audiofilet
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Experiment: ABX Test to determine whether I can detect an audible difference between 192KHZ/24bit FLAC & 320kb/s MP3
Equipment:
DAC: JDS Labs Atom DAC+
Amps: JDS Labs Atom Amp+, Monolith Liquid Spark (During testing the Liquid Spark unfortunately stopped working)
Headphones: DT 990 Edition new stock earpads, DT 770 Pro new stock earpads, Hifiman Sundara moderately worn earpads
ABX Version 10.2.1.8
EQ: Graphic > Custom by Jaak, Parametric > Harman Target by Oratory1990. FIR > Harman Target by Oratory1990
(Example Curves for DT 770 Attached below)
Source Material:
Converted to 320kb/s MP3 via ffmpeg
FIR
Graphic EQ
Parametric EQ
ABX Result 1 = Track 1.5
ABX Result 2 = Track 1.8
ABX Result 3 = Track 1.10
ABX Result 4 = Track 1.5
Test results without the usage of EQ were omitted, because I simply was not able to detect any difference whatsoever.
Averaging a constant <3/10 across the board.
Conclusion:
I hate all three tracks now and never want to listen to them again. lol
I personally felt like the DT 770s were resolving on a different level compared to the rest, however only with the FIR and Parametric EQ. I could literally hear the subtle changes in the air as Holly was inhaling during track 1.5. Her lip smacks, slight cotton mouth and background noises were exceedingly present and easy to pick up.
To be honest the sound felt so surgical and over the top clear/open, that my ears were getting fatigued after only a very short amount of time. I have a bit of tinnitus on my left ear and can almost positively say it was the 770's fault.
I felt the most confident wearing them and definitely guessed the least using the above mentioned EQ. With the Graphic EQ it was the exact opposite, I literally could not tell a difference whatsoever and pretty much had to guess the whole time. Same thing without EQ, but I did not even include that result, because I stopped mid-test. It just sounded the same.
The differences were extremely subtle at times, if not to say non-existent, but two fairly distinguishable attributes that stood out to me were clarity at higher frequencies and the rumble feeling of sub-bass 30 - 40khz. That is what I relied on the most during Track 1.5 for example.
I only once hit 9/10, which apparently is the required statistical success threshold, so obviously I was not able to repeat that result and thus objectively failed all tests except for one.
DT 990s came in second. Very similar experience to the 770s, with one slight disadvantage. I live in NYC and there is traffic within close proximity to our complex. With the window closed I could barely hear anything through the HPs, but I did notice it ever so slightly at times. I don't think this directly influenced the test, but I still wonder if the result may have been different in a perfectly quiet environment.
Sundara's were awesome. That was around the time where the Liquid Spark died, so I couldn't test them with it. I used Oratory 1990's Optimal Harman Parametric EQ settings. Same issue regarding open-back, but I felt pretty confident.
Equipment:
DAC: JDS Labs Atom DAC+
Amps: JDS Labs Atom Amp+, Monolith Liquid Spark (During testing the Liquid Spark unfortunately stopped working)
Headphones: DT 990 Edition new stock earpads, DT 770 Pro new stock earpads, Hifiman Sundara moderately worn earpads
ABX Version 10.2.1.8
EQ: Graphic > Custom by Jaak, Parametric > Harman Target by Oratory1990. FIR > Harman Target by Oratory1990
(Example Curves for DT 770 Attached below)
AutoEq/results/crinacle/gras_43ag-7_harman_over-ear_2018/Beyerdynamic DT 770 250 Ohm at master · jaakkopasanen/AutoEq
Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses - AutoEq/results/crinacle/gras_43ag-7_harman_over-ear_2018/Beyerdynamic DT 770 250 Ohm at master · jaakkopasanen/AutoEq
github.com
AutoEq/results/crinacle/gras_43ag-7_harman_over-ear_2018/Beyerdynamic DT 990 250 Ohm at master · jaakkopasanen/AutoEq
Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses - AutoEq/results/crinacle/gras_43ag-7_harman_over-ear_2018/Beyerdynamic DT 990 250 Ohm at master · jaakkopasanen/AutoEq
