EQ presets
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Six starting curves for Sony 1000X headphones, with the exact value for every band and Clear Bass. Enter one, listen, and adjust it to your ears.
Short answer
Pick the row closest to what you want and enter its values in your headphones' equalizer:
- WH-1000XM2, XM3, XM4, XM5: five bands (400 Hz to 16 kHz) plus Clear Bass, each −10 to +10.
- WH-1000XM6: ten bands (31 Hz to 16 kHz), each −6 to +6, no separate Clear Bass.
On a Mac, enter them on Open Sound Connect's Sound page (⌘2) and keep them with Save Current in My Curves. These are starting points, not a "best" setting: adjust them by ear.
Models: WH-1000XM2, WH-1000XM3, WH-1000XM4, WH-1000XM5
| Preset | 400 Hz | 1 kHz | 2.5 kHz | 6.3 kHz | 16 kHz | Clear Bass | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Comparing: every band and Clear Bass at 0, the headphones' own tuning. |
| Balanced | −1 | 0 | +1 | +1 | +1 | −2 | Everyday listening: trims the bass a little (Clear Bass −2 on five bands, the four lowest bands −1 on the XM6) and lifts the upper bands by 1. |
| Voices | −2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | 0 | −4 | Podcasts, audiobooks and video: cuts the bass (Clear Bass −4, or the low bands on the XM6) and lifts the upper midrange most, +3 at 2.5 kHz or +2 at 2 and 4 kHz. |
| Bass | +1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +5 | Electronic and hip-hop: raises the low end (Clear Bass +5, or +3 at 31 and 63 Hz on the XM6), with a small lift at the top so it stays clear. |
| Detail | −1 | 0 | +2 | +3 | +3 | 0 | Acoustic and classical: lifts the treble (+3 at 6.3 and 16 kHz, or +2 from 4 to 16 kHz on the XM6) and trims the low midrange slightly. |
| Relaxed | +1 | 0 | −2 | −3 | −2 | +1 | Long sessions and bright recordings: lowers the upper midrange and treble by 1 to 3 steps and adds a touch of bass. |
Models: WH-1000XM6
| Preset | 31 Hz | 63 Hz | 125 Hz | 250 Hz | 500 Hz | 1 kHz | 2 kHz | 4 kHz | 8 kHz | 16 kHz | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Comparing: every band and Clear Bass at 0, the headphones' own tuning. |
| Balanced | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Everyday listening: trims the bass a little (Clear Bass −2 on five bands, the four lowest bands −1 on the XM6) and lifts the upper bands by 1. |
| Voices | −3 | −3 | −2 | −1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +1 | 0 | Podcasts, audiobooks and video: cuts the bass (Clear Bass −4, or the low bands on the XM6) and lifts the upper midrange most, +3 at 2.5 kHz or +2 at 2 and 4 kHz. |
| Bass | +3 | +3 | +2 | +1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | +1 | Electronic and hip-hop: raises the low end (Clear Bass +5, or +3 at 31 and 63 Hz on the XM6), with a small lift at the top so it stays clear. |
| Detail | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | −1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Acoustic and classical: lifts the treble (+3 at 6.3 and 16 kHz, or +2 from 4 to 16 kHz on the XM6) and trims the low midrange slightly. |
| Relaxed | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | 0 | 0 | −1 | −2 | −2 | −2 | Long sessions and bright recordings: lowers the upper midrange and treble by 1 to 3 steps and adds a touch of bass. |
How to use these presets
Each preset is a complete curve for a listening purpose, written as steps of the headphones' own equalizer. They're editorial starting points, not measurements of any pair of headphones, and the same values sound a little different from one person, fit and recording to the next. So:
- Start with Flat and listen to two or three songs you know well.
- Enter the preset closest to what you're after and listen to the same songs.
- Change one band at a time, by one or two steps, until it sounds right. If you can't hear the difference, go back.
The two tables are separate on purpose: the XM6's ten bands and narrower range don't convert one-to-one from the five-band layout, so each has its own values.
Enter a preset on a Mac
- Connect your headphones to the Mac and open Open Sound Connect.
- Press ⌘2 for Sound. In the Equalizer card, Clear Bass is the slider on the left on the five-band models, followed by the bands from 400 Hz to 16 kHz. The XM6 shows ten sliders from 31 Hz to 16 kHz.
- Drag each slider to the value in the table, or click a slider and use the arrow keys to move one step at a time. Each value goes to the headphones when you let go.
- If one of Sony's fixed presets is selected, choosing a band moves the headphones to the Manual preset; the card tells you before you change anything. Flatten sets every band to 0 first, if you'd rather start clean.
- Under My Curves, choose Save Current and give it the preset's name. Click it later to apply all the values at once.
Saved curves stay on your Mac and apply only to headphones with the same number of bands, so a five-band curve works on any XM2 to XM5 but not on the XM6. A scene can apply a saved curve automatically, for example Voices when your podcast app opens.
On your phone
In Sony | Sound Connect, open the equalizer, switch to a custom setting and enter the same values. The curve is saved in the headphones, so whichever device you set it on, you hear it on both. Do Sony EQ settings carry over? explains why.
These presets and Sony's
Sony's own presets, such as Bright, Mellow, Vocal or Bass Boost, are fixed curves built into the headphones. You can't change them, but you can click one to compare. The presets on this page are values you enter on the editable Manual preset, and you can change them freely.
Models not in the tables
- MDR-1000X: it has no equalizer.
- WH-1000XX: Open Sound Connect shows whatever bands the XX reports. If they match one of the layouts above, the same values are a reasonable start.
Guides for your model
Each model guide explains what every band does, with more starting curves and model-specific notes: WH-1000XM3, WH-1000XM4, WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6. The equalizer feature page covers presets, Manual and saved curves in general.
Common
questions
Which preset is the best?
None is best for everyone. Ears, fit and music differ, so start from the one closest to what you want and adjust it until it sounds right to you.
Are the values in decibels?
They're steps of the headphones' own equalizer, and Open Sound Connect doesn't label them in dB: −10 to +10 on the five-band models, −6 to +6 on the XM6.
Why does Clear Bass come last in the table but first in the app?
The table lists the five bands in order and Clear Bass separately. In the app, Clear Bass is the slider to the left of the bands; the values are the same.
Where to next
- Equalizer and Clear BassSony's presets, your own band curve and Clear Bass, set in the headphones from your Mac.
- WH-1000XM3 EQ settingsFour starting curves for the XM3's five bands and Clear Bass, what each slider does, and how to set them from a Mac.
- WH-1000XM4 EQ settingsFive starting curves for the XM4, what to raise or lower for the sound you want, and how to set them on a Mac.
- WH-1000XM5 EQ settingsStarting curves for the XM5's five bands and Clear Bass, how to build your own, and how to set it from a Mac.
- WH-1000XM6 EQ settingsFive starting curves for the XM6's ten-band equalizer, what each band does, and how to set it from a Mac.
Put your headphones
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