NF ACOUS NE4 (red faceplate) EQ settings

Parametric EQ correction for the NF ACOUS NE4 (red faceplate), derived from measurements by ToneDeafMonk. It moves the measured frequency response toward a neutral target.

How the ACOUS NE4 (red faceplate) sounds before EQ

Measured against a neutral target, the ACOUS NE4 (red faceplate) comes out bass-heavy. The low end dominates the tuning and can mask the mids.

The air region, openness at the very top, sits about 4.0 dB behind neutral, so the very top closes in (measurements this high up vary between test rigs, so treat the exact number loosely). The bass region, punch and bass lines, sits about 3.5 dB forward of neutral, so bass lines carry extra weight. The presence region, vocal clarity and attack, sits about 3.0 dB behind neutral, so detail and clarity soften. The lower mids region, warmth and the body of voices, sits about 1.8 dB behind neutral, so voices lose body and sound hollow.

The largest deviation runs to about 3.5 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 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

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

• The filter at 1 kHz lifts the air band by 6.5 dB with a shelf.
• The filter at 4.51 kHz lifts the sibilance range by 6.3 dB with a narrow band (Q 2.77).
• The filter at 169 Hz cuts the upper bass by 5.5 dB with a broad band (Q 0.72).

The preamp of -6.4 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 ACOUS NE4 (red faceplate) 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.

ACOUS NE4 (red faceplate) vs other NF 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 ACOUS NE4 (red faceplate) is tuned and want alternatives.

More NF EQ settings