissipation, resonances etc. all play a part in it, don’t even get me started on how complex good speakers can be.

pinkcunt123 t1_j6o1q7l wrote on January 31, 2023 at 6:16 PM

"Designed to perform closely to Harman"?

Like the DT 990 pro and the 1770 pro and the HEDDphone or the Neumann NDH20/30? Because they are so close to Harman, right???

Pro headphones have nothing to do with Harman compliance. They all follow a different "target", which depends on the whim of the engineers.

I think you've missed something in your analysis: Headphones, which actually adhere to the Harman target are few and far between.

It sounds to me as though you give to much credit to "pro" audio manufacturers.

PolarBearSequence OP t1_j6nlco4 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 4:36 PM

Interesting! I think if the NDH had just a tad more treble across the upper spectrum my impression would be far more favorable (since the lower end is excellent). I guess that falls within the margins of subjectivity.

That said, I have some qualms with the HD 800S myself (from memory, haven’t really tried out my set properly), since the tonality is downright unpleasant for some music when unEQd.

Dionysiac_Thinker t1_j6noatj wrote on January 31, 2023 at 4:54 PM

Did you try the Oratory1990’s EQ with the NDH 30, it supposedly fixes some minor dips and makes the treble more prominent? I haven’t tried it myself as the headphone sounds great as is to me.

I did try Oratory1990’s EQ for the HD800S since it can sound so unnatural at times, but it kinda sucks out the sound for my pair, making it kinda muffled and weird sounding in most tracks. A little bass boost and a taming the treble a bit with the stock EQ helps a lot without impacting the overall sound or soundstage.

PolarBearSequence OP t1_j6nqsdj wrote on January 31, 2023 at 5:09 PM

Yes, I’ve tried it out (briefly). It’s definitely an improvement in the treble, but I prefer the lower end the way it is naturally. I’ve tried to modify it a bit, but haven’t entirely succeeded yet. One good thing is that the EQ seems to change the soundstage of the NDH very little.

I’ll definitely have to look into EQing the HD 800 as well when I get around to trying it more. Oratory‘s presets are usually a good starting point for me.