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Topic: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening (Read 2800 times) previous topic - next topic
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Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Don't know if the right place to post this, but...

So I just bought some new headphones (Sennheiser HD 280 Pro) and would like some tips on which DSPs to use, sorting order, and settings to use, for headphone listening.

My current setup includes, in order:
DVD-Audio Watermark Detector
Downmix channels to stereo
RIAA CD deemphasis filter
Advanced limiter
Meier Crossfeed
Dolby headphone
Convert mono to stereo

My music is mostly FLAC, also MP3/etc. files, and am using DSD: Wasapi (shared), output 24 bit.

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #1 –
My FB2K headphone chain is as follows:

Amplify (set to attenuate by 6dB to stop any clipping with the EQ further down line)
TDR SlickEQ M (Mastering EQ VST plugin, set with my own curve for my HD600s)
Meier Crossfeed (Case's amazing crossfeed component, the simplest and best sounding I have found, set to 10)
AirWindows NJAD (24 bit Dither)

I have that DSP preset linked to the "H" keyboard shortcut, so very easy to move from monitors to cans quickly. Sounds great!

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #2 –
Thanks, I'll look into some of those.And yeah, I also have a couple of eq settings for my phones, I've been playing with.
 

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #3 –
>RIAA CD deemphasis filter
Do you, like, have this on at all times? Do you know what this does?

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #4 –
I quite like this setup for headphone listening.

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Pollux88 on
>RIAA CD deemphasis filter
Do you, like, have this on at all times? Do you know what this does?
No, and yes :)

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #6 –
Quote from: The Link on
I quite like this setup for headphone listening.
Came across it just yesterday!
Also, while looking for NJAD, came across Dither Me Timbers (which is about the opposite to it): https://www.airwindows.com/dithermetimbers/

Edit: now that I think about it, Meier Crossfeed shouldn't be needed, with Dolby Headphone.

I also occasionally use Pitch Shift, to slow down the music, when I want it to sound more calming (no, I don't really buy into the philosophy of the 432Hz tuning, not without tangible scientific evidence, but it's a fact that a (s)lower tune does make music and vocals sound more calming, though that's really a pretty crude hack).

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #7 –
Quote from: cmc on
I also occasionally use Pitch Shift, to slow down the music, when I want it to sound more calming (no, I don't really buy into the philosophy of the 432Hz tuning, not without tangible scientific evidence, but it's a fact that a (s)lower tune does make music and vocals sound more calming, though that's really a pretty crude hack).
What did you use for pitch shift?  I tried that once to see what the fuss was about (432hz) using foo_dsp_effect with -0.32 semitones but it produced obvious audible artifacts in streams so the experiment ended there.

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #8 –
Yes, that was also what first brought me to it, but beyond the esoteric mumbo-jumbo, and if you can gloss over that negative aspect (and maybe different settings offer better output, though probably there's also better options for the same effect), it can create a more calming and soothing mood; that's the real point in it, for me.

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #9 –
If you use AirWindows StudioTan you can choose which flavour of his Dither you want, this is what I use in mastering all the time BUT unfortunately the FB2K VST component I use won't allow you to adjust settings in GUI-less plugins. :(

http://www.airwindows.com/studiotan/

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #10 –
Quote from: cmc on
Yes, that was also what first brought me to it, but beyond the esoteric mumbo-jumbo, and if you can gloss over that negative aspect (and maybe different settings offer better output, though probably there's also better options for the same effect), it can create a more calming and soothing mood; that's the real point in it, for me.
I hear ya.  I tried the alternative method of adjusting "playback rate" to -1.82% and that works without artifacts, so maybe I'll play with that a while and see how/if it affects me.  Cheers.

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #12 –
Quote from: sveakul on
Quote from: cmc on
Yes, that was also what first brought me to it, but beyond the esoteric mumbo-jumbo, and if you can gloss over that negative aspect (and maybe different settings offer better output, though probably there's also better options for the same effect), it can create a more calming and soothing mood; that's the real point in it, for me.
I hear ya.  I tried the alternative method of adjusting "playback rate" to -1.82% and that works without artifacts, so maybe I'll play with that a while and see how/if it affects me.  Cheers.

432Hz is 440Hz-1.82%, or -0,32 semitones. So I don't think you could notice any difference, because... there's none; just to different notations.

Re: Suggested DSPs, order and settings, for headphone listening

Reply #13 –
Quote from: cmc on
Quote from: sveakul on
I hear ya.  I tried the alternative method of adjusting "playback rate" to -1.82% and that works without artifacts, so maybe I'll play with that a while and see how/if it affects me.  Cheers.

432Hz is 440Hz-1.82%, or -0,32 semitones. So I don't think you could notice any difference, because... there's none; just to different notations.

Sorry, I misread your comment (and probably induced you in error, with mine, above; I didn't meant actually slowing down the playback, hence why Pitch Shift), so, yeah, maybe slowing the playback rate, instead of changing the pitch, doesn't introduce artifacts the way pitch shifting does.

Anyway, I've been playing with different crossfeeds/spacialization and this is what I've found, so far:
Natural Crossfeed (linked by The Link, above) needs you to remove the spaces in the samples filenames, else spacialization won't be applied and it will have an exaggerated x-axis and zero z-axis. Once you fix the filenames, yeah, it sounds as it's meant to, and pretty good, actually;
Dolby sounds like I'm listening from the back end of the room: more depth effect, less "presence", compared to the above (*much* less mids and highs).
Meier, at 10 (and MathAudio, non-EQ'd; couldn't discern much difference, if at all, between both, at these settings), has even more presence than NC;
I'll Try RPGWIZaRD's Dolby settings (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/foobar2000-dolby-headphone-config-comment-discuss.555263/) later, to see what it's all about; everyone there seems to like it very much. I'll also try CanOpener, but tbh, I can't afford forking 65$ for it, atm (unless it's "magical"!?); we'll see...

Bottom line: from the above, I'd say if you're the type of guy that likes to stay right next to the stage,at venues, go for the Meier (or MathAudio); if you prefer mid room, go for Natural Crossfeed; and if you're the back-of-the-room kind of guy, go for the Dolby HD.

What's your view on this?