Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 EQ settings
Parametric EQ correction for the Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000, derived from measurements by Rtings. It moves the measured frequency response toward a neutral target.
How the Audio UltraFocus 8000 sounds before EQ
Measured against a neutral target, the Audio UltraFocus 8000 comes out warm. The low end sits ahead of the treble, which flatters bad recordings and rounds off detail.
The air region, openness at the very top, sits about 3.6 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 sub-bass region, rumble and the weight under kick drums, sits about 2.1 dB forward of neutral, so kick drums carry extra weight and rumble.
The largest single move in the correction is 4.7 dB around 20 Hz, on top of a broad tilt of up to 2.1 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 warm 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:
- At the bottom of the range the correction cuts everything below roughly 31 Hz by up to 4.7 dB.
- At the top of the range the correction cuts everything above roughly 11.2 kHz by up to 4.1 dB.
- Around 6.8 kHz the correction lifts the treble by 3.3 dB, over a narrow band about 0.2 octaves wide.
The preamp of -3.3 dB offsets the boosts so nothing clips at full volume.
The filter table below contains bigger numbers than these: its largest single filter is +9.1 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: -3.3 dB (headroom for the summed boost, not for any single row)
| # | Type | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1* | Low shelf | 105 Hz | -9.1 dB | 0.70 |
| 2 | Peaking | 203 Hz | -3.1 dB | 1.02 |
| 3* | Peaking | 49 Hz | +8.1 dB | 0.44 |
| 4 | Peaking | 497 Hz | +1.1 dB | 1.77 |
| 5 | Peaking | 6.82 kHz | +3.2 dB | 5.92 |
| 6 | High shelf | 10 kHz | -4.1 dB | 0.70 |
| 7 | Peaking | 9.03 kHz | +1.9 dB | 2.15 |
| 8 | Peaking | 3.13 kHz | +1.6 dB | 2.44 |
| 9 | Peaking | 4.86 kHz | -2.4 dB | 2.79 |
| 10 | Peaking | 6.29 kHz | +1.0 dB | 5.99 |
* Rows 1 and 3 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 4.7 dB, around 20 Hz. The preamp above is set from that sum, not from any single row, which is why it is only -3.3 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 Audio UltraFocus 8000, 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 Audio UltraFocus 8000 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.
Audio UltraFocus 8000 vs other Polk 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.
| Model | Signature | Bass vs neutral | Treble vs neutral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio UltraFocus 8000 (this page) | warm | +1.5 dB | -0.2 dB |
| Audio Buckle | bass-heavy | +3.1 dB | -3.5 dB |
| Audio Hinge | bass-heavy | +5.4 dB | -4.1 dB |
| Audio Melee | bass-heavy | +2.7 dB | -2.9 dB |
| Audio UltraFit 1000 | bass-heavy | +2.5 dB | -6.4 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 Audio UltraFocus 8000 is tuned and want alternatives.