Say goodbye to the Harman target

Headphone reviewers getting the new B&K 5128 have to move on from the famous Harman Target, which we've all gotten used to using for a long time. While the headphone community is familiar with reading headphone measurements relative to this known reference point, it's unfortunately incompatible with the new headphone measurement standard pioneered by the B&K 5128, and Harman hasn't indicated they're making new research on that system public. In this video, we provide some context around that and give our thought process behind a new reference target developed for the new headphone measurement system.

Measurement Index

Resolve's Headphone Ranking:

How to read headphone measurements

How to EQ Headphones

The Limits of EQ

Become an expert on headphones

00:00 - Intro
00:17 - Change is upon us
01:28 - The Harman Target doesn't work for the 5128
03:22 - Is Diffuse Field the answer?
04:50 - Our new target...

[ResolveReviews]

Just a note - as far as we know, new Harman research being done on the B&K 5128 isn't being made public. If that changes, we can also re-evaluate all of this.

[markj]

JESSEEEE HE'S GOING TO KILL HARMAN

[metal]

What is all this nerd stuff man just tell me to buy an M50x

[JamieVatarga]

Awesome. Obviously saw this coming with all the discussions happening, but it really makes sense. Especially when (even though we hate to admit it), raw is harder to compare than compensated. Humans are really bad at comparing parallel curves compared to parallel flat lines

[hartyewh]

That's a strong title, god damn!

Isn't still the point behind the Harman target equally relevant as ever and the same target just needs to be translated to the B&K and now we can look at how it looks like past 10kHz and trust we're more correct in what we're seeing, right?

EQ a headphone as close to current Harman as possible, measure it with the new rig and start fighting about how the highs should shape and pick a target.

P.S. Diffuse field is garbo, xD

[poturbg]

How about measuring some commonly used headphones with both devices and putting the results side by side?

[tetrisgoat]

I checked the chapter selection and I was really excited. Turns out it was a bait and switch.
Signed,
Someone who prefers the diffuse field target for headphones (but not for speakers)

[steben]

I can’t imagine what it would be like if crin wanted to move over to it and have to literally remeasure EVERY. SINGLE. IEM/headphones he’s ever measured and ranked

[ubstnks]

I always thought the Harman target sounded awful. Diffuse field sounds the most realistic to me. I wonder how much preferences shown in the Harman research is related to how one is exposed to music. For example, if you experience live music primarily through earsplitting boomy PA speakers at rock concerts, perhaps the Harman target sounds the most "real." If you listen to live classical concerts, you'd be wondering why the cello is overpowering the violin in a string quartet with the Harman target. A diffuse field response might sound more "real."

[eruilluvitar]

I'm very curious to see if Dr. Olive posts his thoughts on this approach here...

[MrConnorBig]

Heres the thing with measurement rigs, they different - Andrew

[roadtonever]

I use Shure SRH440 a lot. It happens to measure a super high 95 Harman score. In most ways that matter to me they are the best sounding headphones I've owned. Some called them a closed back HD600 when they came out and the measurements do support that. Things are different with Harmans IE target, any IEM that was compliant lacked warmth and was shouty to me.

[ursdubel]

I bought the 371's after watching this video 2-3 days ago and just got beamed in to another dimension.
After using my 560s for like a half year straight i could not believe how "fun" yet still technical they sound.
I am glad i choose the 371's over the NTH-100 because i think they fit better into my collection.
Now i got my ER4SR and 560s for gaming and my IE 300 and 371's for music movies etc.
I will definitelly check out your channel before i buy my next headphone thats for sure. Thank You 👍👍👍

[bivrostgaming]

This can only be good for the headphone community, in the long run. Big-up to all of you guys trying to fix a lot of the confusion us laymen have to strugle with. <3 hope this will scale for the inears brothers aswell.

[musicxxa]

Finally an improvement, a change... good.

[martinrose]

This was a lot of fun! Really interesting and looking forward to what's to come. Thanks Resolve!

[VicharB]

Interesting. Can you do some older models on the new tech to understand how they sit, products like HD650, HD6xx, HiFiMan 400, for reference points.

[gilbs]

Really crazy to think that our (listening majority's) audio preference is also subject to obsolescence. 😁

[bitterandjaded_]

But I don’t want to be like everyone else or like what “average” people like. I want headphones and IEMs that are too refined and esoteric for most people.
“No, no, you probably won’t like those. They’re tuned to the ES (Elitist Snob) curve.”

[soldiersvejk]

Well, according to Sennheiser's own video on youtube, the HD600 is tuned to fit the diffused field curve.