eqmac.app

eqMac is a system audio processing app for macOS that adds a parametric equalizer, per-application volume mixer, and spatial audio to your Mac's sound output. It works on macOS 10.13 or later, on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, and supports any audio device — built-in speakers, Bluetooth, AirPlay 1, USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, aggregate, and Multi-Output devices. If you want to shape how audio sounds across your whole system rather than inside one app, eqMac is built for that job.

What eqMac actually does

eqMac sits between macOS and your output device, so adjustments apply to system audio rather than a single player. Its feature set is organized into three equalizer tiers plus a mixer:

• Basic Equalizer — bass, mids, and treble controls. Free.
• Advanced Equalizer — 10 fixed bands with gain control. Free.
• Expert Equalizer — unlimited bands with gain, bandwidth (Q factor or octaves), frequency, and multiple filter types, plus graphical controls and a spectrum analyzer. Pro.
• App Mixer — set volume per application across the system, similar to Windows' per-app volume. Pro.

Beyond EQ, eqMac includes headphone presets (reference presets for 4,600+ headphones, free), spatial audio effects that simulate different listening environments (Pro), separate left/right channel equalization (Pro), and volume/balance support for HDMI, DisplayPort, and other devices, including boosting volume beyond 100% (free).

Free vs. Pro at a glance

The page lists a Free tier and a Pro tier, with several features marked "Free" or "Pro" and some marked "In Development" with a vote option.

The page shows a "Free Download" option and a "Price" section with Basic Free access to free features and community support, but no access to Pro features. It does not state Pro pricing on the captured content, so check the site's Price page for current numbers.

Who it's for

eqMac is a reasonable fit if you want system-wide sound shaping on a Mac — for example, correcting the tuning of a specific headphone pair using a reference preset, boosting quiet dialogue in a video call while keeping music at a lower level through the App Mixer, or applying EQ to audio from any app without per-app configuration. It is less relevant if you only need EQ inside one specific player that already has its own equalizer.

Practical notes before installing

• Requirements: macOS 10.13+ (Intel or Apple Silicon).
• Distribution: the site offers a free download and an email-link option, plus older/beta versions.
• Scale: the page reports 2,259,052+ downloads and 109k+ users.
• Terms: using eqMac means agreeing to the site's T&Cs, Privacy Policy, and Licence Agreement.
• Community: there's a Discord and an email newsletter for updates.

If you're deciding whether to try it, start with the free tier to test the Basic and Advanced equalizers and device support, then move to Pro only if you need unlimited bands, per-app volume, spatial audio, or cloud sync.

eqMac offers three equalizer tiers — Basic, Advanced, and Expert — and the right one depends on how much control you need. Basic covers quick bass/mids/treble tweaks and is free. Advanced gives you 10 fixed bands of gain control, also free. Expert unlocks unlimited bands with full parametric control (gain, bandwidth, frequency, filter types), graphical editing, and a spectrum analyzer, and it sits in the Pro tier. If you just want to nudge your sound, Basic or Advanced is enough; if you're doing precise correction or tuning headphones, you want Expert.

The three equalizer types at a glance

All three run on macOS 10.13+ (Intel and Apple Silicon), so the choice is about workflow, not compatibility.

Basic Equalizer: quick tone shaping

The Basic Equalizer gives you three controls — bass, mids, and treble. You move a slider and the whole low, middle, or high range shifts.

This is the right pick when:

• You want a fast fix, like adding warmth or cutting harshness.
• You don't want to think about frequencies or Q factors.
• You're adjusting casual listening, not critical monitoring.

The trade-off is precision. Three broad bands can't target a specific problem frequency, so you can't, for example, cut a narrow resonance at 200 Hz without also affecting everything around it.

Advanced Equalizer: 10 fixed bands

The Advanced Equalizer splits the spectrum into 10 fixed bands and lets you set gain for each one. The band centers are fixed — you adjust how much each band boosts or cuts, not where it sits.

This suits you when:

• You want more control than three sliders but don't need to move band frequencies.
• You're applying a familiar graphic-EQ-style curve.
• You want a free option that still targets specific ranges.

Because the bands are fixed, you can shape the overall tonal balance well, but you can't place a band exactly on a problem frequency or change its width.

Expert Equalizer: full parametric control

The Expert Equalizer is where eqMac becomes a professional-grade parametric EQ. Per band, you control:

• Gain — how much boost or cut.
• Bandwidth — via Q Factor or Octaves.
• Frequency — where the band sits.
• Filter types — multiple types available.

It also adds graphical controls and a spectrum analyzer, so you can see the response as you shape it. Bands are unlimited, meaning you're not capped at 10.

