LZ Hi-Fi Audio Z05A EQ settings

Parametric EQ correction for the LZ Hi-Fi Audio Z05A, derived from measurements by oratory1990. It moves the measured frequency response toward a neutral target.

How the Hi-Fi Audio Z05A sounds before EQ

Measured against a neutral target, the Hi-Fi Audio Z05A comes out dark. The treble sits well behind neutral, so detail and air are muted.

The air region, openness at the very top, sits about 5.9 dB behind neutral, so the very top closes in (measurements this high up vary between test rigs, so treat the exact number loosely). The treble region, cymbals, sibilance and sparkle, sits about 5.2 dB behind neutral, so cymbals sound blunted. The presence region, vocal clarity and attack, sits about 3.4 dB behind neutral, so detail and clarity soften. The sub-bass region, rumble and the weight under kick drums, sits about 3.1 dB behind neutral, so kick drums lose their weight.

The largest deviation runs to about 5.2 dB, which is impossible to miss. 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

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

The biggest moves in this correction, and what they do:

• The filter at 1.66 kHz cuts the vocal presence region by 7.7 dB with a medium-width band (Q 1.78).
• The filter at 6.91 kHz lifts the treble by 5.9 dB with a medium-width band (Q 1.05).
• The filter at 1 kHz lifts the air band by 5.7 dB with a shelf.

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

Parametric EQ settings

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.

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 Hi-Fi Audio Z05A 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.

Hi-Fi Audio Z05A vs other LZ 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.

Headphones that sound similar

Closest matches across all 4,332 measured models, by distance between their deviation curves. Useful if you like how the Hi-Fi Audio Z05A is tuned and want alternatives.

More LZ EQ settings