GREQ Reviews - Headphone Frequency Response Graph Database

606 frequency response graphs!

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Introduction and Methodology

Equipment

All measurements are made using a miniDSP E.A.R.S. binaural microphone jig: https://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/ears-headphone-jig

All Headphone graphs use the miniDSP "HPN" compensation which more closely follows 'diffuse field' compensation. Therefore it is more closely relatable to other large published databases such as the legendary innerfidelity database by Tyll Herstens

About the E.A.R.S.

Fundamentally it is a binaural microphone/headphone stand with simulated silicone ear-lobe mounts.

Compared to professional headphone measuring systems it does not take into account personal HRTF, so the graphs on this database should be not compared to graphs made with professional equipment.

While the miniDSP E.A.R.S. is a flawed tool, a measurement graph on its own is also practically useless. Here I am offering something different - a massive catalogue of graphs for comparison made by the same user with the same equipment and the same methodology. While there will always be imperfections, this is by far the best use-case for such a device.

It is the most simple all-in-one measuring tool available, but these simple measurements only serve as a vague guide at best and should never be taken as a representation of how a headphone actually sounds.

PROS	CONS
Cheap all-in-one solution	Does not account for HRTF
Works well with free REW software	Silicone ears are too stiff resulting in poor seal of on-ear headphones. Human ears and skin are more flexible
Height adjustable headband mount	Silicone ears have 4 protruding screw-heads resulting in poor seal of some over-ear headphones (I remove 2 screws for better consistency)
USB - plug and play microphone functionality	No angle adjustment of the ears which can lead to a poor seal with some headphones
Consistent results for large over-ear headphones	No simulated ear-canal
	Inconsistent dip artefact in graphs at 4KHz. Most prominent with closed-back headphones.
	Some headphones require rubber bands around to apply more pressure to create a seal which gives better, more realistic results
	No width adjustment. It is a very narrow head-size, like a child's head, which can cause a bad seal with some headphones
	Not the highest quality materials and parts

Down to 10Hz!!!

All my graphs go down to 10Hz, and I fervently believe all headphone graphs should too.

In all my years of listening, modding, pad rolling, measuring etc, one thing has stuck out as being more significant than anyone else has ever made it out to be - the headphone's ability to reproduce sub-bass.

Sub-bass performance is key in producing a greater sense of dynamics and scale, and headphones that can't do it cannot compete with headphones that can. These are frequencies that your ears can feel, and many people can audibly hear below 20Hz. The 20-20KHz rule is a myth. Personally my hearing goes down to 8Hz (and up to 16KHz) so sub-bass performance is extremely important to me. I also notice that many planars have excellent linear response that goes down to 10hz. But there are also some that are only linear down to 20Hz, and they cannot convey the same sense of scale, texture and depth as their superiors. I almost find it too 'convenient' that companies are also only publishing graphs down to 20Hz, as this allows them to show off a much more linear graph than the truth.

Room EQ Wizard

All graphs are made using REW: https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

Frequency Response Graphs - Disclaimers

All my graphs use the same scale.

All graphs use the 'Headphone Calibration' compensation files provided by miniDSP unique to my E.A.R.S. jig. All IEM and earbud graphs use the 'IEM Calibration' file.

The frequency response scale goes from 10-20,000Hz. I do this for 3 reasons.

• Firstly, to make these graphs somewhat comparable to other measurements online created by other miniDSP E.A.R.S. owners/users.

• Secondly, to make these graphs somewhat comparable to Tyll's graphs on innerfidelity.

• Thirdly, there are too many online graphs that start at 20Hz. Many companies love to show perfectly linear bass "down to 20Hz".... but there is so much information and character of a headphone you can learn from seeing the lowest sub-bass performance of a headphone between 10-20Hz. Headphones that have a strong sub-bass down to 10Hz more often present music with grander 'scale' and dynamics. There are many headphones that start rolling-off strongly before 20Hz which is often why there is little regard given to these frequencies, but my experiences with hundreds of headphones taught me how important it really is.

While the dB scale remains the same for all graphs, the relative position or 'height' of one graph to another should not be taken as meaning anything, and as such should be completely ignored.

IEM and Earbud graphs are very inaccurate because the miniDSP E.A.R.S. jig is simply not designed to measure these properly. I have tried to measure them as accurately as possible using as consistent a method as I can, however none of them should be fully trusted.

CREDIT YOUR SOURCES!!!

Please add credits and links to the sources when you copy/share my graphs and photos. I'm finding my photos, uncredited, on random websites, for example hifispeaker.wiki 😡 shame !!🔔!!, especially since you've been ignoring my emails for years.