124 MACWORLD MARCH 2020
PLAYLIST REVIEW: AUDEARA A-01audiogram
shows the
opposite.
Back on the hearing-profile page, the
next step is to tap the button labeled
“Experience Audeara.” This uploads the
EQ derived from the selected profile to
the headphones. Then, you specify the
strength of the program to apply, from 0
to 100 percent in 25-percent increments;
0 percent is described as having no
effect. Once the music starts playing,
you can go back to the Audeara app
and change the strength of the program,
which let me compare different strengths
on the fly.
PERFORMANCE
Using the High Detail profile established
by the hearing test I performed, I started
my listening with “Night by Night” from
Steely Dan’s classic Pretzel Logic. As I
listened, I tried different strengths of
effect. At 0 percent, the sound was very
dull with virtually no highs at all.
Moving up to 25 percent improved
the sound somewhat, while 50
percent sounded much better, with
reasonably balanced highs. At 75
and 100 percent, the sound was
way too bright and brittle, with
overblown highs that shrieked
uncomfortably in my ears.
Returning to 50 percent, the frequency
ranges were fairly well balanced. The
vocals sounded good, but the bass was a
bit tubby and loose.
Next up was “Good Lava” from
Esperanza Spaulding’s excellent album
Emily’s D+Evolution. The vocals, guitar, and
cymbals all sounded good, but again, the
bass was somewhat loose and muddy.
The same was true on “Ladies’ Choice” by
Joanna Cazden from her album Living
Through History, which I engineered. As
before, the bass was a bit bloated, but in
this case, the vocals were somewhat
veiled with overemphasized sibilants.
For some large-ensemble tracks, I
played “Thunder and Blazes” as
performed by the Eastman Wind Ensemble