Constructive advice on SoundID for Audeze LCD-X 2021

I have used SoundID for years in music production, but I have now uninstalled and I wanted to let you know why. Sorry in advance for the long post.

Reference used to improve my last headphones, DT880 Pros, pretty effectively. I wouldn't say it resulted in completely trustworthy mixes, but it improved the stock profile. I had always wanted to upgrade to a higher tier of headphones, and about a year ago I finally did it by purchasing Audeze LCD-X (post-2021 model). I knew before buying that LCD-X would not be perfect and that they have dips in the upper regions, so I figured SoundID would help there.

It did help to an extent, but the Reference profile was also overdone. Listening to beloved CD recordings that I knew pushed the limits of strong high-end, the profile just sounded harsh. Faced with always mixing my own music to the same edge-of-pain degree, I decided to scale it down to 60% where those CDs sounded improved but pleasant again. I got used to producing at 60% Wet and my mixes seemed to transfer well but it always bugged me that to stop the highs being shrill, I had to lose 40% of the correction for the bass and mids too. Searching the internet, it seems a lot of LCD-X customers have the same observations. Still, ears adapt, and this was workable and better for me than nothing.

That was until recently, when I discovered the free AutoEQ profiles. These made the world of difference. I even found a way to route a true systemwide equalizer with an AutoEQ convolution IR into Voicemeeter via a separate ASIO route so that the correction never affects my recordings or audio exports and only happens in my headphones, which means the only time I have to turn it off is when I occasionally switch to monitor speakers.

But the biggest change is the sound. I am no longer second-guessing anything or having to A/B as much with familiar reference tracks: this curve is simply correct, while the SoundID one must be wildly off. There's also a certain graininess and inaccuracy to the top end when using Reference, particularly audible in snare tops and cymbals, which is gone now with the AutoEQ profile. Looking at the dramatic ups and downs of the Reference profile curve, I suspect that it's just over-embellished. There shouldn't be so many ripples that you change the apparent "note" of a snare, for example.

Anyway, I'm sure some headphones go hand-in-glove with their SoundID profile. I just wanted to let you know that the product completely misses the mark with my particular headphones. That said, I was also getting fed up with the forced Safe Headroom switching and the way that Reference would regularly lose the plot completely and force me to start from square one with establishing the profile.