Headphone EQ Screen
The Headphone EQ screen guides you through the process of generating a parametric EQ
correction for your headphones. It uses the same optimization engine as the autoeq CLI.
Workflow
Section titled “Workflow”1. Select Your Headphone
Section titled “1. Select Your Headphone”Choose your headphone model from the built-in database (sourced from community measurement repositories) or import a custom frequency response CSV file.
The CSV format is: frequency,spl (one row per measurement point).
2. Choose a Target Curve
Section titled “2. Choose a Target Curve”| Target | Description |
|---|---|
| Harman Over-Ear 2018 | Widely accepted research-based target for over-ear headphones |
| Harman In-Ear 2019 | Research-based target for in-ear monitors |
| Diffuse Field | Flat perceived response in a diffuse sound field |
| Free Field | Flat perceived response from a frontal sound source |
| Custom | Import your own target curve CSV |
The Harman targets are a good starting point for most listeners.
3. Configure the Optimizer
Section titled “3. Configure the Optimizer”| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Filters | Number of parametric EQ bands (5–10 recommended) |
| Max gain | Maximum boost per band (keep ≤ 6 dB to avoid driver stress) |
| Frequency range | Limit optimization to a specific range (e.g., 20–10000 Hz) |
| Algorithm | COBYLA (fast) or Differential Evolution (more thorough) |
4. Optimize
Section titled “4. Optimize”Press Optimize (or Enter). The optimizer runs and displays the result curve
overlaid on your headphone’s measured response.
5. Review and Apply
Section titled “5. Review and Apply”The result screen shows:
- Before/after frequency response overlay
- Generated PEQ filter list
- Predicted error (deviation from target)
If the result looks good, press Apply to add the filters as an EQ plugin in your chain. If not, adjust settings and run the optimizer again.
6. A/B Compare
Section titled “6. A/B Compare”Use the A/B Compare plugin (or toggle the EQ on/off with e in the Plugins screen)
to switch between corrected and uncorrected sound in real time.
- Bass boost preference — The Harman target includes a bass shelf. If you find it
too bass-heavy, use the
headphone-flatloss instead ofheadphone-score. - Measurement quality — Community measurements vary; try multiple measurement sources for your model if available.
- Preamp — Boost EQ bands can increase peak level above 0 dBFS. Add a Gain plugin before the EQ with a negative value equal to the largest boost in your filter set.