Choose Expert when:

• You need to notch out a specific resonance at an exact frequency.
• You're tuning headphones and want narrow, surgical cuts.
• You want to see the spectrum while you work.
• You need different filter shapes (not just standard peaking bands).

This is the tier for precise correction and detailed sound design rather than broad tone tweaks.

Which one should you use?

• Just want better-sounding audio, fast: Basic Equalizer.
• Want band-level control without paying: Advanced Equalizer.
• Doing precise correction, headphone tuning, or detailed shaping: Expert Equalizer (Pro).

A practical path is to start with Basic or Advanced, and move to Expert only when you hit a limit — like needing to move a band's frequency or narrow its width. Note that Expert, along with features like App Mixer, Spatial Audio, and separate L/R equalization, is part of the Pro tier; Basic and Advanced are free.

eqMac's free tier covers everyday system audio needs: a Basic Equalizer (bass/mids/treble), a 10-band Advanced Equalizer, headphone presets for 4,600+ models, volume and balance control, and support for all audio devices. The Pro tier unlocks the Expert Equalizer with unlimited bands, the App Mixer for per-app volume, Spatial Audio, separate left/right EQ, Super Presets, Audio Unit hosting, Cloud Sync, File Rendering, Virtual Output, and Remote Control. If you only need broad tone shaping and headphone correction, the free version is enough; upgrade when you need per-app mixing, unlimited parametric bands, or automation.

Free features

These are available without paying, according to the eqMac site:

• Basic Equalizer — bass, mids, and treble adjustment.
• Advanced Equalizer — 10 fixed bands with gain control.
• Headphone Presets — reference presets for 4,600+ headphones.
• Volume & Balance — works with HDMI, DisplayPort, and other audio devices; can boost volume beyond 100%.
• Any Audio Device — built-in, Bluetooth, AirPlay 1, USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, Aggregate, and MultiOutput.
• Customizable UI — change interface colors, feature visibility, and arrangement.
• Super Presets — automatically switch presets based on conditions like output device or main audio app changes.
• Community Support.

Pro features

Pro adds the tools that matter for precise or workflow-heavy use:

• Expert Equalizer — unlimited bands with gain, bandwidth (Q Factor or Octaves), frequency, and multiple filter types; graphical controls plus a spectrum analyzer.
• App Mixer — adjust volume per application across the system, similar to Windows.
• Spatial Audio — simulates different listening environments.
• Separate L/R Equalizer — equalize left and right channels independently.
• Audio Unit Hosting — load Audio Units from your library and chain them with eqMac effects.
• Cloud Sync — save presets and settings to the cloud and share across devices.
• File Rendering — instantly render a file with applied effects.
• Virtual Output — export adjusted audio to any application.
• Remote Control — control eqMac from an iOS, iPadOS, or Android device on the same local network.

Side-by-side comparison

Features marked "Free Votes"

Some items on the eqMac site carry a "Free Votes: +1" label, meaning they are candidates to become free if enough users vote for them. These currently include:

• Recording — record adjusted audio to an MP3 file.
• Hotkeys — control eqMac with keyboard shortcuts.
• Cloud Sync — save presets and settings on the cloud.
• File Rendering — render a file with applied effects.
• Virtual Output — export adjusted audio to any application.
• API — control eqMac through an HTTP API.
• Remote Control — control from a mobile device on the same network.

Voting does not guarantee a feature becomes free; treat these as "in development" or "under consideration" rather than included.

How to decide

• Stay on Free if you mainly want to correct headphone response, adjust bass/treble, or use a 10-band EQ across all system audio.
• Upgrade to Pro if you need per-app volume control, unlimited parametric bands with Q/octave control, separate L/R EQ, Audio Unit chaining, or automation via Super Presets and Cloud Sync.

The site lists a "Free Download" for macOS 10.13+ (Intel & Apple Silicon), and a separate Price page for Pro. Check the official Price page for current Pro pricing and licensing terms, since the input does not include specific pricing details.

eqMac's Headphone Presets are reference equalizer presets that apply a correction curve tuned to a specific headphone model. According to the eqMac site, the feature covers 4,600+ headphones and is available in the Free tier — you don't need Pro to use it. The presets are meant to bring a headphone closer to a neutral reference target rather than to add a stylistic sound, so they're most useful when you want to hear what the artist or mix engineer intended.

What a headphone preset actually does

Every headphone has its own frequency response — some boost bass, some push upper mids, some roll off treble. A reference preset is a corrective EQ curve derived from measurements of that specific model. When you select your headphone in eqMac, the app loads that curve into its equalizer so the combined result (headphone + EQ) lands closer to a target response.

