equalizer help/suggestions/configs with ipod

[gnychis]

Hey all,

I'm brand new to Rockbox, and the main reason I'm using it is because of the better sound control than the standard Apple firmware.

I have a pair of Shure E500PTHs that sound *great* when using my IPAQ hx4705.  However from the second I plugged them in to my new 5.5G iPod, I've been disgusted.  Using the standard firmware I either had no bass, or so much bass the clipping was unbelievable.

So, I searched around and found Rockbox.  So I was just looking for some equalizer suggestions, maybe some config files others have saved and can share?  Anything to get better sound out of this, I would greatly appreciate it.  

One thing I'm definitely looking to do is increase the bass without clipping the sound.  I feel as though it's got to be possible to get sound comparable to my PocketPC, but I haven't even come close with the ipod yet.  The PocketPC would bump/thump my bass nicely, the ipod seems to be struggling with it.

Thanks!
George

[Febs]

For E500s, I use the hardware equalizer and apply a small boost (2-4 dB) using of the high shelf filter.  That's it.  

I can't imagine why anyone would want to add bass to the E500, but if you do, try using the low shelf of the hardware EQ and boosting by a couple of dB.

[gnychis]

For E500s, I use the hardware equalizer and apply a small boost (2-4 dB) using of the high shelf filter.  That's it.  

I can't imagine why anyone would want to add bass to the E500, but if you do, try using the low shelf of the hardware EQ and boosting by a couple of dB.

thanks for the suggestion! as soon as my songs are done transferring i'll give it a try.  There is seriously very little bass to the E500's from the ipod with the default settings.

[Febs]

For E500s, I use the hardware equalizer and apply a small boost (2-4 dB) using of the high shelf filter.  That's it.  

I can't imagine why anyone would want to add bass to the E500, but if you do, try using the low shelf of the hardware EQ and boosting by a couple of dB.

thanks for the suggestion! as soon as my songs are done transferring i'll give it a try.  There is seriously very little bass to the E500's from the ipod with the default settings.

I've found that there is plenty of bass with that combination.

[DefineByte]

Maybe he has a hole in his hearing (or maybe he's a bass head).

[gnychis]

maybe i am a base head... just wanted to report back and changing the shelf filters was perfect.  sounds exactly how I want it to now.

thanks!

[Febs]

Glad it worked out for you ... and in a way that is much less expensive than the suggestions you received at Head-Fi.  

[gnychis]

Glad it worked out for you ... and in a way that is much less expensive than the suggestions you received at Head-Fi.  

true that!  I am still considering an amp from the head-fi'ers suggestions though... been considering one for a while.  But, maybe i'll hold off on it a bit and do more research on the amps.  I haven't really gotten to read much about them to make an educated decision.  A lot of members at head-fi are also mentioning a few DIY amps and amps that members put together for much cheaper.  That Tomahawk is $300 :\ heh

[MU4L]

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but it seemed so similar to my own problem that I thought it'd be pointless creating a new one.

Anyways, I've been having problems with hiss and bass clipping ever since I bought my 5G and E2C combo last September (I've a terrible memory and have also only recently found time to sit down and type this out  ).

Basically, I know nothing about equalisers and the technical talk that goes along with it, so when I first read the manual concerning the parametric equaliser, you may as well have been talking to Spongebob Squarepants. I ended up 'blindly' adjusting the settings, using one song (Lionrock - Rudeboy Rock, for those even remotely interested) which I thought had the greatest range (plenty of cymbals, nice deep bass and a clear mid-range), turning the equaliser on and off after each adjustment until I hit on (what I believed to be) the best settings.

However, I've since found that many songs hiss and clip. At first I just thought that it was the quality of the rip, but I even get it with LAME VBR MP3 and with certain OGG files, too. I was just wondering if there's anything glaringly wrong with my settings, and if so, if anyone has any remedies? Any help will be much appreciated and any clarification given, if needed;

eq enabled: on
eq precut: 20
eq band 0 cutoff: 70
eq band 0 q: 38
eq band 0 gain: 28
eq band 1 cutoff: 1050
eq band 1 q: 63
eq band 1 gain: -100
eq band 2 cutoff: 200
eq band 2 q: 0
eq band 2 gain: -135
eq band 3 cutoff: 4570
eq band 3 q: 36
eq band 3 gain: 15
eq band 4 cutoff: 11000
eq band 4 q: 12
eq band 4 gain: 35

[Chronon]

Your precut should be as large as the largest gain applied to any frequency band.  I'm a little confused by the numbers you have put down there, though.  Usually gain is measured in dB, what are the units for the numbers you have given?

[Llorean]

He's pasting from the .cfg file, which I believe stores the numbers as dB*10 rather than just dB.

[Chronon]

Ah, good.    

[MU4L]

Cheers for the advice Chronon; I'll be able to test your suggestion out properly tomorrow (a rare day off   ) and will report back on the results.

[MU4L]

So, as I said I would, I've tested your suggestion out properly, and it has cut much of the bass clipping out, though I'm still encountering the occasional hiss here and there.

I guess the only thing left to do is to start from scratch, re-read the manual and slowly build the equaliser up again.

Cheers for the help nevertheless (and if anyone still has any other suggestions, I'm all ears   )

[Llorean]

Do you use replaygain at all? Have you enabled the replaygain pre-amp?