TheWolfLoki

Nov 14, 2019 07:35 AM By  Cedric Demers

Thanks everyone! You are right, we can do both at the same time. We will discuss internally all your feedback and come up with a proposal next week to share with you before we implement the changes. To summarize this thread so far (and let me know if I miss important things):

1. The new sound profiles are confusing and seems subjective, not objectively based
2. Bass, Mid, and Treble boxes are useful Do you have feedback on the other changes of 1.3? For example, the connectivity section overhaul, new phone call usage or the peaks/dips?

I don’t think there are issues with anything else that was added. Sound Quality (Bass/Mids/Treble) should be given priority over Sound Profile as this is very subjective. By all means keep both, but I’d display the old boxes first then Sound Profile later on the page.

My (unrelated) suggestion would be to give us an idea of the decibel level at certain volume levels using a popular test device such as an iPhone. The ear tries to protect itself at 90dB, which results in a compromised listening experience and potentially hearing loss once that level is exceeded. I think having this info could help benefit consumers once properly educated. It can’t be a perfect science as different sources will result in varying decibel levels, but I think some implementation of this (even just noting the volume level and test device when doing the Weighted Harmonic Distortion test) would be useful to know.

I just read the Beats Solo Pro review (which I was very much looking forward to) and miss having the breakdown for the bass, mids, and treble. Still, appreciate what you’re doing! It’s very useful, but it was easier to compare headphones before.

Nov 12, 2019 02:39 PM By  Cedric Demers

Thanks everyone for your feedback! The 1.3 changes are indeed a bit confusing. Note that you can end up with almost the same score as before by replacing (33% bass + 33% mid + 33% treble) by (50% Neutral + 50% Peaks/Dips). That’s what the usage ‘Neutral Listening’ does, so it is the equivalent of the old ‘Critical Listening’. We did the change to help people who wants to find headphones that have the sound profile that they like, which isn’t always the harman target depending on your personal preference. Do you have suggestions on how to clarify the system or maybe changes that would work equally well for people who wants the harman target than for people who wants something different? Ideally as simple as possible so it is easy to understand.

I think what you were doing worked fine. Under 1.2 it was already pretty self explanatory how much bass or treble boost a headphone had.

This new system will be confusing to the average user. Doesn’t make sense to score how bass-heavy or bright a headphone is, it makes it look like the headphone is doing something wrong if it gets a low score in any of those categories.