TURN OFF your iPod’s EQ!

Nov 26, 2008

We will start stressing this all over our website, invoices, emails and forum posts:

TURN OFF the EQ on your iPod (or any other MP3 player). Flying back from Dallas last week I had a scare thinking my earphones had a blown out driver or something as after a certain volume setting, the sound started to distort really bad. Cause: iPod’s EQ. Solutions: TURN OFF the EQ. This is true for ALL high-end in-ear earphones after a certain volume threshold and it’s also true when you plug your iPod to a high-end full-size stereo (McIntosh MA6900 (by the way, I prefer one of vintage Sansuis), Snell and BW speakers distorting really bad –> iPod’s EQ –> TURN it OFF and music heaven is reestablished).

Later today I will have a comparison of:

a) Westone 3 vs. UM2
b) Westone 3 vs. SE530
c) Westone 3 vs. Triple.Fi

I will try to do this with 6-8 different songs and an iPod Touch today before my wife recruits me for the last minute Thanksgiving grocery shopping :bigsmile_face:

Also look for an article that we will publish about MYTHS and TIPS about the use of high-end in-ear earphones and the iPod — such as why Impedance doesn’t mean much when it comes to in-ear earphones and iPods (as in really doesn’t), why frequency response curves are not that relevant (as in really are NOT) with in-ear earphones (not speakers and full size headphones), etc.

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