Poweramp EQ Presets | Virtual Headphones

About

Virtual Headphones is a project made by one person, which consists of using both Wavelet and Poweramp (to be shown below, and why I used them) to simulate over 400 headphones with Poweramp EQ presets.

I created this project to allow the listeners to indirectly listen to music through other headphones and imagine that they are hearing them. It doesn't mean it's a replacement to actual headphones; the disclaimer explains this in detail.

There are really good sound demos on YouTube (e.g.: oluv's gadgets) that do just that, however with Poweramp's powerful parametric EQ, it allowed me to let the listeners do this freely with their favorite tracks (which further replicates the experience of trying another headphone before/after buying it) without added compression from the platform.

Personal experience

I've compared the same simulated headphones against the actual headphones with my daily driver (soundcore Space One) and for the most part the simulated counterparts actually manage to capture most of their sound characteristics, dare I say even better than the sound demos found online, which are technically more complex than just replicating frequency response graphs with EQ. My sample is not big (less than 10 different headphones) and there could be some differences with other simulated models against the actual models, even if I hypothetically tried hundreds of headphones, due to the reasons that I laid further below.

Why I used Poweramp

Poweramp allows me to export presets, which in this case, are headphone presets. It also offers a parametric equalizer, which is essentially a more advanced way to tweak sound compared to the graphic equalizer, which has fixed bands. Thanks to the flexibility from the former, it allows me to replicate frequency response graphs more accurately, as I can properly place the peaks and dips of each center frequency and adjust their bandwidth.

A replicated frequency response does not reflect real headphones at its entirety.

Why I recommend Wavelet

Wavelet offers a feature called AutoEQ, which compensates over 3400 models according to Harman's target curve, which results in a tonally balanced sound, similar to quality speakers in a good room. This allows you to listen to the simulated headphones with least perceivable coloration as possible (I currently use the built-in EQ that came from my soundcore headphones to achieve the same goal).

I also use its graphic EQ to adapt to the Harman IE and OE, which will be shown here. If you're simulating IEM's/earphones with an over-ear/on-ear, use Wavelet's graphic EQ and EQ as follows:

62.5Hz: 2.5dB

125Hz: 1.0dB

250Hz: -0.2dB

500Hz: -0.3dB

1kHz: 0.2dB

2kHz: 1.5dB

4kHz: 1.0dB

8kHz: 3.0dB

16kHz: -6.0dB

If you're wearing IEMs or earbuds and you're simulating the rest of headphone types, just reverse the numbers from above (2.5dB to -2.5dB, 1dB to -1dB, etc).

You can also use the graphic equalizer to compensate if your headphones fit somewhat loose on your head, which can harm sound quality (especially the bass range) and even the accuracy of the simulation. How? Press your headphones against the sides of your head pretending that the fit is good, then stop pressing and EQ based on how it sounded when pressed. Repeat this enough times to the point where the EQ sounds similar to when you press.

On a side note, if you have a headphone that has a companion app with built-in EQ (as previously mentioned) and you know how to make your headphones sound closer to the Harman Target, Wavelet may not be that necessary as it's a third party app (unless you're simulating IEMs with an over-ear or viceversa), which generally isn't entirely reliable.

Disclaimer

The simulation is relative, not absolute, it's done for comparative and/or enjoyment purposes only. It means it will not be 100% accurate, as we do not all perceive how real headphones will sound in the same way, due to factors such as ear shape, fit, seal, positioning, harmonic distortion, measuring, unit variation and headphone type, which indicate that you will not get the same experience.
AutoEQ is not entirely accurate, especially if your headphone has a peaky sound profile. It still does the closest job of compensating a wide selection of headphones to Harman. Your experience may vary depending which headphone you use (Poweramp now has the AutoEQ functionality. However, Wavelet still has to be used in conjunction with Poweramp for the reason laid above the disclaimer).
The replications from frequency response graphs may have some inaccurate matchings due to human error (though it's not a priority to accurately match peaks and dips because of unit variation and measurements can differ).
I do not own any measurement rig to prove the accuracy of the simulation (on my case because your mileage may vary due to aforementioned points), this is just an idea that I wanted to share with the world.

How do I set this up?

Download the presets, I recommend you do it from Wavelet + crinacle.com + RTINGS.com.
Download Wavelet if you haven't.
Go to Settings and enable Legacy mode. Follow this step as well if you're using MusicFX in Poweramp and it's not working properly.
Turn it on and enable AutoEQ. Make sure your headphones are connected, otherwise it won't show up.
Go into it and then press where it says headphone model. There will be a search icon.
Download Poweramp if you haven't. If you plan to use it for a long time you must pay the Poweramp Full Version Unlocker (I'm currently working with "poweramp-settings" files, if downloaded you should instead go to the settings, then press import settings/data to select the downloaded file. In this case, the tutorial ends here)
Press the equalizer icon. Press the presets button and press and hold any preset.
Go to "Import" and select the downloaded .json file. Notice that each headphone preset has an acronym at the beginning.

C: Closed-back

E: Earbuds

H: Hybrid

I: In-ear

O: Open-back

S: Semi-open

You're set!

disclaimer