NW-A800 EQ Discussion

[hign n mighty]

we all know jow important it is to adjust the eq right .

pls anybody could share their eq setting 4 A800 ??

mineS: CB +3 EQ 2 1 0 1 2

MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

[ender325_]

Since this thread is all about the Equalizer and I assume the difference between the A80x and the S70x's sound is not a lot (S705F owner here), here are my settings: CB+3 10113 or 20113

By the way I listen to Industrial and Rock music and yeah I agree with the topic starter, I too would like to know which settings everyone are using on their units .

[dura_]

It depends on the headphones.

I use DSEE that gives a slight but welcom smoothing of treble grain even at ATRAC 256kbs.

For my Shure E4s I use CB+1, +1,+1,0,-1,-1.

Strange, the shures sounded perfectly balnced out of my old A3000, but with the A808 the ssounds gets too analitical for my taste.

The A808 btw seems more powerful and is able to drive larger headphones then the A3000 and NW-HD1 (both uncapped).

My Px100s sounds fine uneq-ed, so does the provided buds, and most other headphones that hangs around here.

According to the manual clearstereo is only advised when using the provided buds. I leave it off usually.

I avoid normalisation as this seems to have a slight but noticable detrimental effect.

[hign n mighty]

my problem is my a806 is so analytical that ie deliver a annoying sharp grain of the voice of the singer with the provided earphone,while lower the treble section of the equalizer could solve this partialy

[aob9]

ME.........Seinheisser CX-300's, Industrial and Hard Rock ( Nine Inch Nails today ) MP3 192K; Eq Setting........CB+3,00012. Dynamic Normaliser 'off' DSEE 'off'.

Question, Why would Clear Stereo only work with supplied phones?

[dura_]

Question, Why would Clear Stereo only work with supplied phones?

I don't know.

My theory is that the thin wire and the lenghtdifference because of the J-cord creates a disbalance between left and right, that is corrected witry clean stereo, but I could be totally wrong here, there is a first time for everything ;-).

[DSP]

Nice topic!!

good idea!

Sharing EQ settings is something very usefull. I hope many people come share their setings here, not only for NW-A800..

My settings:

CB: 2

EQ: +2 / +1 / +2 / +1 / +2

VPT: Off

CS: ON

DSEE: ON

Use these settings with sennheiser CX300

Greetz

[1TrackMind]

ok, i'm using sennheiser px200 head phones eq settigns as follows:

CB+3 +2 0 0 +2 TREBLE +3 and VPT either none or live

I listen to all types of music, dance, rock, hip-hop, ambient, indie and the list goes on!

[hign n mighty]

ok, i'm using sennheiser px200 head phones eq settigns as follows:

CB+3 +2 0 0 +2 TREBLE +3 and VPT either none or live

I listen to all types of music, dance, rock, hip-hop, ambient, indie and the list goes on!

keep it up

[Guest Stuge]

Hey ,Guys there is a similar thread to this one here -> why not share your EQ settings there.

Edited#1

[dura_]

Hi Stuge, that links gives my the general forum page, doesn't seem correct?

[Guest Stuge]

Hi Stuge, that links gives my the general forum page, doesn't seem correct?

Thanks ,Now It should work

[juli_]

Thank goodness someone else brought up the 'analytical' tone of the 808. I thought it was just me that noticed it. In fact, I posted something about it earlier, probably in the wrong place knowing me.

I've got the 706 and my Shure E4s are fine through it - 'colder' than the E500's but perfectly acceptable - but when I paired the E4s with the 808, expecting at least comparable sound etc as on the 706 - I was shocked to hear the cold shrill sound drilling into in my ears.

EQ made no difference at all, the overall sound was still 'cold' and 'bright' with the E4s. When I put my friend's Sennheisers in, the sound was much warmer, although much less detailed. I thought the 808 would have been equal or better to the 706, but I find I prefer the 706 sound much much better.

Does this mean the E4s are just not 'compatible' because they're bright and so is the player? In other words, if I re-bought the E500s, would that 'alter' the coldness of the 808?

I know there are very few queries about this, and there are some who might not have a clue what I'm talking about as their 808 might be set up with different headphones etc, and the sound would vary enormously.

So, has anyone tried the E500s with the 808 and made a comparison with the Shure E4s on the same unit?

