01
Technical Performance
Imaging, layering, dynamics, separation, transients, perceived detail retrieval.
Two IEMs can graph identically.
One sounds alive.
One sounds dead.
Manifesto / Vol. 03
I don’t
listen to
FR graphs.
I listen with my ears.
Exhibit A
Graphs are useful.
Ears are essential.
One tells you what might happen.
The other tells you what does.
Definition
What is an FR graph?
A Frequency Response graph shows how loudly a headphone or IEM reproduces different frequencies.
That’s it.
It’s helpful. But it’s not the whole story.
Five Things
What FR graphs can’t tell you
02
Driver Behaviour
Driver quality. Implementation. Housing design. Acoustics.
A Ferrari and a Ford Focus can both be travelling at 70mph.
One is having a much better time.
03
Your Ear Canal
The graph is measured on a coupler.
You are not a coupler.
Your ear canal changes everything.
You are using a real ear. An inconvenient detail.
04
Fit
Graphs assume a perfect seal.
Reality: tips, depth, angle, movement.
Suddenly your graph is having a completely different day.
05
The Peak Panic
“Nasty 5k peak!”
Maybe.
Or maybe it’s just a squiggly line in a tiny space on a squashed graph.
Perspective matters.
Chapter I
The graph cult
Some people buy with their eyes and justify with their ears.
Roughly equivalent to marrying someone because their passport photo looked nice.
You may get lucky.
You may also end up crying in a forum thread.
We’ve all been there.
Chapter II
The three things I use graphs for
- 1.
Elimination
If an IEM has no bass and I love bass.
Easy. Next.
- 2.
Comparison
Want to know why one IEM sounds brighter than another?
Graphs are brilliant.
- 3.
Curiosity
I love looking at graphs.
They’re fascinating.
I just don’t mistake them for listening.
Chapter III
What actually matters
- Did I smile?
- Did I stop analysing and start listening?
- Did I play “just one more track”?
- Did I lose an hour without noticing?
- Would I spend my own money on it again?
Those questions have never appeared on an FR graph.
Music is emotional.
Graphs are mathematical.
The graph tells me whether I should audition an IEM.
My ears tell me whether I should keep it.