The TRUTH about SOUND QUALITY in headphones

Some people think good sound quality is matching a given target, others think it's all about technicalities or the special sauce of a driver. But the truth about sound quality is more complicated than what you get from either of those viewpoints. In this video, Resolve provides a technical deep dive on the factors that contribute to good sound in headphones, and discusses a major confounding variable that's likely responsible for much of the disagreement among audiophiles.

How to read the new measurements:
The 10 stages of headphone measurements

00:00 - Intro
01:11 - Three parts to 'sound quality'
02:10 - Part 1: Preference
03:06 - Part 2: Anatomy
08:23 - Part 3: The graph is a lie... or is it?
14:47 - Takeaways

[ResolveReviews]

Just a couple of notes:
1. The measurement rig ears are developed from specific datasets and are typically going to be closer to one another than the differences you see from human to human. So it's likely that even with multiple rig ears we're still seeing less HpTF variation because the physical differences between those ears is fairly small.
2. The HUTUBS datasets shown in this video make use of the same HD 800 S across 30 listeners, so unit variation was not a factor.
3. I didn't even talk about acoustic impedance in this video, which is definitely something to consider and will cause variation not just at high frequencies. The HD 800 S example used in this video is extremely low acoustic Z and should therefore be considered a best case scenario. Most headphones are going to vary even more substantially.
4. Also, big shoutout to Dr. Craig Stark at UC Irvine for doing the MRIs! It may still be a bit before we can have the physical versions of our own ears done but we wouldn't be able to do that without Dr. Stark's help in this regard.

[sennheiser]

Very insightful video! Great job fellas

[steelcitysi]

I'm a musician and producer and have heard so many different headphones and speakers I've come to the conclusion that these are all perfectly analogous to clothes. Someone else's opinion and measurements will only take you so far, you don't need the expensive stuff except for some very niche situations, value for money fluctuates wildly, and psychology of the user is strongly at play.

[garfythecat]

I would much rather see graphs of how a headphone measures on multiple people than on a single head simulator.

[TheGreektrojan]

I'm very much a novice here (so correct me if I misunderstand) but another confounding factor is that our hearing adapts over time and exposure so our 'expectations' change, as is our ability to pick up on certain details. Back in the day this was known as 'breaking in' headphones, though the actual headphones didn't change. If you're a casual who has a daily driver your expectations are colored by being adapted to that specific profile where as someone doing it professionally is more used to isolating different sound characteristics, which is why all of the 'casuals can't tell the difference' content exists where as enthusiasts can notice significant ones. Another example might be how more casual spaces like reddit will claim the differences between dac/amps is mostly fake news where as a place like head-fi would be able to break down all of them. I suspect this effect may also play a role in why high end audio enthusiasts tend to end up 'chasing the dragon' as they try to keep up with their adaptations.

[OblivionIce]

This is why retail stores and shows are important. You literally have to listen to things before buying. Its really dependent on person and personal choice.

[spaantz]

8:12 rare footage of resolve enjoying the eris

[JustDataReviews]

This sort of analysis reinforces the conclusion I came to: Get a nice fast driver type that is tunable by EQ and fiddle with it until I’m happy. I have tried all driver types… estats, dynamics, planars. Currently I’ve settled on the Audeze LCDi4 as my end game. Its driver is light, fast, and tunable while still able to deliver bass.

[MatthewDiFazio]

Wow. Well done, Resolve! The amount of information presented in a digestible way is remarkable. Thanks for sharing!

[williamevans]

Don't forget the one thing that affects us all - age! Our sense of hearing peaks at a relatively young 18 to 25 years. After the age of 40, the loss of perception of higher frequencies becomes significant.

[davelzdr]

That is some great work and gives some clarity what I have experienced as well. Keep the good work guys!

[SonOfGodzilla]

I'm a burn victim survivor and I lost my ears to the fire BUT the good news is I now have the worlds 1st modular ears. Much like pad swapping on a headphone I can swap my ear size and shape in and out as needed.

[sidesaladaudio]

Very good video that explains a lot in simple terms. Those who have been following you guys are probably familiar with most of this now, but it’s nice to have it all in one place.

[noahm]

Wow resolve, this is an incredibly informative and interesting video. I appreciate your hard work and analysis.

[warfam_clan]

Best audiophile upload for a very long time. Interesting, relevant, and most importantly, very misunderstood. Great job, Resolve, at last the truth explained for everyone to learn.

[loryhawley]

I am a headphone reviewer and I am a woman. I would love to see more women included in measurements. A simple example is how often I struggle to get a good fit because X manufacturer didn't include enough stops for someone with a smaller head to snug up where the earpads land on the ears. I literally had to wrap a sock around the headband of an otherwise elegant and much loved company's headphones to fairly evaluate how they sounded.

[harackmw]

My brother went in to get his ears cleaned since he had a wax build up. And afterward he was shocked how tinny and shrill the world sounds, and found himself turning everything down and even covering his ears when vehicles went bar or a bus pulled up with squeaky brakes. He now listens to his music 20-30% quieter.

[yellowjacket]

10:26 Blaine is def not broken. I spoke to him quite a bit at CanJam SoCal 2024. His reasons for loving the HD800s are logical and I agree- Everyone should own an HD800(s)!

[kingstoler]

While subjective impressions of headphones can be helpful, the important thing is to try them yourselves to know if it's a good fit. If I read impressions from someone with similar preferences to me it can be "easier" to know if a headphone is for me or not, rather than random impressions. I did for example my ZMf Atrium purchase without hearing them and I couldn't be happier, based on reading impressions from people with similar sonic preferences to me.

[okay]

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. This was one of the best and most informative things I have ever learnt with respect to Audio. Thank you.