Writing · Audio

Audio Notes

Measurement-first notes on audio gear — what actually changes the sound, and the EQ curves to back it up.

Measurednot vibes
→ Ariafed the EQ presets
The problem

Audiophile claims are mostly untestable — these aren’t

Most audio writing is adjectives. I wanted a small, honest set of notes grounded in measurements: what a headphone actually does, how far it sits from a sensible target, and the specific EQ that closes the gap.

These write-ups aren’t a product — they’re the reasoning (and the curves) that became the preset EQ profiles shipped in Aria.

Architecture

From measurement to a preset

Each note follows the same path: measure, compare to a target curve, derive a minimal parametric EQ, then verify by ear and re-measure.

Key decisions

What I chose, and why

Decision

Measurement over impressions

over subjective reviews

A frequency-response plot and a target delta are reproducible; "warm and musical" isn’t.

Decision

Minimal EQ

over aggressive correction

A few well-placed bands beat a wall of filters — less phase weirdness, and it maps cleanly onto Aria’s 10-band EQ.

Measured outcomes

What comes out of it

ReusableEQ presetsshipped in Aria
RepeatableMethodmeasure → correct → verify