I would be interested to know what other people think - and also what headphones people are using. I can definitely hear a 'coldness' in the 808 that I can't hear on the 706 - so shouldn't the 808 be better? Or is it the headphones? HELP!!!

[1TrackMind]

keep it up

ta! the bass is amazing!

[ppau0822]

Thank goodness someone else brought up the 'analytical' tone of the 808. I thought it was just me that noticed it. In fact, I posted something about it earlier, probably in the wrong place knowing me.

I've got the 706 and my Shure E4s are fine through it - 'colder' than the E500's but perfectly acceptable - but when I paired the E4s with the 808, expecting at least comparable sound etc as on the 706 - I was shocked to hear the cold shrill sound drilling into in my ears.

EQ made no difference at all, the overall sound was still 'cold' and 'bright' with the E4s. When I put my friend's Sennheisers in, the sound was much warmer, although much less detailed. I thought the 808 would have been equal or better to the 706, but I find I prefer the 706 sound much much better.

Does this mean the E4s are just not 'compatible' because they're bright and so is the player? In other words, if I re-bought the E500s, would that 'alter' the coldness of the 808?

I know there are very few queries about this, and there are some who might not have a clue what I'm talking about as their 808 might be set up with different headphones etc, and the sound would vary enormously.

So, has anyone tried the E500s with the 808 and made a comparison with the Shure E4s on the same unit?

I would be interested to know what other people think - and also what headphones people are using. I can definitely hear a 'coldness' in the 808 that I can't hear on the 706 - so shouldn't the 808 be better? Or is it the headphones? HELP!!!

well i guess that makes 2 of us then!!

i feel that the bass is really lacking when compared to the s706, which i had earlier and im really regretting selling that off.i tried playing aroung with the eq but the improvements are really small and it doesnt make the bass punchy like it is in the s706

im hoping that getting better quality phones will remedy the problem.

[juli_]

i feel that the bass is really lacking when compared to the s706

Yes, me too, and I did think I sorted out the EQ a while back but I didn't test it with enough songs - and my gut feeling that it's not an improvement on the 706 is confirmed. I sold my 706 too, really wished I hadn't, but I thought I'd get 'used' to the 808 and it's not happening with the Shure E4 and even trying it with bassy Senheisers just made it unlistenable with all the EQ off, it sounded nasty and distorted - yet the Sennheisers paired with the 706 was fine!

i tried playing aroung with the eq but the improvements are really small and it doesnt make the bass punchy like it is in the s706

Plus the 706 just has a richer sound - not 'muddy' or lacking in detail as some people said. I tested a Cat Stevens track on both units, same headphones - at the beginning of the track a band member says: "From the beginning. . . three, four". It's really clear and detailed on the 706, but on the 808 you can barely hear what he says - which means that for my ears, and my ears only (!) the 808 lacks the detail of the 706 and I can't think of any other way to prove it than with that track. The words are muffled and quiet on the 808 - but clear and bright on the 706.

im hoping that getting better quality phones will remedy the problem.

Yeah, I'm waiting for a friend to lend me her E500s - I had them for a while with the 706 but found the overall sound too warm with that player (I think because the 706 has a rich sound, it's too much paired with the 'warm' E500s) - but as I find the 808 so cold and piercing - the E500s might be a really good match for it. I'll let you know when I've tried them.

I really want to like the 808, but when I first got the 706, I was impressed with it immediately, I thought the sound was just brilliant, and that was with the supplied headphones! Yet the minute I tried the 808, my first thought was that it was louder than the 706 (706 was loud enough for me anyway!) - but I was in 'pain' having my ears pierced by the awful sharpness! Sad though it is to say, I'm glad someone else feels the same way!

Sadder than that even, is the fact I'll never 'rest' now until I can hear the band member's voice as clearly on the 808 as on the 706!

[veggiemusician]

I think Westone UM2 would be a better match with the A808 than the Shures. The E500 will bring out the treble of the A808s too much and they are bass shy compaired to UM2s.

They are meny on headfi forum that perfer UM2s over E500s. I think UM2s sound best with bright lively mp3 players. My UM2s sound a bit too dark with my S705 and have to add a bit of treble to eq.

