norseman 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 I listen to a lot of dance, dnb, chillout and some rock. Most of my files are 192kbps mp3s or 320kbps. What I want to know is, since the um1s are a bit short on treble, will they sound more balanced if I leave the eq fairly flat and bump up the right side? I'm using the Dell x51v PDA so I got some control over the eq settings (10 bands + pre-amp). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zephyron 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 What the UM1 suffers from is lower treble rolloff, its extreme highs shouldn't have this problem, but upping them can create a 'sense' of air which can be quite fun, but after a while fatiguing and falsifies actual sound quality. In a 10 band EQ, try upping bands 7 and 8, with 8 less than 7, can also try upping 9 just a bit, and as for he 10th band (If its anywhere set from 16kHz to 20kHz) you can up it as much as you want just for kicks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norseman 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 Sorry, noob question here, but what exactly is lower treble rolloff? Only gotta vague idea.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zephyron 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 I can't exactly explain it, but its something that you can feel. Bass gives a song strength and definition and carries the song, working as a foundation/floor (eg bass drum), midrange gives the song body and intimacy (eg vocals) and treble gives the song its supposed detail and perhaps for some a sense of air (eg triangles). Divide treble into 3 portions, lower-pitch treble, middle-pitch treble and high pitch treble, lower treble is the treble region that comes after around the 3000Hz region. It affects the 'upper body' of the music and partially affects sense of intimacy/distance a bit and affects treble more as a whole I guess, giving a perception of lack of detail and as far as what some would say, muddiness. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norseman 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) Ermm...comes btw mid treble and high mids? So I guess there would be sort of a gap in the mid upper range? So makes sense that band 8 would be lower than 7 for the balance. I get it now. Sounds kinda sucky to me... True that cymbals are lacking? Edited August 5, 2006 by norseman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest joi-ful Report post Posted August 5, 2006 For my 5 band equalizer on my zen micro, I leave everything flat except the last one (13k), which I max it at + 12db. It's crazy but it sure brings out the music! Even though I max the 13k side, there's very little, almost non-existent distortion. How cool is that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norseman 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 The thing is, with my eq, if I up the bass or treble too much, I get all these awful crackling sounds. Sth to do with my bitrate? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zephyron 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 You can do it the other way round. Reduce all the other spectrums and up the volume. What you are experiencing there is over EQ distortion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
viix 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 The thing is, with my eq, if I up the bass or treble too much, I get all these awful crackling sounds. Sth to do with my bitrate? are you listening at a little too loud? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peter 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) Wow.. seems like many ppl r in favour of UM1!!! I might just be like norseman and get settled with UM1 after testing the rest one of these days.. =) counting down the days of getting an IEM... hehe... For my 5 band equalizer on my zen micro, I leave everything flat except the last one (13k), which I max it at + 12db. It's crazy but it sure brings out the music! Even though I max the 13k side, there's very little, almost non-existent distortion. How cool is that? Wow... Don't you get distortion at all? When I do EQ on my muvo2 fm tx, as long as i reach about +10/12, the sound will be distorted!!! What earphone are you using btw?? The thing is, with my eq, if I up the bass or treble too much, I get all these awful crackling sounds. Sth to do with my bitrate? Yeah.. You're experiencing distortion of sound.. Nothing to do with your bitrate. =) Edited August 5, 2006 by Peter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zephyron 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 ^ Don't get it just because ppl are in favour of it. Test it first before getting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peter 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 Yeah..sure... I definitely would want to get an IEM that suits my "hearing hunger" =) Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fallraen 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 haha yea test them out first. i like the um1 too. but now after using them for a long time, i wanna give the etys a try again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
palestofwhite 0 Report post Posted August 5, 2006 If possible test them over a period of time. Not just one or two tries. I made a mistake. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest joi-ful Report post Posted August 6, 2006 To Peter and norseman: I'm using the UM1, that's why I'm sharing my EQ settings. I rip my music using EAC + LAME in VBR and I experience almost no distortions when I boost the 13khz (5th band), definitely no cracking or whatsoever. UM1 is a very clean and sweet phone. One thing to note though, even though I'm supposedly adjusting the 13khz band on my Zen micro, it seems like the region 16-18khz are adjusted instead. So for the Dell Axim, You might want to adjust maybe the 8th column. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
