TOPIC:

I already have DDRC-22D. Can I use EARS to measure and correct my headphones with that gear? I want to use EARS in the same way as UMIK-1 and correct headphones with Dirac Live software. Will that works?

@velone

unfortunately that wouldn't work I'm afraid since Dirac expects both channels to record. Right now the EARS aren't setup for stereo recording. It would need STEREO to MONO and the potential bleeding from one side to the other would most likely mess up the measurement.

I'm afraid that we don't have a way to do this setup.

devTeam

Doesn't the same amount of bleeding occur when wearing headphones though, it just isn't as noticeable. I would have thought it would be down to the headphones having good/bad isolation. Wouldn't the correction software recognise this bleeding issue and actually try to compensate for it? Maybe we should ask Dirac Live for a headphone version LOL.

@DIYAudiophileElliott

Not sure if we explained ourselves correctly here.
a) Dirac live must use a MONO microphone (that's how the software works)
b) EARS would therefore need to be configured for the MONO mode (i.e. L&R capsules are mixed).
c) When you sweep left headphone, it will go through the test jig and some level of signal will be picked up by right mic capsule. That's the issue. Software typically measure ONE mic at a time to isolate.

DevTeam

It is possible. You just need to use the matrix mixer on the plugin to direct both channels to one of the headphones channel. This makes it possible to make the Dirac Live correction to the one headphone channel you use, but I think the drivers are quite identical on decent headphones. After you have made the correction this way, you check the result with REW on each channel.

I used DDRC-24 with HA-DSP cause those I got handy right now, but I think this solution applies on SHD Studio and other miniDSP products with headphone amp and Dirac Live.

Just direct both left and right channel to the same headphone channel and make the correction that way. Delays between the headphone channels should be left untouched anyway, cause there shouldn't be any physical difference between them.

Here is my AKG K845BT headphones with and without Dirac Live correction.








Sorry about the Finnish language. I should get more into this subject once I get my SHD Studio back from customer. Please notice that this is possible only with Dirac Live version 2. Version 1 won't allow to use other microphones than UMIK-1.

Oh wow.. that's a neat trick Jussi!!

All this time, we thought that it would be a stereo, but if you take the assumption that both drivers are identical and just build ONE filter for say one side, then indeed, that's a brilliant idea...

Why we never thought of this, it boggles us but we're really glad to see one trial it!!

Good question for you: How does it sound? We're super curious...

Few things to know:
- Only the DDRC-24/SHD series would support this knowing you need a matrix mixer.
- You'd need Dirac Live 2 as already mentioned as indeed you need discovery of another device.

DevTeam

There is several things in this current setup to decrease the objective sound quality. With DDRC-24 and HA-DSP used there is another pair of DA-AD conversions and extra analog cables between them.

Any way, I really like the sound of the AKG K845BT headphones with Dirac Live correction. It is much better than without correction. The roughness on the higher frequencies is gone and bass isn't so one-noted. I suggest everyone to take chance on Dirac Live with headphones. I did the correction for the whole lane and it works very well.

I think best product for this kind of setup is SHD Studio.

-

If I were you I would let the bass follow the original shape of the headphones, (as in the smooth trail off). You'd want to do this for two reasons.
1. The alteration makes the impulse response in the bass frequencies much worse as shown on the waterfall graph.
2. Having a boost in the bass frequencies can majorly increase distortion as lower frequencies = more excursion = more distortion. Possibly even damaging your headphones.

I just want to help.
But what an amazing job you did, those changes really look like they will have made a big difference. I bet you love the new sound!

Thank you for sharing this clever trick! I have been looking for ways to use Dirac Live to correct my headphones. But one of my concerns is that ideal headphone measured response should not a flat speaker response. It should be close to the so called Harman Target Response curve. Here the word "ideal" is debatable. But in general, it is assume that a neutral and accurate headphone should listen like a nice speaker with flat response in front of us. We should be able to set the Dirac Live target curve to a shape like Harman's. But those high frequency ripples are real and should not be equalized out. I have not figure out how to achieve that yet. Suggestions are welcome. Here is a good article about ideal headphone target response: www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-...#PxVkSf8KrXBSEM6I.97

Update: I purchased an EARS. Now I understand that the equivalent Harman Target Response curve has been incorporated in the EARS calibration curve already, so that a flat result response is the ideal target. I then run Dirac Live v2.4 on one of my headphones. The result is much better than what I have tried with parametric equalizers. The improvement is more obvious and the sound stage is less blurred than the result of parametric equalization.

Thanks for sharing your feedback! Here is an app note to get started on Dirac Live + Headphone + EaRS.
www.minidsp.com/applications/headphone-e...rac-live-2-with-ears

Have fun

Using my shd studio for my living room , great result with my dynaudio xd60’s.
Also have an Audeze xb headphone which I want to Dirac too, just ordered the ears device.

In the how to linked above there is a headphone amp mentioned, is this necessary? Isn’t the shd studio not up to its task?
Do have a chord mojo poly ( not used anymore) and selling but better keep and using it?

Although there are no responses here and based on the in room result I bought the ears.
I do have the SHD studio.
After 2 days of trying still no result., bummer.
Do I have to do more than mentioned in the devteam manual?
Please help, I’m stuck.

The most simple setup to correct your headphones with Dirac Live is miniDSP SHD Studio. It has all the features required.

Just use the matrix mixer on miniDSP plugin software to route the both Dirac stereo channels on the same channel of the headphones. It can be left or right and of course you can do some measurements to check if they are the same.

So when measuring the setup (actually only one channel of headphones) with Dirac Live calibration tool use only one point measuring and focused imaging cause the spot is really just the one point. As calibration file for mic (actually one channel of EARS) use the correction file which is targeted for universal response for headphones. It can be downloaded on the product page of EARS.

Now the Dirac Live calibration tool will see the universally best target for the correction to be done. When you have the both Dirac channels routed to the same driver and channel of headphones, just do the measuring with Dirac Live. The measurement signal will measure both channels and in this case they are both the same and it is assumed that there isn't much difference between them.

After you have done the measurement on the one channel only, you can adjust the target curve on Dirac Live as you like, but in my experience the universal target is very natural and good. You can also listen to the different kind of corrections normally when you adjust the routing on the matrix mixer again to share the channels on left and right. The measurement of the headphone needs to be done only once when you save the Dirac Live project on you computer.