Harman Kardon NI EQ settings
Parametric EQ correction for the Harman Kardon NI, derived from measurements by Innerfidelity. It moves the measured frequency response toward a neutral target.
How the Kardon NI sounds before EQ
Measured against a neutral target, the Kardon NI comes out bass-heavy. The low end dominates the tuning and can mask the mids.
The treble region, cymbals, sibilance and sparkle, sits about 4.1 dB behind neutral, so cymbals sound blunted. The presence region, vocal clarity and attack, sits about 3.5 dB forward of neutral, so consonants and attack can turn sharp. The sub-bass region, rumble and the weight under kick drums, sits about 3.1 dB forward of neutral, so kick drums carry extra weight and rumble. The bass region, punch and bass lines, sits about 2.7 dB forward of neutral, so bass lines carry extra weight.
The largest single move in the correction is 7.4 dB around 5.1 kHz, on top of a broad tilt of up to 4.1 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 bass-heavy models.
The correction curve
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:
- Around 5.1 kHz the correction cuts the sibilance range by 7.4 dB, over a narrow band about 0.4 octaves wide.
- Around 2.7 kHz the correction cuts the clarity region by 6.3 dB, over a narrow band about 0.4 octaves wide.
- Around 7.5 kHz the correction lifts the treble by 5.9 dB, over a medium-width band about 0.8 octaves wide.
The preamp of -6.0 dB offsets the boosts so nothing clips at full volume.
The filter table below contains bigger numbers than these: its largest single filter is +20.0 dB. That is normal for an automatically fitted correction and it is not a boost of that size. Several of those filters sit on the same part of the spectrum and pull against each other, so what reaches your ears is their sum, which is the curve above. Enter every filter as listed and you get that sum. No single filter's gain is the size of any change.
Parametric EQ settings
Preamp: -6.0 dB (headroom for the summed boost, not for any single row)
| # | Type | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Low shelf | 105 Hz | -3.1 dB | 0.70 |
| 2* | Peaking | 6.8 kHz | +19.6 dB | 0.83 |
| 3 | Peaking | 175 Hz | -2.7 dB | 1.11 |
| 4 | Peaking | 806 Hz | +3.0 dB | 0.92 |
| 5* | Peaking | 5.36 kHz | -20.0 dB | 0.92 |
| 6 | High shelf | 10 kHz | -0.8 dB | 0.70 |
| 7 | Peaking | 2.68 kHz | -5.5 dB | 3.84 |
| 8 | Peaking | 3.82 kHz | +4.2 dB | 3.22 |
| 9 | Peaking | 1.74 kHz | +1.1 dB | 2.14 |
| 10 | Peaking | 5.15 kHz | -2.5 dB | 6.00 |
* Rows 2 and 5 are marked because each of those gains is larger than anything this correction actually does. Those filters overlap others in the list and pull against them, so their full size never reaches your ears. Summed with the rest of the set, the largest change anywhere in this correction is 7.4 dB, around 5.1 kHz. The preamp above is set from that sum, not from any single row, which is why it is only -6.0 dB. Enter every row exactly as listed, including the marked ones and the cuts. The set is correct together and misleading apart.
This is the published correction for the Kardon NI, unaltered, 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. These are the values to use: the numbers are not rounded off or simplified for the page, because changing them would change the result.
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 Kardon NI 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.
Headphones that sound similar
Closest matches across all 4,332 measured models, by distance between their deviation curves. Useful if you like how the Kardon NI is tuned and want alternatives.