One embodiment provides a method of personalized headphone equalization system for a headphone. The method comprises obtaining a measurement of sound pressure level at a microphone mounted in a near field of a headphone driver of the headphone and inside a cavity formed by the headphone and a user's ear. The method further comprises providing personalized equalization (EQ) of output reproduced via a headphone driver by performing EQ correction of the output based on the measurement of sound pressure level and a pre-determined target frequency response for the headphone, resulting in an equalized output that is adapted to individual characteristics of the user's ear.