Leakage-dependent bass makes closed-back headphone sound quality vary across listeners

Evidence

At these frequencies a change of 10 dB in sound level corresponds to a change of 10 phons—which is a roughly a factor of two in perceived loudness. However, at lower frequencies the curves move closer to each other. At 63 Hz the relationship is about 7 dB for 10 phons, and at 31.5 Hz it is about 5 dB for double loudness. Small changes in sound level at bass frequencies are audibly consequential. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 333 (#expands, via linked claim)

The phon scale is a subjective scale of loudness based on the judgments of listeners to match the loudness of tones to reference tones at 1 kHz. The curve for N phones intersects 1 kHz at N dB(SPL) by definition, and it can be seen that the relative shape of the phon curves flattens out at higher sound levels, as shown in Figure 2.13. The relative loudness of different frequencies is not preserved, and therefore the perceived frequency balance of sound varies as the listening level is altered. This is an effect we have all heard when the volume of a recording is turned down and the bass and treble components appear suppressed relative to the midrange frequencies, and the sound becomes “duller” and “thinner.” — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 626 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Headphone cushion leaks alter only the low-frequency transfer to the eardrum — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 479; Headphone sound quality opinions vary with ear coupling and leakage; Open-back headphone responses are consistent across listeners due to seal independence (+6 more)

Related

• Listener preference tolerances on headphone frequency response are narrowest through midrange (similarity 0.90)
• Headphone cushion leaks alter only the low-frequency transfer to the eardrum (similarity 0.88)
• Seal leakage makes closed-back headphone bass highly listener-dependent. (similarity 0.87)
• Bass frequencies need far smaller level changes to halve perceived loudness (similarity 0.86)
• The ear’s frequency response means quiet playback dulls bass and treble (similarity 0.86)
• Headphone bass perception varies with how well headphones seal on each ear (similarity 0.86)
• Small bass-level changes strongly alter perceived spectral balance (similarity 0.85)
• Listeners are forgiving of headphone resonances but sensitive to bass-level air leaks. (similarity 0.84)
• Spectral balance errors predict headphone preference ratings independent of resonance Q (similarity 0.84)
• Headphone reproducibility varies strongly with frequency, worse at bass and treble extremes (similarity 0.83)
• Reduced playback levels cause timbral shifts and lost low bass (similarity 0.83)
• Volume changes alter perceived frequency balance, not just loudness (similarity 0.83)
• The three listener classes differ mainly in preferred bass level (similarity 0.82)
• Headphone cushion leakage degrades low-frequency response but spares mid and high frequencies. (similarity 0.81)
• Headphone measurement variability is greatest below 500 Hz and above 3 kHz (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Headphone reproducibility varies strongly with frequency, worse at bass and treble extremes #corroborates (0.80)
• Turning down volume suppresses perceived bass and treble relative to midrange #expands (0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 626
• Bass frequencies need far smaller level changes to halve perceived loudness #expands (0.75) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 333
• Listener preference tolerances on headphone frequency response are narrowest through midrange #complicates (0.70)