Just Qobuz, don’t need the added features at the moment…
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So I don’t EQ any of my audiophile stuff, but I EQ just about all of my consumer-level gear that has built-in EQ, such as my Klipsch The Fives or my Sony wireless earbuds. For whatever reason, I feel like consumer gear is all tuned to have like no treble, lol, and I’m not really concerned too much with technicalities in those cases.
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I think there might be fashions to these things. I’ve mentioned previously in another thread that during the 20th century the way popular music sounded was often directly linked to the technology used to reproduce it. I think we are now at a point where music reproduction is almost (with the exception of the influence of smart phones on pop music) divorced from the playback technology - it can emulate any other tech. So does EQ have a place…
That’s one. It’s interesting to me though that we do tend to see consumer tuning as a type of EQ but the admittedly smaller variations in our audiophile gear not as eq but as tuning or flavour. Are we being honest with ourselves? Isn’t tuning a kind of EQ and does it really matter? I always come back to the same thing. This is all subjective enjoyment of an intangible art form so it is very, very difficult to arrive at an objectively correct way to listen. So why not EQ a sound? Why not tailor it to one’s own taste sometimes? Does it really change anything other than your own experience?
Hopefully no one feels I am being adversarial. This is intended as friendly debate and not as a suggestion that any one is wrong 
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There’s a lot to the audiophile gear rising above the need thought. After all, who doesn’t adjust the tone controls or EQ in their OE car audio?
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I own a JDS Labs Subjective 3 three-band equalizer. Sure, it doesn’t provide the kind of detailed tone control as a parametric EQ, but it does sand some of the rough edges of some cans’ sonic signatures without changing them dramatically. That’s all I want.
I’ve tried parametric EQ, and I’m not a huge fan. I buy different headphones to experience different sound signatures. I don’t want them all to sound the same or hug some pre-ordained curve.
My three-band EQ simply smooths some of the rough spots without changing the entire sound signature or making it conform to some preconceived norm. I rarely turn any of the three knobs past the 11 o’clock to 1 o’clock range. We’re talking minute corrections here.
If a can requires a major overhaul of its signature to suit me, then it’s a headphone that shouldn’t be in my collection.
I know everyone’s mileage varies. If you dig parametric EQ and thrive with it, rock on!
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Yeah schiit audio has that one really expensive EQ control. Seems nice/useful.
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So most people that know me are aware I am very anti EQ, but that is mainly for headphones. When it comes to IEMs as well as speakers, EQ or DSP can be helpful.
However, my main belief is that if you have to EQ something, just admit you bought the wrong piece of gear and cut your losses. There are some use cases where EQ is too cumbersome to use or not even realistically possible…especially software based EQ.
I also dabbled in the past with hardware EQ, but it was not very high quality gear. In those cases, there were severe sound degradation issues with soundstage, as well as dynamics. So my main thing is that if you are going to use hardware EQ, do it right and buy a good quality piece of hardware.
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I lived thru the “every stereo has a multi-band eq” period and found that I usually just left
it in that slight smile shape that pretty much everyone did, lol.
I now have a Schiit Loki (4 band one) and use it to add a bit of lower end fullness to my
Sundara and DT880/600 and rarely change it except to sometimes bring a vocal more forward. Though I sometimes bypass it I find that it simply makes those headphones more enjoyable…and as some others have said…that’s the point. 
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I agree with what makes things more enjoyable. For me, not having to fiddle with software or hardware EQ makes things more enjoyable for me. Different strokes for different folks.
Also, I failed to mention in my previous post that my EQ beliefs just pertain to me. I dont look down on anybody that chooses to use EQ…it just isn’t for me.
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I would argue that dsp on speakers may be under utilized with all the jank listening spaces and how much room correction can help. Counter argument, but then also put money to try to help the room and not the chain.
For the second thought i would say i disagree. Some things can use a nudge here and there. The eq/dsp on my Cowon and Radiance chain pulls the treble from way out of the back. The 3db bass shelf on the 800 thickens it up a little. Could different source gear accomplish this, sure, but these solutions are built in/free to try. This also does not apply to trying to totally change something. That is silly and that is where you have to ask yourself if the gear fits.
Well, technically there is nothing to disagree with since this is my own perspective. A perspective I gained from my own experiences, which apply to only myself. And no offense to you or anybody else, but my own experiences trump anybody else’s when it comes to me. After all, I have to live with my gear, nobody else does.
All instances of EQ that I have tried to utilize have ruined the soundstage, imaging and dynamics of the headphones I have tried them on. I have no doubt that some Pro Gear EQ that is high tier wouldn’t have these issues…but to me, it isn’t worth it.
Additionally, even if EQ didn’t cause those problems, I don’t want to be bothered with constantly having to tinker with shit before I listen to my headphones. This is why I also own solid state amps as there are times I just am too busy to wait until my tube amps warm up.
I prefer to find headphones (and to a certain extent IEMs) that I won’t have to EQ. Sure, it limits my potential prospects…but it also makes things easier for listening on multiple chains, going portable, etc.
I also have OCD tendencies, so something like EQ could potentially have me tinkering with it for YEARS, lol.
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This. The reason I am trying to not eq anymore. And it makes using 1 headphone across multiple chains a pain because do you always chase the eq?
And apologies if my last post came off authoritative. As you said, that is just my feelings and opinion on it, which doesnt hold any extra value over anyone else
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No, not at all, I wasn’t offended…just speaking matter-of-factly. I apologize if I came across nasty cause that wasn’t my intent.
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It’s ok. Nice people with lots of experience are entitled to strong opinions.
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On the flip side, a situation where EQ has worked out for me well is with IEMs and my old Shanling M6 21 DAP. The EQ on the Shanling Music App was actually very well implemented. With something like the BLON BL-03 that is very V shaped, it was extremely helpful to be able to correct it without degradation. But it was still a pain in the ass, lol.
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Oddly enough DAPs have some of the best EQs ive used. Maybe since the whole chain is there in that one box.
There are also some very cheap shit ones (fii m11 basically didnt work)
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Best eq and dsp I’ve heard on a dap is lotion for sure (with cowon coming in next), specifically on the paw gold stuff, but I guess when you put effort into getting actual dsp chips inside the dap and someone to care about implementing it, it’s going to be good lol
The only reason to get a m11 is for the dual sd card slots lol
Wait there’s a dap named lotion?! Or is that a typo? Would be hilarious if true
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Thought the same for a second…but it’s Lotoo
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It’s funny so I won’t change it, but yes lotoo, it corrected to lotion I guess even though I thought I fixed it
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