Budget Hi-Fi Magic: This is what your music really sounds like on Linux!

The never-ending search for the perfect sound

Hello dear music lovers!

Who among us hasn’t experienced this? The eternal search for that little bit more sound quality, for those goosebumps that come when the music truly grabs you. For years, I enjoyed my music on my PC, but always with the feeling that there was even more potential. Today, I’d like to take you on a little journey and introduce you to my current audio solution, which has been a minor revelation for me personally – and with surprisingly manageable effort, primarily under Linux.

Maybe you have similar components or face similar challenges. Let us inspire you!

The “before”: Good, but is there more?

My base was the Edifier MR4 active speakers.

https://www.edifier.com/global/p/studio-monitors/mr4

For their price, they’re already surprisingly good and offer a solid foundation. A lean player like DeaDBeeF

https://deadbeef.sourceforge.io/news0.html

, that reproduces the music as authentically as possible. It sounded decent, but I’m someone who likes to get the best out of it. The sound was okay, but sometimes it lacked the final precision; the spatial depth or certain frequencies didn’t feel quite “right” – often due to the room acoustics and the placement on the desk.

The “secret ingredient”: Digital room correction and speaker optimization with EasyEffects

The real turning point came with the discovery and intensive use of EasyEffects

https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects

on Linux, especially its “Convolver” plugin. And this is where the magic comes in: impulse responses (IRs).

What is an impulse response? (A brief and understandable explanation) Imagine an impulse response as a digital “fingerprint” of your speakers in your room at your listening position. It captures how your speakers and your room change the sound (frequency response, phase, early reflections, etc.).

  • What is an impulse response? (A brief and understandable explanation) Imagine an impulse response as a digital “fingerprint” of your speakers in your room at your listening position. It captures how your speakers and your room change the sound (frequency response, phase, early reflections, etc.).
  • What does the Convolver do? The Convolver in EasyEffects takes this impulse response and “corrects” the audio signal in real time before sending it to the speakers. The goal: to compensate for the speaker deficiencies and the negative influences of the room as best as possible.
  • My specific impulse response: I use an impulse response specifically tailored to the Edifier MR4. I found it in a database for loudspeaker measurements. However, you can also measure it yourself using the Room EQ Wizard (REW) https://www.roomeqwizard.com/ and a measurement microphone (e.g., UMIK-1). This IR aims to linearize the MR4’s frequency response and optimize its phase behavior.

My current audio chain at a glance:

  1. Player: DeaDBeeF – for a puristic, resource-saving playback of my music collection.
  2. System-wide sound processing: EasyEffects (runs under PipeWire/PulseAudio)
    • The core: The “Convolver” with an impulse response optimized for the Edifier MR4.
    • If you can’t find an impulse response, you can also use a parametric equalizer. (Simply search for MR4 AutoEQ and use the measured values. Feel free to experiment to find the values ​​that work for you.)
  3. Speakers: Edifier MR4 – which can now unfold their full potential!
  4. Headphones: HIFIMAN HE400se (with the appropriate impulse response or alternatively the parametric EQ settings from Oratory1990).

The result: a quantum leap in the listening experience!

I can tell you: the difference is huge!

  • Clarity and precision: Instruments are better separated from each other, details in the music that were previously lost suddenly become audible.
  • Improved spatiality: The “stage” appears wider and deeper. Instrument positioning is more precise.
  • Balanced frequency response: No more overemphasized or underrepresented frequency ranges. Bass is tighter and more defined, mids sound more natural, and highs are clear without being harsh.
  • Less fatigue: The more balanced sound allows me to listen to music for hours without it becoming tiring.

It’s as if someone had pulled back a curtain from the speakers. Every song I thought I knew sounds new and exciting. The headphones also reach unimagined heights.

How you might be able to do something similar for yourself:

  1. Good basic speakers: The Edifier MR4 are a great starting point in the budget range. But the principle also works with other good speakers or headphones.
  2. Linux & EasyEffects: If you’re using Linux, EasyEffects is an incredibly powerful tool. For Windows, I recommend the Equalizer APO (with or without the Peace GUI) and a suitable convolver VST plugin (e.g., the free “REWEQ VST Convolver” from REW or others).
  3. The correct impulse response:
    • Search online for impulse responses for your specific speaker model or headphones (e.g., in forums, on GitHub, at AutoEq).
    • For advanced users: Consider creating your own IR using software like Room EQ Wizard (REW) and a measurement microphone (e.g., UMIK-1). This is the best way to do it, as it takes your room and setup into account.
  4. A good player: DeaDBeeF is great, but any player that passes the signal cleanly to the system (and thus to EasyEffects) will work. For Windows systems, my recommendation would be the Foobar2000 audio player. This can be configured according to your needs and requirements and upgraded with numerous plugins. Its visual appearance can also be enhanced to your liking. It also performs well as a music converter, and is also slim and efficient.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Music is emotion, passion, and enjoyment. If, through my experiences, I can help even one of you experience your music more intensely and better, then sharing it will have been worthwhile. It doesn’t always have to be expensive to take a big step forward. Sometimes it’s the clever software solutions and the knowledge of how to use them that make all the difference.

Your thoughts?

Have you had similar experiences? What “tricks” do you have up your sleeve to optimize your sound? I look forward to your comments and a lively exchange!

Happy Listening, Your TOMMICMANN

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