Made for Nothing Ear 2024

Quick note: Yes the treble on the graphs is below the target line. This is because Rtings is using the Harman Target curve which is pretty intense in the treble region and a touch too bright. The Treble here is aimed to more neutral and pleasant.

I made 3 presets that are meant to be more neutral sounding and a bit more accurate than the stock tune. The Graphs are from Rtings and they measured it with out of the box settings which is with bass enhance level 3.

Hifi Bass Boost

Settings:

Bass Enhance Level: 3

ANC on high

Custom sound: off

Estimated Graph (based on change in db per frequency) :

Harman Target bass boost

Settings:

Bass Enhance Level: 3

ANC on high

Custom sound: off

Preset:

Estimated Graph

Hifi (normal bass)

Settings:

Bass Enhance: Off

ANC on high

custom sound off

Preset

No graph as i don’t know what the values are without bass enhance.

For anyone interested in the method for eq (only about the bass boost version as the rest is basicly just harman bass or more flat):

EQ Preset: HiFi Bass Boost

Method:

I started equalizing the Nothing Ear 2024 by listening to a few songs and noticing what I liked and didn’t like. I noticed some sharpness in the treble and muddiness in the low mids and bass. I also used a graph to see if it measured similar to what i was actually hearing and it was quite similar indeed. I used the RTINGS graph as it has ANC on i think which causes that 300hz bump. After hearing and seeing these issues, I used a tone generator to get the peaks and bumps equal in volume to the other frequencies. A flat sound means every frequency needs to have the same volume in your ear, nothing boosted or dipped. Ofcourse it’s impossible to get it perfect and that’s fine 🙂

Why use a tone generator? It allows you to precisely identify which frequencies may be too loud. For instance, I noticed a peak around 5kHz and reduced it until it matched the other frequencies more evenly, such as those around 2kHz. After making these adjustments, I went back to listening to more songs to check for any remaining issues, making further tweaks as necessary. This back-and-forth process is how I achieved a sound that suits my tastes.

Adjustments I Made and Why:

To start, I focused on the bass. I boosted the lower bass frequencies (20Hz to 45Hz) for a satisfying rumble. The 100Hz range in the stock tune was a bit too pronounced, making some songs sound boomy and kicks and drums a bit bloated. I reduced it so that it was at the same volume level as the rest of the midrange (flat). Now, the bass remains natural but with a lower bass rumble, while the mid and upper bass stay flat to keep the overall bass sound impressive without spilling into the midrange or becoming overly boomy. The bass should now sound balanced, fun, but not excessively boosted.

I also reduced the 200Hz range, as it was too loud in the stock setting and caused vocals and instruments to sound muddy. Reducing it slightly made the sound more pleasing and overall clearer.

Next, I reduced the 300Hz range, as there was a slight bump with ANC on, which is visible on the RTINGS graph as well. With ANC off, this range is more neutral.

Finally, I toned down the treble peak around 5-6kHz, as it was too harsh on my ears, especially for S and T sounds. I also slightly increased the air region for added detail.

At first, these presets may sound a bit thinner compared to the stock tune, as the stock tune tends to emphasize bass and low mids, making the sound a slightly thicker and fuller sounding (assuming you listened to the stock tuning). Once you get used to this new sound, you might find it more to your liking. Listening to a few songs will help you determine if these adjustment suit your preferences. Switching between stock and my presets probably won’t help because my preset reduces a lot of frequencies and it can make it sound worse because it reduces overall volume a bit. I’d say, listen to the same song twice with the stock setting and my eq setting to see which you prefer.

I hope you found this helpful, and perhaps you can experiment with a tone generator yourself to fine-tune the sound to your liking. You can also use this as a base and apply your own adjustments, such as increasing the bass or decreasing it even more. It’s up to you 🙂

Happy listening and tweaking! 🙂