The Harman in-ear target remains top-ranked across independent validation studies
Evidence
In summary, the Harman 2019 IE target as defined on the B&K 5128 was rated highest in the blind listening and equally preferred to the SoundGuys target by 73% of the listeners. Five years later since the first validation study (Olive et al., 2017a) of the Harman IE target, the translated B&K 5128 version of it continues to hold its own. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1821
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Listeners preferred the Harman-target headphone in 28 of 31 models tested; The Harman target curve was strongly preferred over all competing headphone targets; Listeners strongly prefer the Harman target over DF, Lorho, and FF headphone targets — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1790 (+10 more)
- yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Listeners preferred the Harman-target headphone in 28 of 31 models tested; The Harman target curve was strongly preferred over all competing headphone targets; Listeners strongly prefer the Harman target over DF, Lorho, and FF headphone targets — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1790 (+10 more)
Broader Connections
- The Harman target curve was strongly preferred over all competing headphone targets
#corroborates(0.92) - Flat targets may beat the Harman curve for binaural headphone rendering
#complicates(0.82) - Audience bass preferences deviate from the Harman target by up to six dB.
#complicates(0.80) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1800 - Excess upper-frequency gain makes the Harman curve sound bright on binaural content
#complicates(0.78)