Frequency response graphs

[Mo5]

Can anyone explain what exactly do frequency response graphs mean. What do I need to look for when I'm comparing 2 sets of headphones. Below is an exaple comparing my current headphones (Sennheiser HD201 - blue line) and headphones I'm planning on getting (Shure SRH440 - red line).

As far as I can understand the higher the line the louder it is at that frequency. Is this correct?

[MegaDave91]

0 is flat and anything above or below is either boosted or cut.

[creatip123]

Easier to understand if you have played with EQ on your PC. If you haven't, try opening the EQ on your PC while playing a song. Fiddle around with the EQ buttons, while trying to understand what each frequency changes do to your song.

 

The frequency graph reports the exact same way, maybe with wider range of frequencies than your EQ, but still the same thing. For example, you are going for the shure, which is red line, correct? Imagine a song is playing with flat EQ. And then you tweak the EQ according to the red line shape. Imagine how it would sound (based on your experience fiddling with EQ stated above), and there, you got your shure's sound characteristic. Meaning, when you play a song with flat EQ, and plug in the shure, it would sound like when you tweaked the (imaginary) EQ to the red line. Of course you can't really get the exact sound with just your imagination, but you'd get the idea of how it would sound, more or less....

 

*it maybe hard to understand, but once you start fiddling with the EQ, you'll get the idea quite fast

[Guest]

It is a visualization of the relative sound pressure level (read: loudness) at every frequency across the audible range. Bass is anything below about 200Hz, mids are from 200 to 1500Hz and highs are 1500Hz+.

 

In this graph, the headphones you are planning to get have more bass and mids than your old ones. How this difference is actually perceived will vary from person to person, however.

 

EDIT: I guess another way to look at this is that the 440 will have less treble. Note that the headroom graphs are calibrated at 1000Hz, so ALL of their graphs will cross at that point. Again, what this actually sounds like will depend somewhat on the perception of the listener.

[Valhallatier]

yes you're correct, but please don't compare headphones base of frequency response.

[Guest]

yes you're correct, but please don't compare headphones base of frequency response.

 

I don't understand what you're saying or to whom.