Most songs are created to sound great on any device and to any listener. This is self-evident because balancing a song based on each individual’s preferences would be impossible. However, this also implies that some tracks may fall short of expectations for people with particular musical preferences.
It goes without saying that if you’ve invested in high-quality audio equipment, you want your audio quality to be as close to perfect as possible. How can you achieve this if it’s the music that’s holding you back?
An equalizer, on the other hand, can be exactly what you require. Take complete control of your audio by increasing the bits you want to hear and cutting the parts you don’t. Do you have any idea what these terms mean? Continue reading to know the best headphone equalizer settings. You can also learn everything you need to know about equalizers and how to use them effectively.
Why Is an Equalizer Important?
Other options for improving your audio include enhancing bass from your Windows 10 machine. An EQ, on the other hand, can arguably make superior modifications. This is due to the fact that it allows you to have complete control over the tone of your audio.
Even if the music you’re listening to is good, it can always be improved by using an equalizer. Using an equalizer, you can modify the frequencies you hear to focus on different aspects of the song. It actually allows you to tailor your music according to your preferences.
Let’s say you want to hear the vocals above everything else in the song. The frequency at which vocals are heard can be increased. This will isolate that frequency even more, resulting in louder vocals.
Imperfections can be treated in the same way. You will hear that sound less if you lower the frequency. Listening to high frequencies for lengthy periods of time, for example, can easily cause ear fatigue. That’s why many individuals use equalizers to reduce the volume.
Should You Use Equalizer on Headphones?
The use of EQ on headphones is a topic that generates a lot of discussion in audio forums and Facebook groups. Every audiophile and ordinary music listener appears to have an opinion on whether or not to use EQ on headphones. Is it necessary to use EQ headphones?
You should not EQ your headphones if you appreciate the sound signature of your headphones and wish to avoid digital clipping at all costs. However, if you want to personalize the sound of your headphones or make the frequency response of your headphones flat, you should absolutely EQ them.
How Do I Use an Equalizer?
Before you begin adjusting your equalizer, go over the five sections below to learn how to use it correctly to get the results you want.
Understand what you’re changing
Instead of tweaking sliders at random, consider what you want to accomplish with the EQ. Are you in need of some bass? Is there any section of the song that you think is overly piercing? Understanding what needs to be changed is a terrific place to start. You can simplify things by focusing on the frequencies that each instrument uses.
Spot and cut the bad frequencies
Cut the sections you don’t like instead of overriding unpleasant frequencies. You can lessen the frequency of the issue sound by locating it and reducing it to make all other noises more discernible.
Make use of filters
Filters can help you get rid of distracting sounds in your audio.
Assume you’ve captured something with a low rumble from a passing automobile. Anything below your set cutoff frequency will be cut by using a high-pass filter.
When utilizing a low-pass filter to remove high-pitched ringing noises, the same is true. Anything above the cutoff frequency is suppressed, thus removing the undesirable noise.
Boost only when needed
A frequency can be made louder by increasing its frequency. This is useful for amplifying positive noises, but it can be harmful if used excessively. When a frequency is increased too high, the sound starts to distort. This will produce sound flaws, maybe making it sound worse.
When it comes to EQ, there’s a golden rule: always try to trim before you enhance.
Of course, your preferences will play a role in all of this. If you truly believe the bass has to be boosted, go ahead and do it as long as it sounds good to you.
Use presets
Software equalizers frequently use presets. They’re equalizer settings that have been pre-programmed for a specific kind of music. Anything can have a preset, and presets with names like “Rock,” “Pop,” and “Jazz” are common. The name of the preset corresponds to the sort of music that the equalization was created to operate with.
Presets are a great way to modify the sound of your music while you’re on the go because not everyone has time to discover the right settings. Presets, as useful as they are, aren’t always perfect. Presets aren’t perfect for every case because they give extremely general modifications. Equalizer settings that have been fine-tuned will always be superior.
Best Headphone Equalizer Settings For Your Favorite Activity?
It’s simply not possible to have the optimum equalizer settings that work for movies, music, and games all at the same time.
