If you want to start EQing straight away Everything is on /r/oratory1990
The main idea is to tune it to Harman Target with the preset list then adjust certain frequencies according to YOUR preference (very easy to do from the info on the pdf). The EQ preset list
/u/oratory1990 is an absolute legend for creating the EQ list - literally made this job so much easier. If you're interested in trying yourself, read the oratory1990 wiki. Much of this post is just linking and paraphrasing /u/oratory1990 's wisdom.
Also, avoid using the autoEQ app - I never got good results from it but your mileage might vary. If your previous attempts were with the autoEQ, you MUST try doing it manually. It's a different world.
I think everyone should at least try the manual tuning process themselves.
*FOR APPLE SILICON MAC USERS - AU Lab didnt work for me so I opted for Hosting AU.
**More tips later on this post
WHY the Harman Target and WHY you should try it
why the Harman Target by oratory1990 (it's a great read)
TL;DR: the Harman Target is more than just what 'average people prefer'. It was also an attempt to simulate the sound an audio engineer would hear with two studio monitors in front of them in a treated room (the cliché ‘as the artist intended)
The reason why we should EQ our headphones is pretty clearly stated by /u/oratory1990 - there's only so much the manufacturer could do with physical component so some EQ will always make the sound better.
The goal of EQing does not necessarily have to be 'better than what it usually sounds'. It can also be creating a profile for different genres - just like how you might have multiple headphones for different genres of music. This is also cheaper and easier. No more splashing cash on side-grades.
Best case scenario, you got a new pair of headphones for free. Worst case scenario, you learn more about frequency response.
You can also discover sound signatures that you did not know you like by playing around with the EQ, not necessarily according to the Harmon Target since there are also diffuse field etc.
My experinece
I have a pretty diverse music taste - from Laufey to Meshuggah to Snarky Puppy. Whilst the HD600 does a great job with Laufey-type music, the three blob soundstage and lack of space makes the latter two less enjoyable. I was tempted to get a side-grade (ATH-R70X) with a better soundstage and imaging but decided to give EQ a go first.
By EQing it to the Harman Target, it gives me more bass, a wider soundstage (I was very suprised by this) and far better instrument separation. Pretty much a different pair of headphones at this point.
How I deviated from the target: the mid range becomes slightly under desired (I still want the HD600 signature mid) so I boosted that. I also like more airiness so boosted the higher frequencies. The method to achieve these is written on the EQ pdfs.
Now I have the signature intimate sound profile for Laufey, and an EQ profile for music with lots of instruments (the kick drum gets so much better) - effectively two pairs of headphones. I can switch between profiles depending on what I was feeling that day. I can even create another profile with a different target.
Here is also where I should emphasise to NEVER treat the preset as a holy grail that shouldn't be changed. We all have different heads and preferences, so you should really tweak the preset to suit your taste better.
Other tips on how you can tweak the headphones
These are things I learned during the process. Correct me if I'm wrong:
- Say you want to add more spice to the bass, dial in slightly more than enough bass. Then, test it with different music and begin to dial it down (or even more) according to how your headphones perform in different mixes. This will take some time but you will evenutally end up with something that is almost universally good for all mixes.
- Make a narrow parameter with a lot of gain and try moving it across the frequencies - you might find frequencies that you didn't know you hate/existed and can now use that as a reference point to dial it down further (usually between 3k-5k there is some noise)
- You can even add an additional EQ curve for 'fringe cases' but that could be complicating things.
again THANK YOU /u/oratory1990 for making my life better.
I still think everyone should try it - like you said you don’t have to stick with it if you don’t enjoy it :)