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Sorry @JohnYang1997 I still don’t understand what it means. Is it the curves relative to the 90dB curve? If so, shouldn’t some of the adjustments be negative ?The legend explained everything i think.
Sorry @JohnYang1997 I still don’t understand what it means. Is it the curves relative to the 90dB curve? If so, shouldn’t some of the adjustments be negative ?The legend explained everything i think.
Not if you normalize it. You can visually move them up and match at 2khz.Sorry @JohnYang1997 I still don’t understand what it means. Is it the curves relative to the 90dB curve? If so, shouldn’t some of the adjustments be negative ?
Ok I’m lost again. SorryNot if you normalize it. You can visually move them up and match at 2khz.
Fourth from the bottom on the red curves yes?Basically the fourth one from the bottom. And I don't recommend boosting lower bass.
so roll the lower bass off a bit, +4db at 50hz, +3db at 100hz then follow the curve til 1khz.
Nah the blue curves.Fourth from the bottom on the red curves yes?
thanks. I'll stop bugging you now. Appreciate the helpNah the blue curves.
8.5 Loudness
Another legacy of HiFi amplifiers: there has not been a single one missing a feature called Loudness. It tries to address the changes in frequency-dependent hearing sensitivity over different volume levels. If one listens to music loud, then drops the level by at least 20 dB, sound loses punch and glitter. HiFi amps tried to fight this effect by adding more bass and treble the lower the volume was set.
Unfortunately that never worked as intended, and just became an additional bass/treble booster. Reason: the manufacturer of the HiFi amp could not know what volume any position of the volume knob equals at the customer’s home. Room size, room dampening and efficiency of the used speakers are all unknown.
But the effect of loss in perceived sound exists (read about the Fletcher-Munson curves), and can be easily reproduced with any serious gear by comparing normal volume and DIM state (usually -20 dB).
The ADI-2 Pro offers Loudness for both analog stereo outputs, and probably is the first time that Loudness works as intended. The user can decide how much maximum gain in Bass and Treble should occur at lower volume settings.
The user also sets the Low Vol Reference, where maximum gain is achieved. After extensive tests a 20 dB range has been defined as range for maximum gain to no gain while increasing volume. That seemed to be the perfect definition of the range that needs to be addressed by Loudness.
Here is an example on how it works: the user’s typical lowest level listening volume is at -35 dB at the unit. This value is now set by the user as Low Vol Ref in the Loudness menu.
Then Bass and Treble Gain can be set between 0 and +10 dB. Default is +7 dB for both. Increasing the volume by turning the Volume knob causes the gain in Bass and Treble to be lowered smoothly over a range of 20 dB.
So when Volume is set to -15 dB, the music is not only quite loud, but Loudness’ Bass and Treble are then at 0 dB gain. See chapter 34.12 for graphs.
No matter how sensitive the connected phones or speakers are, no matter how much increase in Bass and Treble are desired – with the ADI-2 Pro one can finally adjust it to meet the personal hearing and taste. Loudness finally works as it should have worked from the start - another unique feature in the ADI-2 Pro.
https://archiv.rme-audio.de/download/adi2pro_e.pdf
Interesting, thanks. I agree that it sounds fine as long as you don't play it very loud. And it's really excellent for classical and jazz, second to almost no other headphones that I've heard.The SRH1840 has a max. excursion problem.
There is no other way to look at it alas.
1: it is not elevating bass at lower levels, certainly not up to the needed levels. It is compressing (flattening) at higher SPL which also affects all other frequencies (modulates them)
2: treble also does not increase slightly at lower levels.
3: Distortion rises at higher levels which becomes even more obvious and unwanted at higher levels.
As long as one doe not play very loud the 1840 sounds fine and does not get more bassy at lower levels.
at low listening levels there will be more bass than at higher listening levels. This is caused by non-linearities at higher excursions of the membrane. We hear it differently because of equal loudness contour effects.
Anyway… this should not be there and can be seen as a design error.
Sennheiser headphones sound exceptionally good at low and medium levels.
Would you amend anything that you wrote in the review? e.g.:
Yes.So I might take you up on ordering the analog filter, if you're still making them.
Sennheiser headphones sound exceptionally good at low and medium levels.To steer things back on topic, I noticed the DAC/amp for the HE 1 had very good adjustable crossfeed, but no loudness dial that I remembered (I checked my photos of it to be sure). However, the manual for the HE 1 states:
That is a marketing talk excuse for 'Sennheiser headphones start to distort more at higher listening levels' which they do. Granted... at higher levels than the Shure.If it's true, I wonder why that is.
That's helpful, thanks. And more or less what I was thinking, even though I understand that it's a design error.At low (background) listening levels there will be 3dB more bass than at higher (loud) listening levels. This is caused by non-linearities at larger excursions of the membrane.
We hear it differently because of equal loudness contour effects which only just partly 'compensates' for the perceived loudness difference in the bass.