![]() One of the things I most like about True-Fi is that it works with the music player or service you’re already using - there’s no need to get used to a new player interface, or settle for a clunky interface to get better sound. A ten-day free-trial version is available. Installation was about the same as for any other typical PC app: simple, and it took only a few minutes. I installed Sonarworks True-Fi on a Lenovo laptop running Windows 10. Second is a bass slider that lets you boost or cut bass by as much as 8dB. Adjust for Age boosts the treble to compensate for the degree of hearing loss in this range that’s typical for your age and gender an onscreen slider lets you adjust the level of compensation. First is an Adjust for Age feature, in which you select your gender and age (between 21 and 60, in one-year increments). Two more features are offered, both of which, as I’ll explain later, are likely to come in handy. If you buy a pair of these and a copy of True-Fi, the company provides a curve created specifically for the individual set of headphones you buy. Sonarworks also sells 13 models of individually pre-calibrated headphones. Sonarworks plans to update this list with more headphones - they did so twice while I was working on the review - and they solicit requests for headphones their customers would like to see added. You can select curves for a few models to be displayed on the control screen, making it easy to switch quickly between them rather than having to search through all 140 models. You’ll find headphones from most major brands and some smaller ones, though some brands are disproportionately represented for example, the app currently lists 26 Sennheiser but only two HiFiMan models. For most noise-canceling (NC) models, two curves are included: one for NC on, one for NC off. The True-Fi app at last count offered correction curves for 140 different headphone models. The company says its Reference professional headphone-calibration software is currently endorsed by 14 Grammy-winning audio engineers and used in more than 25,000 recording studios. Sonarworks, headquartered in Riga, Latvia, goes into no detail about their target response curves or how they derived them at CES, they told me they based the target response on calibrations they’ve done of studio monitors, and through consultations with recording engineers. In such cases you’re better off using the free EQ apps built into phones and computers to tweak the sound to your taste. I’ve encountered at least one company that attempted to EQ headphones to a flat curve, as if they were speakers, and others that boost the treble too much or add soundstage virtualization that sounds highly unnatural. The problem is, how do the people who create the software determine what equalization response curve to shoot for? Solid research into what constitutes the best response curve for headphones has begun to emerge, but the more research papers you read, the more you realize that a lot of the people making audio products don’t read many audio research papers. One of those is Sonarworks’ True-Fi ($79 USD), an app for Windows or Apple OS that I first encountered at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show.Īpps like these are great in concept. When you consider these differences, and that most headphones are now connected to smartphones and computers, it’s not surprising that many apps have emerged to equalize ’phones for better sound. Some sound harsh and thin, others dull and bloated, and many sound good but have a few annoying quirks. Sonarworks True-Fi measurements using headphones mentioned in this review can be found by clicking this link.Īnyone who’s tried a few different headphones knows their sound can vary wildly. Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience
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