How to EQ Headphones - Featuring Audeze LCD-X 2020 (not 2021)

5:46 - How to EQ the Audeze LCD-X

[TheHEADPHONEShow]

UPDATE! This EQ ONLY applies to the 2020 version and not the 2021 version.

Just a note about the 9khz dip. Apparently this is something that shows up on headphones that have strong interaction with the physical ear, and it should be there. For the LCD-X, I'm not sure it has this interaction, or if there really is a dip around 8.7khz. To my ear, adding a bit of energy back didn't result in the kind of 'shimmer' that filling in this dip on other headphones has resulted in, but I do think this is something you need to do at your own discretion. Start without that adjustment, and if you still find it has a cut resonance, try adding it in. But I really don't think it needs it either.

[scottiepdizzle]

dude, i shopped/reviewed maybe 30 different headphones intensely for several days and finally bought the Audeze LCD-X's. Initially, i was a bit disappointed in the sound. thankfully, i came across your eq video, set my equalizer as closely to your settings as was possible w/ my 10-band graphic equalizer, and my headphones came alive! NICE JOB and MUCH RESPECT! THANK YOU!

[phototristan]

A lot of people don’t understand that if you EQ frequencies up, and don’t volume compensate for headroom, you will introduce clipping. If you’re only EQ’ing frequencies down however you don’t need to do that.

[belowsealevel]

It's the main reason I bought the RME ADI2. I've always eq'd my music, it's interactive and makes listening much more enjoyable.

[MrArdytube]

FWIW, many of us are getting older... and as a consequence differentially loosing hearing. And for us... EQ is a godsend to be able to hear otherwise lost parts of the music

[homiedclown]

Literally a life changing video - Just wanted to say after following your brief guidelines and setting up Equalizer APO and the Peace front end, I've never been so satisfied with my collection. My 58x with a touch more extension on top and the mildest Low shelf filter from 166Hz is liquid goodness now out of my Corda Canate. My hd 600 with even milder tweaks, running balanced out of my Artist R2R DAC and THX 789 is on par with anything Ive heard at our local Canjams ... Big thank you from me!

[DJ_FabZ]

Another amazing video. Your grasp of the issues, processes, pros and cons is presently unmatched by a vast majority of reviewers and enthusiasts. Excellent conversation.

[ace]

Unless you have buckets of money, i think eq is more fun. you can squeeze more sounds with fewer headphones and less gear. adding (or removing) that extra variable is also pretty fun as you can more easily isolate some technicalities.

[VOLKOV]

I apologize for previous post (deleted). What I was missing was that all these measurements are made *at* the eardrum. So of course you want all the stuff in between. Sorry! Good video. And thank you for being polite with arrogant guy from the Internet.

[atabayomer]

When you do interviews or Q&As with manufacturers, it would be interesting to hear their take on EQing their headphones. What do they think of Harman target curve and why wouldn't they design headphone that is not matching to Harman target curve ?

[joscallinet]

Andrew, I really like your generous, kind, laid-back approach to your subject matter, where you welcome all viewpoints while at the same time describing why YOU might like applying EQ to headphones. You invite your listeners to hear you out without pressuring them to agree with you in any way. I totally recommend you to anyone seriously considering adding headphones to their listening experience. I've gotten a LOT out of your EQ discussion - thank you!

[fsi]

The one issue with eq, is if you use headphones when playing consoles or watching tv, you can really eq as easily. A fully fledged parametric equalizer for something like a btr5/q5 or dac/amp will be so awesome.

[cdub]

i really like how you seem knowledgeable about such a complicated topic cus theres so many technicalities

[Fafner]

A less analytical approach: you EQ while listening to your favorite music. Play with the slides and listen if there's an improvement or degradation at the affected frequencies. For that to work though you need to know what the instruments & voices should sound like in real life to have a clear target in your mind. Works best with dense music that fills up the whole frequency spectrum (don't do this with solo guitar or something). You can later use a frequency response graph for further adjustments.

[exact]

wow, what a great video. I personally love EQ and use my ADI 2 DAC with multiple profiles for my LCD2C to switch between depending on the day and mood. although I used to be a purist at the beginning, I now have discovered the beauty of EQ.

[samlee]

The eq app 'Neutralizer' is really cool it's like hearing prescription 🤖👍

[CLaw-tbgg]

As someone with very minimal experience of high-end headphones I’m glad you said that about the upper mids on the LCD-X to confirm I’m not crazy. I got the chance to listen to some recently and whilst they sounded a lot cleaner and neater than the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0s I brought with me, they sounded a lot less engaging and exciting and emotional for the rock music I was listening to, and I’m sure it was due to the relaxed upper mids. If I bought them I think I’d really want to EQ them to bring back that excitement.

[drakesaxprof]

Super helpful and detailed EQ overview. Using Roon's DSP EQ options -- downloading convolution filters - and I can't imagine doing without. Besides the LCD-X, it also greatly benefits a host of other headphones. Tip: I found that the LCD-XC convolution filter does wonders for the Monoprice Monolith 1060C.

[stephenhanson]

Based on your recommendations, I approximated the EQ settings on my SONY NW-ZX507 for my LCD-X. I like the result. Thanks

[josesantiago]

Can you do a how to do eq video for the Arya's? That would be greatly appreciated!