Just bought my first plugin in I don’t know how long - $35 with the newsletter. I shall try and test it over the coming days/weeks/months…
I have dodgy hearing, thought this might help, especially in the Control Room. At the moment I’m using a Baxendale-style EQ to boost the highs.
So the question is: Does anyone have any thoughts on this plugin? Does any one know of a plugin (not expensive!) that can do what Perfection claims and purports to do?
Update: 2026-08-05
I cautiously recommend anyone with hearing issues to try this plugin.
Hadn’t heard of it until your post. Could be interesting if it works well enough.
I have used the Waves Nx studio simulation in headphones stuff, but those don’t do anything to recognize any hearing limitations. I do like them, however, for alternate listening perspectives, and I’ve had a lot fewer car listening test failures since I’ve started using them regularly.
I also use iZotope’s Tonal Balance to give me visual cues, and I’m guessing some of the key things I notice there relate to my hearing issues (others to home studio limitations, but the Nx stuff helps on the latter front).
Looks interesting. Let us know how good it works please.
I had the Sonarworks SoundID collecting dust on my wishlist for the longest time (But it doesn’t account for personal hearing). You can set Adam Audio speakers to the eq of the sonarworks and be done with it. But who has that kind of cash amiright. Pfft I ain’t no trust fund chad.
That Hitstrip plugin (in your video) looks pretty cool. But looks like they ripped off fabfilter for their eq.
LOL. Maybe if it’s super-crowded – claustrophobic. But mine isn’t exactly anything special on the physical/space/hardware side – typical small bedroom setup that doubles as studio, office, media archives, library, and occasional rehearsal space (for 2-3 people max). All the sounds (other than vocals) come from virtual instruments, with the only hardware being a couple of keyboard controllers, a wind controller, my audio interface, a mic preamp, a mic, and some old E-MU monitors. But inside the computer there is decidedly way more than I’d ever have been able to afford during my tape and MIDI hardware days. I decidedly don’t miss all those heat generators (I got rid of the last of those back in 2012 prior to moving out of my old house, which at least had a slightly bigger bedroom, though still pretty crowded)!!!
Kinda all depends what’s stuffed in it. Mine is bigger dimensions-wise (137" x 118" if I just measured correctly), but most of that is taken up by my U-shaped wraparound desk (left side is mostly media storage, books, and inbox-type stack, with supply boxes underneath, as well as files drawer; right side is printer, and preamp, with audio interface on top of a crate underneath; center is my two 24" monitors, 61-key MIDI controller, computer speakers, and keyboard drawer, computer, and computer speakers sub underneath). Left wall beyond desk is totally taken up by bookcase with more media storage on top, and storage rack for various things like cables, supplies, etc. Right wall is taken up by more media storage, my monitor speakers on stands, then my 88-key MIDI controller, with the only available space being the space between the monitors, and a narrow passage in front of those to get to the media storage racks. There’s also a small closet that is totally storage (wind controller, mics and mic stand, more media storage, etc.). There is at least breathing space, so it avoids being claustrophobic when I’m the only one here. Not too bad if just a singer and me. It was very claustrophobic though the one or two times I also had another musician in here.
My old place had a bigger room, but at the time, besides the same desk (no controller on it and only one monitor at that point), I had a Mackie 32*8 mixer a couple of keyboards that actually made sounds besides working as controllers), and probably a 6 ft. or so rack of MIDI and audio gear. In some ways, it was more claustrophobic, and the heat factor from all the hardware made it seem even more so.
I tried it, and it’s useful for creating your personal EQ curve for a combination of your own headphones on your own ears, although you could do the same with CurveEQ in Cubase if you already know your hearing’s frequency curve.
It’s the automated test in HEARS Perfection that makes it convenient. Technically, any linear-phase EQ that allows you to match the inverse of your own hearing should work, given that it’s just a correction curve with about +/-6 dB range, and can’t correct severe hearing loss.
In Nuendo, Headphones Match can do something similar but without the test, using headphone profiles which can also simulate what a mix would sound like with other headphones.
As for alternatives, it depends on what you regard as expensive, but there’s Aria Studio.
Just a thought: You should probably create dedicated profiles for each monitoring system in order to match the specific listening environment. I am not familiar with this plugin so I don’t know if this gets mentioned in the manual. However, it makes sense to me.
I cross my fingers that the plugin will serve you well
Good luck!
Small update.
I set up Hears. Just a short hearing test similar to a specialist’s hearing test, but much shorter. I used headphones only for this (Audio-Technica M50x Pro).
I created a 1 bar loop of kick, snare hi-hat and a chugging muted power chord guitar. Using my usual FX.
All the sounds were randomised in position and velocity, a tiny bit.
Did a A/B comparison, and the difference was astounding. With Hears On, I could clearly hear the hi-hats. With it Off, just barely.
I have high hopes for this plugin.
Last October I had a test by a specialist. Turns out I have 50% of hearing left in my left ear, but a massive 75% in my right ear.
When I use the Test Tone plugin in Cubase, I can hear up to about 3.5KHz, 5KHz, if I whack up the volume.
But mine isn’t exactly anything special on the physical/space/hardware side – typical small bedroom setup that doubles as studio, office, media archives, library, and occasional rehearsal space (for 2-3 people max). All the sounds (other than vocals) come from virtual instruments, with the only hardware being a couple of keyboard controllers, a wind controller, my audio interface, a mic preamp, a mic, and some old E-MU monitors. But inside the computer there is decidedly way more than I’d ever have been able to afford during my tape and MIDI hardware days. I decidedly don’t miss all those heat generators (I got rid of the last of those back in 2012 prior to moving out of my old house, which at least had a slightly bigger bedroom, though still pretty crowded)!!! 