If you have S700 shure E500s would be best

If you got the A800 Westone UM2s

[juli_]

I think Westone UM2 would be a better match with the A808 than the Shures. The E500 will bring out the treble of the A808s too much and they are bass shy compaired to UM2s.

They are meny on headfi forum that perfer UM2s over E500s. I think UM2s sound best with bright lively mp3 players. My UM2s sound a bit too dark with my S705 and have to add a bit of treble to eq.

If you have S700 shure E500s would be best

If you got the A800 Westone UM2s

[ppau0822]

I think Westone UM2 would be a better match with the A808 than the Shures. The E500 will bring out the treble of the A808s too much and they are bass shy compaired to UM2s.

They are meny on headfi forum that perfer UM2s over E500s. I think UM2s sound best with bright lively mp3 players. My UM2s sound a bit too dark with my S705 and have to add a bit of treble to eq.

If you have S700 shure E500s would be best

If you got the A800 Westone UM2s

Interesting, 'cos I thought the E500s were a bit dark with my 706, that's why I was thinking of trying them again with 808. UM2s are the only phones I didn't look at, maybe I'll check out some reviews.

I found a way (I think) to describe the sound difference more accurately between the 808 and 706 - the 706 is like listening to vinyl, warm and rich - and the 808 is like listening to CD, clean and clinical - neither is 'wrong', it just depends on what sounds nicest in your ears.

well im just confused now. i just ordered my se 530 and im awaiting its arrival!! talk about bad timing.

now that you mention the um2s i read on the head-fi that the westone 3 is coming out on the 21 of this month and that it completely smashes the um2s!!

with regard to SQ this couldnt have been a more confusing month for me!!

[juli_]

well im just confused now. i just ordered my se 530 and im awaiting its arrival!! talk about bad timing.

now that you mention the um2s i read on the head-fi that the westone 3 is coming out on the 21 of this month and that it completely smashes the um2s!!

with regard to SQ this couldnt have been a more confusing month for me!!

Oh!! That's the problem with new stuff coming out all the time. For what it's worth (and it's just my opinion) - I think the E530 will be a good match for the 808 for the simple reason that I had them with my 706 and sent them back because they made it sound too 'warm' - but that 'warmth' is needed for the 808. At the moment, I'm using Shure E4 with the 808 and despite EQing to death, I still find it's too 'sharp' in some areas, and ok in others. When I used the E4 with the 706, it produced a much warmer sound, which made it more acceptable to my ears, but the phones are just too 'cold' for me, which is why I need to change them!

So I figure that the E500 will be the perfect match for the 808, warming it up just enough to make it sound closer to the 706, whose sound signature I preferred anyway. As for the Westone 3, there's still no definite release date and the only real reviews I read pitted it against the E500 - the result was that the Westone 3 had a more detailed midrange than the E500. This is an excerpt from a review at: http://www.headphonesrock.com/2007/04/

"I found the Westone 3’s to offer a slightly more detailed midrange and better instrument separation. While the Shure E500 has a wonderfully detailed and full bass (thanks to it’s dedicated subs), I found it to be slightly accentuated in the mid bass region, compared to the more neutral (but just as detailed) Westone 3. What we can conclude from this comparison is that the Shure E500’s are slightly inferior to the Westone 3’s as far as sound quality is concerned"

I'm pretty sure that the majority of people wouldn't notice the difference in the mid-bass region, I'm sure I wouldn't - but the E500/530 is a really good headphone, just not a great match with the already 'warm' 706 depending on your listening preferences. I'm sure they'll be great with the 'cold' 808, and you can always tweak the treble if it's too accentuated. More importantly, I found they were good with all styles of music - important if you listen to a wide range of sounds.

Re: the UM2 - I managed to read loads of reviews in the last 24 hours, and can see they have fans and non-fans - the only consistent complaint I could find about them was the 'bloated' bass, but again, there is no headphone that everybody agrees on, so it's a matter of personal taste.

I don't think you'll be disappointed at all with the E500/530 - and I'm pretty sure that a few months on from Westone 3's release, people will start pointing out 'faults' in it as soon as the next super-duper phone appears! So just enjoy them when they show up!

[veggiemusician]

The Bass of the UM2s are far from bloted??! Users that have this problem have not tried other tips - the suplied crumply's are awful and give a muffled bassy sound. Bigflances or sony EX tips work best.

