If you guys are anything like me, you spent the first 48 hours burning in your headphones and the following 24 hours trying to find the proper EQ for your listening needs. I just want to say that sound is subjective and that there is no right or wrong way to listen to music; that being said, I know there is at least one person out there with the burning question, "which EQ settings are the best?" and for that person, I have created this discussion.
If you've done your research, you'll find that the MSH2's (Microsoft Surface Headphone 2's) have semi-muddled lows, decent mids, and disappointing highs. By no means does this translate to having a bad sound; it just means that the headphones have a warm (all be it congested) sound profile. This is good for hip-hop and EDM, which rely on heavy bass and other less subtle musical elements. However, when it comes to music that is lyrically heavy and has more complexity in its sound profile, the MSH2's can fall short of the standard set by the its competition (BOSE and Sony).
I have found that a few small tweaks to the EQ in the right places will help to brighten up those high notes and to better define those low ones for an all around better sound:
- Mid Low: -2 (Helps to mellow out the over saturation of the higher bass and to eliminate the clutter of sound.)
- Mid: 0 (The Mids are decent as is. You could probably pump them up for more instrumental clarity, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.)
- Mid High: 4 (This helps to open up the music and to make songs feel less dense.)
- High: 6+ (The reason this one has a scale of 6 and up is because it affects the clarity of the vocals. If you like lyrics, then your might want it higher than 6. Be warned, the higher you go, the more the vocals will echo over the rest of the music.)
And there you have it, a truly "flat" EQ that will help your MSH2's keep up with best of them. I would like to place a disclaimer and say that this is in no way, shape, or form a "professional"analysis; this is my personal take on how to get the most out
of your headphones and if anyone else has any EQ examples or suggestions they'd like to share, please do! Thank you for reading, and I hope this helps :).