Sonarworks and Kameleon Question

Will either Javier or Jeremy sell to India? Jeremy sells everything else to India!

If one is to use Sonarworks/Kamaleon, how would you rate the below

HD 650 with Sonarworks/Kamaleon
HD 600 with Sonarworks/Kamaleon
HD 600 without DSP/filter

Also, Frans, can you use the Sonarworks trial and tell me how it compares with K2 in real world sound? Anybody who has both could share the experience if Frans hasn't tried.

M recent experience with Sonarworks after the initial glitches has more or less been positive. It does make the HD 650 ruler flat and neutral like neutral speakers in terms of tonality. But it does reduce HD 650's native musicality and lushness. 

Can you download Sonarworks and tell me how it compares to the K2? The trial is free for 21 days.

So you mean if I Sonarworks, Kameleon 2 won't be a sound upgrade and will just allow me portable use with other devices like iPads and stuff. OK. But shouldn't going from digital to analogue be an upgrade? Dunno

And do you also recommend the Sonarworks speaker plugin?

Filters (be them analog or digital) EQ can only address tonal balance issues.

I have a few different headphones that are equalized near flat and while tonally 'similar' they certainly do not sound the same NOR is this to be expected.
Ringing, cup/driver resonances and local dips and peaks that can and should not be EQ'ed still make the headphones perform differently in various aspects like transients, imaging.
Also as correction can never be perfect and deviations (up to several dB's) will still be there none of these headphones will sound the same.
Simply because they differ.

Then there is the fact that when you look at plots measured by different people/equipment having different thoughts about compensations etc. no 2 plots will ever be the same.
When one uses any of those measurements as 'correct' you will get different EQ proposals resulting in different tonal balances.

So you need to be able to trust the measurements as a starting point.

My plots differ from those of many other sites.
I have always used my 'own' methods and didn't 'copy' other peoples measurement rigs.
An official HATS needs the proper compensation to produce correct FR plots.

Fortunately my plots have a decent correlation to those from GE and above all with those from Sonarworks.
This means that tonally a HD650 from the Kameleon will sound very close (not the same) as when Sonarworks is used.
Still I expect the Kameleon and Sonarworks to sound VERY closely the same on HD600 and HD650 but more different on most other headphones around.

Sonarworks works best when the headphone is measured by Sonarworks (you can send them in or buy from them).
The compensation from Sonarworks is more accurate for most headphones so the result is 'flatter' but the signal is also changed more and in the digital plane (no longer bit perfect)
A disadvantage could be that if 2 different DT990's are used on Sonarworks and 1 is actually measured and the other is not the compensation may be quite off in certain area's.

Where my 'viewpoint' differs from Sonarworks is that the original signal does NOT undergo complex calculations nor needs certain software(players) to work.
I only apply a 'subtle' and quite gradual EQ in the 'average' problem area(s) of specific headphones.
This means that when a headphone would need an elaborate EQ that the Kameleon only 'compensates' the average tonal balance which works on all headphones of the same series in the same manner.

So... A DT990 with Kameleon/Sonarworks will tonally be corrected but NOT sound nor resolve the same as a HD650 for instance.

Because the HD650 is technically the headphone that measures best and the DT990 has (pleasant sounding) but worse technical merits the HD650 has the potential to sound 'best' but not necessarily sound best.
The HD650 is technically MUCH better than the HD800 on several aspects yet when EQ'ed (closer to) flat the HD800 sounds 'marginally' more realistic.

So in short.... you can compare everything to everything in the entire world..
In the end though it really doesn't matter what person A or B thinks no matter who A or B is.
All that matters is that the OWNER of the headphone in question likes the sound.

If one likes the sound of their headphones as they are and uses different headphones for different music/moods/circumstances and is totally happy this way then the Kameleon or Sonarworks is money NOT well spent.
When someone is of the opinion that their favorite headphones have some 'negatives' that they wish could be removed AND they find it has the same 'issues' of what I hear, then the Kameleon or Sonarworks or Accudio or other forms of well executed EQ can possibly 'remove' those unwanted coloration IF that is what the person in question desires.

There is NO absolute right or wrong here only preferences and taste.

I think eq is often confused with resolution as well. Some seem to think that the Kameleon is going to increase the resolution of the headphone rather than the timbre, Frans. I also think that some really don't hear 'resolution' as such judging by how many think that a treble laden headphone is more 'detailed.' Just as in the hd800 which loses that sense of detail once you lower the treble to sane amounts, although from what you are saying, it produces a little more than the hd650.

The Kameleon is virgually the same in sound as Sonaworks. I've listened to both. The other one I've tried is the GE Accudio which is also pretty good. I preferred the Kameleon though to be honest.

It's also nice to be able to use it with any source.

Btw. What a fabulous post Frans. Inspiring.