Two practical consequences:

• It's model-specific, not brand-specific. "Sony WH-1000XM5" and "Sony WH-1000XM4" are separate entries with separate curves.
• It's a starting point, not a verdict. Fit, earpads, and unit-to-unit variation all shift the real response, so the preset is a better-than-nothing baseline rather than a perfect correction.

How to use them

1. Install eqMac and confirm your macOS version meets the stated requirement (macOS 10.13+, Intel and Apple Silicon).
2. Open the app and find the headphone preset selection.
3. Search for your headphone model and select it.
4. Play audio and listen. If the result sounds thin or dull to you, adjust from there — the preset loads into the equalizer, and the equalizer bands remain editable depending on which equalizer tier you're using.

The expected result is a flatter, more reference-like response than your headphone's stock tuning. If you hear no change, check that the preset is actually applied to the active output device.

Which tier gives you what

The key point for headphone users: the preset library itself is free, but if you want to hand-tune the correction curve with unlimited bands and filter types, that's the Pro Expert Equalizer.

When presets help most — and when they don't

Good fit:

• You own a popular, well-measured headphone and want a neutral baseline without researching EQ curves yourself.
• You switch between several headphones and want each one to sound consistent.
• You're mixing or editing and want fewer headphone coloration surprises.

Weak fit:

• Your model isn't in the 4,600+ list — you'd need to build a curve manually.
• You specifically like your headphone's stock tuning and don't want it corrected.
• You're using in-ear monitors or earbuds whose fit varies enough that a generic curve may not track your actual seal.

Common snags

• Preset applied but sound unchanged. Verify the correct output device is selected; presets attach to the device path, and switching to Bluetooth or a different DAC can leave the wrong profile active.
• Sounds worse than stock. Some listeners prefer the original tuning. Try a different target or reduce the correction rather than abandoning the feature.
• Two headphones, one preset. If you use multiple pairs, switch presets when you switch headphones — or use Super Presets (Free/Pro) to auto-switch based on the output device.

If your goal is simply "make my headphones sound more neutral without paying," the free preset library is the whole answer. If your goal is "correct my headphones precisely and control every band," pair the preset with the Pro Expert Equalizer.

eqMac's App Mixer lets you set an individual volume level for each application running on your Mac, similar to the per-app volume mixer in Windows. It is a Pro feature, so you need a Pro license to use it — the free tier does not include it. If your goal is simply to make one app (say, a browser tab or a game) quieter than everything else without touching the system volume, the App Mixer is the tool for that.

What the App Mixer actually does

On macOS, the system volume slider controls everything at once. There is no built-in way to say "keep Spotify at 40% but let my video call stay at 100%." The App Mixer fills that gap by intercepting system audio and applying a separate gain level to each application's stream.

According to eqMac's feature list, the App Mixer "adjust[s] volume per application across the system (just like on Windows)." That is the core behavior: one slider per app, applied on top of the normal system output.

How it fits into eqMac's audio pipeline

eqMac is described as "System Audio processing for macOS," and the App Mixer sits alongside the equalizer stages rather than replacing them. In practice this means:

• The equalizer shapes the tone (bass, mids, treble, or full parametric bands).
• The App Mixer sets relative loudness per application.
• Both then feed your selected output device.

Because eqMac supports "all Audio Device[s]: Built-in, Bluetooth, AirPlay 1, USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, Aggregate and MultiOutput," the per-app levels you set apply regardless of which output you're using — you are not locked to the built-in speakers.

Requirements and availability

The App Mixer is listed as Pro, while the Basic, Advanced, and Headphone Presets features are Free. So if per-app volume is your main reason for installing eqMac, plan for a Pro license rather than the free download.

Practical things to know before relying on it

• It is system-wide, not per-device. The mixer adjusts application volume "across the system," so the same relative levels follow your audio as you switch outputs.
• It pairs with Super Presets. eqMac's Super Presets can "automatically switch presets based on different conditions. For example Output Device or Main Audio App changes." That means you can have a preset that activates when a specific app becomes the main audio source — useful if you want different EQ and volume behavior for, say, a game versus a music player.
• Remote Control is separate. Controlling eqMac from an iOS, iPadOS, or Android device on the same local network is its own Pro feature, not part of the App Mixer itself.

When the App Mixer is the right choice

Use it if you routinely run several audio-producing apps at once and want to rebalance them without muting or quitting anything — for example, keeping background music low while a meeting or video stays at full level. If you only ever play one app at a time, the free equalizer features may be enough and the App Mixer adds little.

For the exact current feature split and licensing terms, check eqMac's own Features and Price pages, since tier assignments are set by the developer and can change.