The E500/SE530 have a colder sound than the UM2s and dont have the depth of bass. They are very detailed if a little too much - they do bring out treble more than UM2's.

Edited June 16, 2007 by veggiemusician

[wham44]

dura i agree with you.. the nw a3000 seems perfect with my ex-shure e2c's... now my setup is nw a808 with the ultimate ears superfi 5 EB... i prefer to leave the CB untouched, DSEE untouched, normalizer on... and eq will be 20211

[ppau0822]

thanks for the link! well i fell i have made a good decision now and i will post back my impressions once i get the se530.

cheers.,

[juli_]

thanks for the link! well i fell i have made a good decision now and i will post back my impressions once i get the se530.

I just re-bought the E500 so should be here by the end of the week. Too impatient to wait to try my friends, and remembering how they sounded with the 706 convinces me they'll sound perfect with the 'sharper' 808. And if we're not happy with them - I guess we'll see them on eBay as 'almost new'. . .

Be interesting to swap comments. By the way, what's your stuff ripped at? I have a mix of Atrac3plus@256kbps, and wma vbr between 300/400kbps as I seem to remember that the E500's souned a lot better when the bitrate was higher. I can't tell the difference between 256 and 400 anyway so my ears aren't that 'sensitive' - but I know the phones come to life when the bitrate is higher.

[ceres]

To those of you that also own the s7: which eq settings -if you do- do you use on the a8 to dublicate s7 sound signature?

[juli_]

To those of you that also own the s7: which eq settings -if you do- do you use on the a8 to dublicate s7 sound signature?

I can't get exactly the same sound, but I can get mine closer to the 706. I use: CB+2 - then, 0 0 -1 0 -1

I found that reducing the 3rd and 5th frequency softened the harshness without losing any detail, but when I added to any of the frequencies, it made it harsher to my ears!

Find an acoustic track or anything that has the potential to sound 'crisp' - and then play around with the 3rd and 5th EQ slider, that's the area I found had the most effect for me.

[ppau0822]

To those of you that also own the s7: which eq settings -if you do- do you use on the a8 to dublicate s7 sound signature?

i find that having cb: 3 and +2,+2,1,0,0 is the closest to the souns that i preder. however the a808 just doesnt come near the the s706 when it comes to sound quality

[ppau0822]

I just re-bought the E500 so should be here by the end of the week. Too impatient to wait to try my friends, and remembering how they sounded with the 706 convinces me they'll sound perfect with the 'sharper' 808. And if we're not happy with them - I guess we'll see them on eBay as 'almost new'. . .

Be interesting to swap comments. By the way, what's your stuff ripped at? I have a mix of Atrac3plus@256kbps, and wma vbr between 300/400kbps as I seem to remember that the E500's souned a lot better when the bitrate was higher. I can't tell the difference between 256 and 400 anyway so my ears aren't that 'sensitive' - but I know the phones come to life when the bitrate is higher.

congrats on your re-purchase!! how does your a808 sound now? does it sound nice and warm with rich and deep bass?

i have all my stuff encoded in mp3 @ 320 kbps. yes i heard that the 530s tend to really bring out the details a lot more. i would like to encode them in atrac but it is time consuming. any idea how long it would take to re-encode a 76 gb library?

[ceres]

I can't get exactly the same sound, but I can get mine closer to the 706. I use: CB+2 - then, 0 0 -1 0 -1

I found that reducing the 3rd and 5th frequency softened the harshness without losing any detail, but when I added to any of the frequencies, it made it harsher to my ears!

Find an acoustic track or anything that has the potential to sound 'crisp' - and then play around with the 3rd and 5th EQ slider, that's the area I found had the most effect for me.

That was a good one. The sound is much warmer now. I chose cb +1 ,however.

[juli_]

Well, the E500's are 'out for delivery' now so should be here tomorrow.

Having been slightly disappointed with the 808 sq compared with the 706, it will be interesting to see if the headphones will help the 808 sound more like the 706 - ie., smoother and not so brittle!

I'll try various styles of music and post back my comments for anyone who is experiencing the same 'sharpness'.

If the 808 was just a little smoother, it would be perfect for my ears - so I hope the phones are going to improve my listening experience!

