• Registered: 2023-10-02
  • Posts: 6

Topic: RME ADI 2 DAC PEQ settings for Audeze XC 2021

I cant seem to find a 7 band ( 5 + B and T ) settings for the Audeze XC 2021 - closed back.

I've found the settings suggested on this forum for the Audexe X, and a few on the internet but they seem to be using 8 - 10 bands.

I appreciate its going to vary slightly for each pair of headphones, but does anyone have a PEQ i can use as a sort of base-line to learn from ?

Thanks in advance

2 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2023-10-03 00:46:59)

  • KaiS
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  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,525

Re: RME ADI 2 DAC PEQ settings for Audeze XC 2021

A good start always is, leaving away from published presets:

• Corrections above ca. 2000 Hz, specially high-Q and/or low gain.

• Boost corrections with high Q-factor (narrow bandwidth).


Reasons:

• The measurement target curves are extremely smoothed, low detailed.

• The measurement microphones (with pinnae and ear canal) are a coarse average of a multitude of human beings and therefore don’t represent YOUR personal ear.

• Small variations of positioning on the head largely affect a measurement result. For this reason again a lot of smoothing or averaging of multiple measurements is used.
But - such an average doesn’t represent any single measurement.


The pinnae (outer ear and ear canal) have influence on the frequency response from ca. 1000 Hz and up - the higher the frequency the more, with variations of up to +/- 20 dB!

Measurements below ca. 2000 Hz can be trusted and are valid.


So, trying to correct more detailed than the headphones are measured must fail and results in strange colorations instead of corrections.


For the treble, use a wide-band (low-Q) shelf filter, plus maybe one wide-band peaking filter, and adjust solely to taste.

KaiS's Website

3 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2023-10-04 07:51:30)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
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Re: RME ADI 2 DAC PEQ settings for Audeze XC 2021

Try this one, see if you like it.

It works a little towards neutral, without completely killing LCD-XC‘s character.
Takes away a bit of overall volume, so when comparing, compensate with the volume control.

BB: SHELF  110 Hz G: 0.0 dB Q: 0.7 (adjust Gain to taste)
B1: SHELF   40 Hz G: 5.0 dB Q: 0.7
B2: PEAK   150 Hz G:-2.0 dB Q: 0.5
B3: PEAK  1600 Hz G:-4.0 dB Q: 1.2
BT: SHELF 3500 Hz G: 0.0 dB Q: 0.6 (adjust Gain to taste)

If you listen a bit quieter, you could additionally try ADI-2’s “Loudness” function for an even better experience.

KaiS's Website