github.com
Various Artists, Audiophile Hi-Res System Test - Great Sampling Tracks Included in High-Resolution Audio
Download Audiophile Hi-Res System Test - Great Sampling Tracks Included by Various Artists in high-resolution audio at ProStudioMasters.com - Available in 192 kHz / 24-bit, 96 kHz / 24-bit AIFF, FLAC…
www.prostudiomasters.com
- Track 1.5: Studio Recording - Voice & Jazz by Holly Cole @ 192KHZ/24bit
- Track 1.8: Piano - Steinway Piano @ 192KHZ/24bit
- Track 1.10: Stradivarius Violin - Concert Hall @ 192KHZ/24bit
Converted to 320kb/s MP3 via ffmpeg
FIR
Graphic EQ
Parametric EQ
ABX Result 1 = Track 1.5
ABX Result 2 = Track 1.8
ABX Result 3 = Track 1.10
ABX Result 4 = Track 1.5
Headphones | Amplifier | Equalizer | ABX Result 1 | ABX Result 2 | ABX Result 3 | ABX Result 4 | Guessing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DT 990 | JDS Atom+ | Graphic EQ | 4/10 | 5/10 | 3/10 | 4/10 | 50% |
DT 990 | JDS Atom+ | Parametric EQ | 5/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 5/10 | 40% |
DT 990 | JDS Atom+ | FIR Filter | 7/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 35% |
DT 770 | Liquid Spark | Graphic EQ | 3/10 | 2/10 | 4/10 | 3/10 | 70% |
DT 770 | Liquid Spark | Parametric EQ | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 4/10 | 55% |
DT 770 | Liquid Spark | FIR Filter | 7/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 8/10 | 20% |
Sundara | JDS Atom+ | Parametric EQ | 6/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 32% |
DT 770 | JDS Atom+ | Graphic EQ | 2/10 | 4/10 | 3/10 | 5/10 | 75% |
DT 770 | JDS Atom+ | Parametric EQ | 7/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 | 7/10 | 30% |
DT 770 | JDS Atom+ | FIR Filter | 9/10 | 7/10 | 5/10 | 8/10 | 14% |
Test results without the usage of EQ were omitted, because I simply was not able to detect any difference whatsoever.
Averaging a constant <3/10 across the board.
Conclusion:
I hate all three tracks now and never want to listen to them again. lol
I personally felt like the DT 770s were resolving on a different level compared to the rest, however only with the FIR and Parametric EQ. I could literally hear the subtle changes in the air as Holly was inhaling during track 1.5. Her lip smacks, slight cotton mouth and background noises were exceedingly present and easy to pick up.
To be honest the sound felt so surgical and over the top clear/open, that my ears were getting fatigued after only a very short amount of time. I have a bit of tinnitus on my left ear and can almost positively say it was the 770's fault.
I felt the most confident wearing them and definitely guessed the least using the above mentioned EQ. With the Graphic EQ it was the exact opposite, I literally could not tell a difference whatsoever and pretty much had to guess the whole time. Same thing without EQ, but I did not even include that result, because I stopped mid-test. It just sounded the same.
The differences were extremely subtle at times, if not to say non-existent, but two fairly distinguishable attributes that stood out to me were clarity at higher frequencies and the rumble feeling of sub-bass 30 - 40khz. That is what I relied on the most during Track 1.5 for example.
I only once hit 9/10, which apparently is the required statistical success threshold, so obviously I was not able to repeat that result and thus objectively failed all tests except for one.
DT 990s came in second. Very similar experience to the 770s, with one slight disadvantage. I live in NYC and there is traffic within close proximity to our complex. With the window closed I could barely hear anything through the HPs, but I did notice it ever so slightly at times. I don't think this directly influenced the test, but I still wonder if the result may have been different in a perfectly quiet environment.
Sundara's were awesome. That was around the time where the Liquid Spark died, so I couldn't test them with it. I used Oratory 1990's Optimal Harman Parametric EQ settings. Same issue regarding open-back, but I felt pretty confident.
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