Edited June 19, 2007 by juli

[Pander]

Find that using AKG 81 DJ phones with my NW-A808 gives a spatial warm sound, don't experience harshness/listening fatigue when using CB+1 +1 0 -1 +1 +1, without dse/normalizer/clear stereo!

I'm using the JAP NW-a808 without the Euro volume limit though which might make it easier for the player to drive these phones, already loud enough on +17 out of 30!

[juli_]

Pander, there's no volume limit on UK models. My one is plenty loud at 17/30 so it's definitely not capped.

[dita]

cb+3 0,-1,+1,+2,+3 with dynamic normalizer

I can't see why alot of you are complaining about the bass on this player. It's amazing and the eq is all about balance..duh..I suggest most of you try my setting if you want to be able to feel the bass punch...I am also using my e005 headphones I should note and wow the sound even on these is amazing.

Edited June 20, 2007 by dita

[DSP]

EU units should theoretically be capped, but I don't think they are for some reason.

I use V-moda Vibes and my unit barely gets over 15/30. It normally stays on 13/30 wich is loud enough!

greetz

[NOiPod]

cb+3 0,-1,+1,+2,+3 with dynamic normalizer

I can't see why alot of you are complaining about the bass on this player. It's amazing and the eq is all about balance..duh..I suggest most of you try my setting if you want to be able to feel the bass punch...I am also using my e005 headphones I should note and wow the sound even on these is amazing.

Nice settings just tried it, bass is good with this.

[Richard]

Nice settings just tried it, bass is good with this.

Bass must be quite overwhelming with this - Clear Bass and regular Bass at +3 lol

[juli_]

Hmmm, been using the 500s for about 4 hours and although the 808 definitely does sound warmer and fuller with them (compared to the cold E4s I was using) - I can't help but compare it unfavourably with my sold-last-week 706. The richness of the 706 just cannot be replicated for me despite trying various eq settings. To me it's just a colder player full stop.

With the E500s they distort slightly at louder volumes, a problem I did not have with the 706. I think this just confirms that the 706 was a better-sounding player for me and the only player whose sound I really enjoyed. With the 808 I kind of feel disappointed when I listen. I think I tried to convince myself at the beginning when I first had the 808 that the EQ helped, and it does for certain styles of music sometimes - but mostly I keep fiddling with the EQ to get a better sound, and not succeeding.

I think the E500s make it sound better, more bass and wider soundstage, and I've cut the volume from 17 to 11, but it's the 'quality' and 'tone' I can't get. The E500 with the 706 was too 'warm' but the sound quality was still excellent - not so with the 808 in my opinion. I am going to try and adapt to the sound but not sure if that's possible now.

Has anyone else been disappointed by the 808 and then grown to like it??

[ceres]

Hmmm, been using the 500s for about 4 hours and although the 808 definitely does sound warmer and fuller with them (compared to the cold E4s I was using) - I can't help but compare it unfavourably with my sold-last-week 706. The richness of the 706 just cannot be replicated for me despite trying various eq settings. To me it's just a colder player full stop.

With the E500s they distort slightly at louder volumes, a problem I did not have with the 706. I think this just confirms that the 706 was a better-sounding player for me and the only player whose sound I really enjoyed. With the 808 I kind of feel disappointed when I listen. I think I tried to convince myself at the beginning when I first had the 808 that the EQ helped, and it does for certain styles of music sometimes - but mostly I keep fiddling with the EQ to get a better sound, and not succeeding.

I think the E500s make it sound better, more bass and wider soundstage, and I've cut the volume from 17 to 11, but it's the 'quality' and 'tone' I can't get. The E500 with the 706 was too 'warm' but the sound quality was still excellent - not so with the 808 in my opinion. I am going to try and adapt to the sound but not sure if that's possible now.

Has anyone else been disappointed by the 808 and then grown to like it??

Are the E4S Etymotics? If so that would explain the cold sound. I have never tried the E500s but UE Super Fi 5 Pro are a lot less expensive and cut it quite nicely for me.

It will be hard to duplicate 706 sound signature because Sony implemented quite a bass spike beginning at around 30 hz and ranging to around 100hz.

