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Topic: HOW TO the eq I like the same on my headphone amp? (Read 2421 times) previous topic - next topic
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HOW TO the eq I like the same on my headphone amp?

I like this certain EQ, that I listen to al of my music on. It's not loud enough though and doesn't have a big enough soundstage, so I got an amp. This of course changes the sound of the headphones, yet I want my old sound just with more loudness and soundstage. I got a free octave band analyzer on my computer, and a sound level meter so they are the same level of sound when comparing the two so that that doesn't mess anything up.

Anyone know any other ideas or the best way of going about doing this?

HOW TO the eq I like the same on my headphone amp?

Reply #1 –
Get a quality amp and hook it up to the output of the EQ.  This will give you exactly what you want: same sound but louder.

Note however that your ears are not linear with intensity.  Increasing the loudness of your music significantly will change your perception of frequency.

HOW TO the eq I like the same on my headphone amp?

Reply #2 –
Maybe there was an impedance mismatch before, between your device output and your headphones. Respectively too high an output and too low an headphone impedances could somewhat alter the sound, causing for example some bass rolloff, which your previous equalization compensated for. In this case, just recalibrate the EQ for the amped configuration, to have both the desired loudness and sound signature.

This advice should suit also for the second cause of perceived difference that Saratoga rightly pointed out (different frequency perception at different average sound pressures), which after all I think is the more probable.
... I live by long distance.

HOW TO the eq I like the same on my headphone amp?

Reply #3 –
If it was me, I'd simply adjust it by ear...  It might not sound exactly the same, but you should be able to get close, and get something you like.

If the headphone impedance and soundcard impedance are interacting, the results are unpredictiable.  Headphones are measured/specified with a low-impedance source (very-low relative to the headphone impedance).       

Assuming you have an impedance-related issue, you'd need a way to measure the frequency response of your soundcard with the headphones connected.      RMAA can probably do that, but I've never tried RMAA myself.  (You'll need a Y-Adapter to connect your headphones and line-in at the same time, and I don't know if RMAA works with laptops that do not have line-in.)

Once you know what the frequency response is, you can compensate/duplicate with EQ.

  Or...  Get a 2nd set of identical* headphones.    Hook one pair to your headphone amp and listen to those.    Use a Y-Adapter to connect the 2nd pair to your soundcard to "adjust" the soundcard's frequency response the way you like it! 

As you may know, an equalizer can boost the levels into clipping/distortion (from the soundcard), especially when boosting bass.    If you hear distortion with EQ, you may have to back-off the digital volume and re-boost it with the headphone amp.

Quote
...and doesn't have a big enough soundstage,
Normally, "soundstage" is not affected by an amplifier, except some headphone amps have a "blend" control to mix the left & right signals.    Generally that won't give you a "bigger" soundstage, but it's supposed to make it more realistic (on headphones) if the recording has sounds panned hard-left and hard-right (sounds going only to one ear).

Or, maybe in your case the loudness or EQ is somehow affecting your soundstage perception.  (You can't measure soundstage, and other than stereo separation there are no specs for it...  It's an illusion that happens inside the listener's head.)




* It would have to be identical, because every headphone has a different impedance curve.