Sound
Mids
Also called midrange, middle frequencies
The mids, or midrange, are the frequencies from roughly 250 Hz to 4 kHz where voices, guitars, pianos and most of the melody live. Because the ear is most sensitive here, small changes in the mids are easy to hear.
Reviewers split the region into lower mids, which give voices body and warmth, and upper mids, which give them presence and bite. Too little upper midrange sounds distant or Veiled; too much sounds shouty, especially around 2 to 4 kHz.
A product described as "mid-forward" pushes voices ahead of the drums and bass; a V-shaped one pulls them back. Neither is wrong, and owners disagree about which suits which music.
Every headphone target shows a rise around 3 kHz, because that is how a natural sound measures at the eardrum; too little of it sounds veiled, too much shouty. Listening to a familiar singer is the quickest way to judge whether the mids of a product suit you.
Where you’ll see this on tonistry.
- Owners rate mids on a Recessed ↔ Forward scale in their reviews; a higher position isn't automatically better. See community reviews and how ratings are read.