[ppau0822]

Hmmm, been using the 500s for about 4 hours and although the 808 definitely does sound warmer and fuller with them (compared to the cold E4s I was using) - I can't help but compare it unfavourably with my sold-last-week 706. The richness of the 706 just cannot be replicated for me despite trying various eq settings. To me it's just a colder player full stop.

With the E500s they distort slightly at louder volumes, a problem I did not have with the 706. I think this just confirms that the 706 was a better-sounding player for me and the only player whose sound I really enjoyed. With the 808 I kind of feel disappointed when I listen. I think I tried to convince myself at the beginning when I first had the 808 that the EQ helped, and it does for certain styles of music sometimes - but mostly I keep fiddling with the EQ to get a better sound, and not succeeding.

I think the E500s make it sound better, more bass and wider soundstage, and I've cut the volume from 17 to 11, but it's the 'quality' and 'tone' I can't get. The E500 with the 706 was too 'warm' but the sound quality was still excellent - not so with the 808 in my opinion. I am going to try and adapt to the sound but not sure if that's possible now.

Has anyone else been disappointed by the 808 and then grown to like it??

well from your experience it looks like i too will be disappointed.

at this point SQ is paramount and i even considered buying the hd5. there was a dh5h for sale here but it was kinda expensive.

does any one know if the hd5 sounds more like the s706?

[markey]

Hmmm, been using the 500s for about 4 hours and although the 808 definitely does sound warmer and fuller with them (compared to the cold E4s I was using) - I can't help but compare it unfavourably with my sold-last-week 706. The richness of the 706 just cannot be replicated for me despite trying various eq settings. To me it's just a colder player full stop.

With the E500s they distort slightly at louder volumes, a problem I did not have with the 706. I think this just confirms that the 706 was a better-sounding player for me and the only player whose sound I really enjoyed. With the 808 I kind of feel disappointed when I listen. I think I tried to convince myself at the beginning when I first had the 808 that the EQ helped, and it does for certain styles of music sometimes - but mostly I keep fiddling with the EQ to get a better sound, and not succeeding.

I think the E500s make it sound better, more bass and wider soundstage, and I've cut the volume from 17 to 11, but it's the 'quality' and 'tone' I can't get. The E500 with the 706 was too 'warm' but the sound quality was still excellent - not so with the 808 in my opinion. I am going to try and adapt to the sound but not sure if that's possible now.

Has anyone else been disappointed by the 808 and then grown to like it??

When I first got my A806 3 weeks ago, I wasn't too impressed by the sound compared to my S706. I think it was the supplied phones that let it down. Now I have been using the player day in day out since I bought it and using the supplied phones, and I think the phones have now some what burnt in and have growen on me. They're not the best phones I've listened to, but they're not too bad. However, they offer no noise isolation what so ever. I do agree, the sound of the A806 is cold compared with the S706's sound which is warm & full. However, the A806 is more detailed. I used the S706 this morning on my daily commute and can now say I prefer the sound of the A806.

Edited June 20, 2007 by markey

[juli_]

ppau - re: HD5 compared with 706, I had the HD5 and the sound is 'related' (ie., fuller than the 808) but that's all. I bought (and sold) the HD5 within a week! It does have very good sound and still knocks spots off anything 'non Sony' in my opinion, but it's definitely not in the same league as the 706. The volume limiter had been removed but I still had to set the volume at around 90% which leaves little in reserve. Listening to them side by side revealed huge differences, but if you'd never heard a 706 before, the sound is pretty impressive.

Unfortunately, I need something that can live upl to the 706, and the HD5 didn't do it for me. This is based purely on sound quality. It's very good - but the 706 is excellent.

The other slightly annoying thing about the HD5 was there was no normaliser. I kept having to adjust the volume between songs. The only way I can try and describe it more accurately is to say that the 706 is like strong black coffee - the HD5 is milky coffee - and the 808 is lemon juice!

I'd like to know if anyone else has tried both the HD5 and 706 recently and can comment?

I'm cutting my losses with the E500 and selling them on. Last try will be going back to the super.fi 5 pro which I felt were way too warm and bassy with the 706, but having heard the E500's with the 808, I think they'll be better suited.

I'd like to know what you think of the 500s, you might be OK with them, but I think my expectations were too high and I'd hoped to replicate the 706 sound. But I couldn't. Let me know what you think about your 500s when they come