Atrium / Headphone EQ / DUNU / SA6 EST

DUNU SA6 EST EQ settings

Parametric EQ correction for the DUNU SA6 EST, derived from measurements by Super Review. It moves the measured frequency response toward a neutral target.

How the SA6 EST sounds before EQ

Measured against a neutral target, the SA6 EST comes out dark. The treble sits well behind neutral, so detail and air are muted.

The presence region, vocal clarity and attack, sits about 4.7 dB behind neutral, so detail and clarity soften. The air region, openness at the very top, sits about 4.1 dB forward of neutral, so the very top sounds airy and open (measurements this high up vary between test rigs, so treat the exact number loosely). The bass region, punch and bass lines, sits about 1.6 dB forward of neutral, so bass lines carry extra weight. The mids region, vocals and most instruments, sits about 1.3 dB forward of neutral, so vocals push ahead of the mix.

The largest single move in the correction is 6.2 dB around 3.5 kHz, on top of a broad tilt of up to 4.7 dB. That is not subtle. This model benefits clearly from correction.

These figures are read from the correction itself: whatever the EQ lifts, the headphone lacked, and whatever it cuts, the headphone had too much of. The target is the community's neutral reference, and how far above 10 kHz you can trust any measurement varies by rig. More dark models.

The correction curve

1001k10k+80-8 full measured correction what Atrium applies

The solid line is the full measured correction (all 10 filters). The dashed line is what Atrium applies: the same shape at 65 percent strength, capped at 6 dB per band, so the headphone keeps its own character instead of being forced flat.

What the EQ fixes

Summed across every filter, these are the changes the correction actually makes, largest first:

The preamp of -6.2 dB offsets the boosts so nothing clips at full volume.

Parametric EQ settings

Preamp: -6.2 dB (prevents clipping from the boosts below)

#TypeFrequencyGainQ
1Low shelf105 Hz-0.3 dB0.70
2Peaking3.47 kHz+6.3 dB1.80
3Peaking1.27 kHz-3.0 dB1.22
4Peaking164 Hz-2.3 dB0.90
5Peaking5.4 kHz+4.2 dB4.56
6High shelf10 kHz-4.6 dB0.70
7Peaking8.9 kHz+1.8 dB2.74
8Peaking6.46 kHz-1.5 dB6.00
9Peaking5.88 kHz+1.4 dB5.98
10Peaking65 Hz+0.2 dB2.08

This is the full measured correction in AutoEq format. It pastes straight into Equalizer APO or Peace on Windows, and into most parametric EQ apps. Enter every row, including the ones that cut. The fitting process is free to use large opposing filters that cancel down to a small net change, so a single large gain here does not mean a large change to the sound. The curve above is what the whole set does together.

How to use these settings

Manually: enter the preamp and each filter into any parametric EQ. On Windows that is usually Equalizer APO with the Peace interface. On a Mac, eqMac or SoundSource. Set the type, frequency, gain and Q exactly as listed.

With Atrium: pick your SA6 EST in the app and it applies a tuned version of this correction: 65 percent strength with a 6 dB per-band cap, which fixes the rough spots without erasing what the headphone does well. Atrium also measures how you hear with a short listening test and layers your personal hearing profile on top. Two people with the same headphones do not hear the same sound. Headphone corrections are part of Signature Edition; the app itself is free.

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SA6 EST vs other DUNU models

Bass and treble are each model's average distance from the neutral target in that range. Positive means more than neutral, negative means less.

ModelSignatureBass vs neutralTreble vs neutral
SA6 EST (this page)dark+1.0 dB-2.2 dB
DaVincibass-heavy+2.4 dB-1.2 dB
DK2001dark-0.1 dB-2.8 dB
DK3001 Prodark-0.6 dB-2.8 dB
DK3001BDwarm+1.7 dB+0.4 dB

Headphones that sound similar

Closest matches across all 4,332 measured models, by distance between their deviation curves. Useful if you like how the SA6 EST is tuned and want alternatives.

More DUNU EQ settings