TIDAL: No EQ is a major oversight

[D3Buddha]

Regarding TIDAL for iOS & macOS:

First of all, I love the song selection and you simply can’t beat the sample rate (bravo there!), but how does an industry-leading hifi service like Tidal not include EQ natively? Someone hasn't done their homework regarding what audio enthusiasts really want. Equalization is mandatory.

It’s not uncommon for hobbyists, such as myself, to spend up to a $1000 or more on headphones. Not having EQ is like buying a top of the line TV without any ability to adjust the color, brightness, etc.

Basically, Tidal nailed the signal quality but missed the bigger picture. How the music is actually received changes with different gear. All headphones have unique sound signatures, which are biased to particular genres. One size fits all doesn’t work in the audio world. A hifi service that leaves out the user’s individual method of listening to the music and his/her particular tastes is half-baked.

I'm just hoping someone from Tidal reads this and includes this basic, ESSENTIAL feature somewhere in the near-future. My only prerogative is making this a better experience for audiophiles and that's a win-win

 

[Deleted member 188533]

Why would you just EQ the program? I don't know anything about iOS but on a PC you'd use a parametric EQ so that everything is EQ'd if you were EQing for a headphone. That way iTunes, Tidal, youtube, a CD, etc etc all have the same settings. It's not something I'd look for in a streaming app. I don't EQ though. I just have a bunch of headphones.

 

[Al ears]

Why would you just EQ the program? I don't know anything about iOS but on a PC you'd use a parametric EQ so that everything is EQ'd if you were EQing for a headphone. That way iTunes, Tidal, youtube, a CD, etc etc all have the same settings. It's not something I'd look for in a streaming app. I don't EQ though. I just have a bunch of headphones.

I would agree, why would you add EQ to a stream, surely that is performed on the playback device itself.
does any other provider do this?

 

[nopiano]

Re Tidal:-

1. you can beat the sample rate. Try Qobuz where you can get proper high definition streams, not MQA.

2. who ever EQd a source? Do you have that on your turntable or CD player? Thought not.

3. nobody from Tidal will read it. I suggest you write to Tidal.

 

[Vincent Kars]

who ever EQd a source?

Using (P)EQ has become very popular in the headphone world.
Bass to heavy? Treble to bright? Use some parametric EQ to get a more decent response.
An example:

Abyss Diana V2 2nd Review (Headphone)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Abyss Diana Phi open-back planar magnetic headphone. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $3,995. I previously reviewed the Abyss Diana V2 so it is good to see how this sibling rates for its $1,000 higher cost. EDIT: While the owner...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Some EQ software


Likewise DRC has become popular, a very effective way to get a better bass.

Simplified REW Setup and Use (USB Mic & HDMI...

www.avsforum.com

 

[nopiano]

Using (P)EQ has become very popular in the headphone world.

Ah, fair enough. I’m not a regular headphone user, and never on the move. Wouldn’t the EQ be best deployed in the machine you plug your headphones into, rather than expecting it to come with the streaming service?

 

[Vincent Kars]

Wouldn’t the EQ be best deployed in the machine you plug your headphones into

That is my personal preference.
My source is my PC using various applications.
EQ them all (and preferably the same if possible) is a nuisance.
I rather have 1 system wide.

 

[Deleted member 116933]

Ah, fair enough. I’m not a regular headphone user, and never on the move. Wouldn’t the EQ be best deployed in the machine you plug your headphones into, rather than expecting it to come with the streaming service?

i guess it could be implemented into the desktop app, but as you say why would they. I wouldn't want to anything done to the source material. But heaphone guys and girls are bit of a different breed

 

[Vincent Kars]

heaphone guys and girls are bit of a different breed

If you look at the frequency response of headphones, you understand why

 

[Deleted member 116933]

If you look at the frequency response of headphones, you understand why

Then id argue you need to send them back as they're not right for the end-user or there not fit for purpose. I understand a little bass bump here and there and adjusting to taste but a full-on eq or mod to make them right Nah. They're sitting on your head 5mm away from the ear all your EQing for is bad design.

It might explain why i have yet to come across a pair I don't like.

 

[nopiano]

If you look at the frequency response of headphones, you understand why

I have seen that the majority have excessive bass. Maybe that’s why I like my Grados?

 

[Deleted member 188533]

I have seen that the majority have excessive bass. Maybe that’s why I like my Grados?

That's the exact opposite of my experience having owned around 15 pair now. Most open back headphones can not reproduce sub bass at all and most also have problems creating accurate 'slam'.

 

[Deleted member 188533]

I have a theory that for years 'audiophile' headphones were expensive enough that most buyers were over a certain age and had a degree of age related high frequency hearing loss thus the very bright and bass lite tunings of headphones from brands like Grado and Beyerdynamic etc etc were created to compensate for that. It's really only in the last 20 years that the PC has made headphones more widely adopted by younger users.

 

[nopiano]

I have a theory that for years 'audiophile' headphones were expensive enough that most buyers were over a certain age and had a degree of age related high frequency hearing loss thus the very bright and bass lite tunings of headphones from brands like Grado and Beyerdynamic etc etc were created to compensate for that. It's really only in the last 20 years that the PC has made headphones more widely adopted by younger users.

You may well be correct, as the only headphones I have ever really enjoyed were Sennheisers, from as far back as the original HD414 from about 1972, to current Grados. Doubtless I’d have enjoyed Stax too, but I couldn’t afford them! As you say, open back phones don’t have much deep bass, and I’m sure there’s a psychoacoustic something going on that helps us fill in what’s missing.
Flawed as headphone measurements can be, I note the majority that are tested in Hifi News have a downward frequency slope - which is either too much bass, or rolled of treble, depending on your perspective.

 

[Shaun]

The opposite of the what OP wants to do will get best results. Nobody is gonna stick headphones costing a grand into a crappy PC audio jack and think they're being utilsed. Presumably have Dac amp, any eq just before your ears. Conversion within PC then to dac then amp & finally to ears is far too much conversion. Passthrough as far as possible then eq if think its needed so files and listener stay pure. No need for conversion therapy, BONUS

 

[Al ears]

The opposite of the what OP wants to do will get best results. Nobody is gonna stick headphones costing a grand into a crappy PC audio jack and think they're being utilsed. Presumably have Dac amp, any eq just before your ears. Conversion within PC then to dac then amp & finally to ears is far too much conversion. Passthrough as far as possible then eq if think its needed so files and listener stay pure. No need for conversion therapy, BONUS

thread is already 3 months old, why wait to reply until now?