There is no such thing as a “perfect” template for any activity. Instead, it is a matter of personal preference and the audio hardware used.
However, some tasks do necessitate the amplification of specific sound frequencies. Use the guidelines and advice below to determine which frequencies are ideal for each activity.
Best EQ Settings for Gaming
Finding the appropriate gaming headset is difficult enough, but finding the right EQ settings is even more difficult. Consider the type of game you’re playing and what you want to improve when making EQ modifications for gaming. The EQ modifications for a fast-paced shooter will be very different from those for a role-playing adventure game.
Footsteps are a key priority for situational awareness for first-person shooters. Footsteps will be more noticeable if the frequency range is increased from 2000 to 4000 Hz.
Story-based games, on the other hand, place a greater emphasis on the ambiance and surroundings, and benefit from a spike in low frequencies. This allows you to be more aware of your surroundings.
Best EQ Settings for Music
Everyone has their own musical preferences. The EQ settings you should employ will be heavily influenced by the genre you’re listening to. In fact, presets were created to make it simple to tailor your listening experience to your personal tastes in music.
Increase the lows till you feel the bass is at a level that you love if you’re a strong fan of bass, EDM, or dance music. By gradually lowering the highs, you can improve the bass even further. The bass becomes more apparent as a result of this. However, keep in mind that modifications to the mids should be kept to a minimum, as here is where your music’s clarity originates from.
Classical music, on the other hand, may often reach ear-piercing pitch levels due to the manner it’s recorded, so a low-pass filter is useful in this genre. Clarity is, of course, an important aspect of classical music. To ensure that you don’t miss out on any minute details, decrease the bass and drop the mids somewhat while keeping the highs the same.
Best EQ Settings for Podcasts and Audiobooks
You should adjust your EQ for human speech to get the greatest clarity out of podcasts and audiobooks. Children’s voices, adult ladies’ voices, and adult males’ voices have different frequencies. In addition, each individual will have a minor tone difference. As a result, constructing a universal EQ for all varieties of voices is impossible.
Instead, you can make an EQ that targets each voice’s average range:
- Adult Male: 125 Hz
- Adult Female: 200 Hz
- Child: 250 to 400 Hz
Best Equalizer Apps for Headphones
On the internet today, you can get a variety of equalization software. However, here are two of the greatest headphone EQ programs.
SoundID Reference by Sonarworks
Sonarworks’ SoundID Reference (available on PluginBoutique) is without a doubt the best EQ software for headphones. Why am I stating this?
Sonarworks, the firm behind SoundID Reference, has a long history in the audio industry, so you know they’re doing something right. They primarily create audio calibration software and devices to assist in the proper calibration of speakers and headphones.
SoundID Reference is an improvement to their previous headphone EQ software, Reference 4, and it has a lot more capabilities. But what is SoundID Reference, exactly?
SoundID Reference is EQ calibration software for speakers and headphones that produces a neutral sound by flattening the frequency response of speakers and headphones over all audible frequencies.
There are hundreds of EQ calibration presets for a variety of headphones and studio monitors included. There’s a good possibility there’s a setting for your existing headphones.
EqualizerAPO
EqualizerAPO is one of the best free equalizer programs on the market today. That’s because it includes a lot of options that allow you to modify your EQ as you want.
Learning this software can be intimidating for many newcomers. One of the reasons I chose Sonarworks Reference 4 was because of this. This is due to its user-friendly interface.
However, if you take the time to learn how to use the EqualizerAPO, you can create almost any sound you desire, especially if you understand how sound and audio frequencies work.
EqualizerAPO has also developed an online community. Its users can share their personalized presets for various headphone setups. So, if you’re lucky, you might be able to discover a preset for your headphones online that will increase their sound quality.
Conclusion
It’s uncommon to have the ideal listening experience right out of the box. Even if you improve your EQ, there’s a good possibility you’ll need to make further modifications whenever you move to a new setting.
EQ settings aren’t something you tweak once and forget about. Instead, it’s something you fiddle with according to the music you’re listening to. It’s a tool that lets you shape the sound to your preferences so you can get the most out of your gear.