The Harman target, explained without the graphs

Most headphone corrections, including Earwave's, aim at something called the Harman target. It gets mentioned constantly and explained badly. Here is the short version.

What it is

The Harman target is a frequency response curve that came out of listener preference research led by Sean Olive and Todd Welti at Harman. In many controlled tests, hundreds of listeners ranked how different headphones sounded. The consistent pattern in the results became the target: a specific amount of bass lift, a dip in the upper midrange, and a gentle treble. It is the sound most people preferred when they did not know which headphone they were hearing.

Approximate shape, not to scale.

It is not "flat"

This is where people get confused. A headphone that measures flat on a test rig sounds thin and bright to a listener, because headphones interact with the ear differently than speakers do. The target adds low end and shapes the upper midrange to match what listeners actually prefer. Flat and accurate are not the same thing, and the target is neither. It is a measured preference.

Why it matters when you EQ

If you are correcting a headphone, you need a destination. The target is that destination. A correction profile measures how far your model deviates and moves it back. Without a target you are only moving sliders until something sounds different, not better.

It is also why good corrections differ per model. An HD 650 needs a modest bass shelf. A bass-heavy closed-back needs a cut. Same target, different correction.

Where the target is wrong for you

The target is an average, and you are not an average. Treat the correction as a baseline, then adjust:

• Preference is personal. Some listeners want more bass than the target, some want less.
• Fit and seal change the low end, especially for in-ear models. A correction measured on a rig is a starting point.
• Two copies of the same model can measure slightly differently.
• Noise cancelling and other built-in processing can change the response.

Start from the measured curve, then move the bass shelf a dB or two in the direction you like. That gets you the accuracy of the measurement and the sound you actually want.