AutoEQ MCP Server

Local setup required. This server has to be cloned and prepared on your machine before you register it in Claude Code.
1

Set the server up locally

Run this once to clone and prepare the server before adding it to Claude Code.

Run in terminal
pip install autoeq-mcp
2

Register it in Claude Code

After the local setup is done, run this command to point Claude Code at the built server.

Run in terminal
claude mcp add autoeq-mcp -- node "<FULL_PATH_TO_AUTOEQ_MCP>/dist/index.js"

Replace <FULL_PATH_TO_AUTOEQ_MCP>/dist/index.js with the actual folder you prepared in step 1.

README.md

Access 8,800+ headphone EQ settings, sound analysis, and preference scores.

AutoEQ MCP Server

pip install autoeq-mcp

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives AI assistants access to the AutoEQ headphone equalization database — 8,800+ headphones and IEMs with parametric EQ settings, sound signature analysis, and Harman preference scores.

한국어 README

What It Does

Ask your AI assistant things like:

  • "Get me the EQ settings for the HD650"
  • "Compare the HE400se and HD600"
  • "Recommend warm-sounding over-ear headphones"
  • "What are the top-ranked IEMs by Harman score?"

The server automatically analyzes frequency response measurements across 8 bands and classifies each headphone's sound signature (Neutral, Warm, Bright, Dark, V-shaped, etc.).

Demo

Headphone comparison with vocal suitability analysis

Comparison demo — HD650 vs DT 990 Pro with per-band chart and vocal recommendation

Finding similar IEMs by sound signature

Similar search demo — finding IEMs with similar tuning using per-band analysis

Tools

Tool Description
eq_search Search by name, type (over-ear/in-ear/earbud), sound signature, or measurement source
eq_profile Get full EQ profile — parametric EQ, fixed band EQ, per-band analysis with visual bars
eq_compare Side-by-side comparison of two headphones across all frequency bands
eq_recommend Recommendations by preference (neutral, warm, bright, bass, vocal, fun, analytical)
eq_ranking Harman headphone listener preference score rankings
eq_targets List all 61 available target curves (Harman, Diffuse Field, etc.)
eq_sync Pull latest data from AutoEQ GitHub and rebuild the database

Example Output

# Sennheiser HD 650
- Source: oratory1990
- Type: over-ear
- Harman preference score: 84.0
- Sound signature: Neutral, Harman-like

## Per-band analysis (deviation from target, dB)
  Sub-bass (20-60Hz):   -3.2 dB [·······▓▓▓|··········] sub-bass lacking
  Bass (60-250Hz):      +0.8 dB [··········|··········] close to target
  Mid (500-1kHz):       -0.3 dB [··········|··········] close to target
  Presence (2k-4kHz):   +1.4 dB [··········|▓·········] detail emphasis
  Air (8k-20kHz):       -2.1 dB [········▓▓|··········] closed / lacking air

## Parametric EQ (Preamp: -6.5 dB)
  #  Type        Fc (Hz)      Q  Gain (dB)
  1  LowShelf        105   0.70       +6.5
  2  Peaking        1800   1.20       -2.3
  ...

Installation

Claude Code / Claude Desktop (stdio)

# Install
pip install autoeq-mcp

# Initial database sync (clones AutoEQ repo + builds SQLite DB, ~20s)
autoeq-mcp --sync

# Add to Claude Code
claude mcp add autoeq_mcp -- autoeq-mcp

For Claude Desktop, add to your config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "autoeq": {
      "command": "autoeq-mcp"
    }
  }
}

SSE Mode (Remote / Multi-client)

# Start SSE server
AUTOEQ_MCP_PORT=3008 autoeq-mcp --sse

# With allowed hosts for DNS rebinding protection
AUTOEQ_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS="your-domain.com,localhost" autoeq-mcp --sse

From Source

git clone https://github.com/verIdyia/autoeq-mcp
cd autoeq-mcp
pip install -e .
autoeq-mcp --sync

Configuration

All configuration is via environment variables:

Variable Default Description
AUTOEQ_DATA_DIR ~/.autoeq-mcp Directory for repo clone and SQLite DB
AUTOEQ_MCP_PORT 3008 SSE server port
AUTOEQ_MCP_HOST 0.0.0.0 SSE server host
AUTOEQ_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS (none) Comma-separated allowed hosts for SSE

Data Source

All headphone data comes from AutoEQ by Jaakko Pasanen (MIT License).

  • 8,800+ headphone/IEM profiles
  • 22 measurement sources (oratory1990, crinacle, Rtings, and more)
  • 61 target curves (Harman 2018/2019, Diffuse Field, etc.)
  • 2,300+ Harman preference scores

The database syncs from the AutoEQ GitHub repository. Run eq_sync or autoeq-mcp --sync to update.

How Sound Signatures Work

The server analyzes each headphone's frequency response error (deviation from target) across 8 bands and classifies it:

Signature Characteristics
Neutral All bands within ±2 dB of target
Warm Elevated ba

Tools (7)

eq_searchSearch by name, type, sound signature, or measurement source
eq_profileGet full EQ profile including parametric EQ, fixed band EQ, and per-band analysis
eq_compareSide-by-side comparison of two headphones across all frequency bands
eq_recommendRecommendations by preference such as neutral, warm, bright, bass, vocal, fun, or analytical
eq_rankingHarman headphone listener preference score rankings
eq_targetsList all 61 available target curves
eq_syncPull latest data from AutoEQ GitHub and rebuild the database

Environment Variables

AUTOEQ_DATA_DIRDirectory for repo clone and SQLite DB
AUTOEQ_MCP_PORTSSE server port
AUTOEQ_MCP_HOSTSSE server host
AUTOEQ_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTSComma-separated allowed hosts for SSE

Configuration

claude_desktop_config.json
{"mcpServers": {"autoeq": {"command": "autoeq-mcp"}}}

Try it

Get me the EQ settings for the Sennheiser HD650.
Compare the HE400se and HD600 headphones.
Recommend some warm-sounding over-ear headphones.
What are the top-ranked IEMs by Harman score?
List all available target curves for headphone equalization.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of AutoEQ MCP Server?

Access to 8,800+ headphone and IEM equalization profiles. Automated sound signature classification (Neutral, Warm, Bright, etc.). Side-by-side frequency response comparison tools. Harman preference score rankings and analysis. Support for 61 different target curves.

What can I use AutoEQ MCP Server for?

Generating parametric EQ settings for specific headphone models. Comparing sound signatures between two different headphone models. Finding headphones that match a specific sound preference like 'warm' or 'analytical'. Researching headphone performance based on Harman preference scores.

How do I install AutoEQ MCP Server?

Install AutoEQ MCP Server by running: pip install autoeq-mcp

What MCP clients work with AutoEQ MCP Server?

AutoEQ MCP Server works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep AutoEQ MCP Server docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Need the old visual installer? Open Conare IDE.
Open Conare