Sony headphone EQ
vs eqMac

Where each equalizer runs

Headphone EQ. Sony 1000X headphones from the WH-1000XM2 on have an equalizer built in. Sony's phone app, or Open Sound Connect on a Mac, sends the curve to the headphones and they apply it to everything they play. Your Mac sends the same audio as before.

eqMac. eqMac installs an audio driver that captures your Mac's system audio, processes it in the app and passes it to the output you choose: the headphones, your Mac's speakers or another device. The headphones receive audio that's already equalized.

Side by side

Prices and versions are from eqmac.app as of November 2026.

Sony's headphone EQ, by model

• WH-1000XM2, XM3, XM4 and XM5: five bands at 400 Hz, 1 kHz, 2.5 kHz, 6.3 kHz and 16 kHz, plus a Clear Bass slider, and Sony's presets.
• WH-1000XM6: ten bands from 31 Hz to 16 kHz, without a separate Clear Bass.
• WH-1000XX (1000X The Collexion): presets and a custom curve; the app shows the bands the headphones report.
• MDR-1000X: no equalizer.

In Open Sound Connect, open Sound (⌘2) to pick a preset, drag the bands, Flatten the curve or keep it in My Curves with Save Current. Starting points are in the preset library, and the model guides go further: XM3, XM4, XM5, XM6.

Two things to know: on the XM2 and XM3, DSEE HX works only with the equalizer off, and the headphones may ask you to confirm when you use the equalizer together with DSEE, because the two use more battery. See DSEE on a Mac.

eqMac

eqMac's free version has a fixed 10-band equalizer with AutoEQ. Pro adds an equalizer with as many bands as you like, a spectrum analyzer, Audio Unit plug-ins, spatial audio and a volume mixer for each app. It runs on Intel and Apple silicon Macs and lists Bluetooth and AirPlay among its outputs. Version 1.9.2 came out in September 2026.

Its GitHub repository is Apache-licensed, but it matches an old version (1.3.2); newer releases are built from a private fork, so the current app is effectively closed source.

When to use which

Choose the headphone EQ if:

• you want one sound everywhere: Mac, phone and anything else the headphones connect to;
• you'd rather not add an audio driver to your Mac;
• five or ten bands are enough for the changes you make, like more bass or less harshness.

Choose eqMac if:

• you want finer control, Audio Unit plug-ins or per-app volume;
• you also want to equalize your Mac's speakers or other headphones;
• you're happy for the change to stay on that Mac.

Using both without stacking

The two add up: a bass boost in the headphones plus a bass boost in eqMac is a much bigger boost, which can distort. Pick one as your main equalizer:

1. eqMac as the main one: set the headphones' equalizer to Off, or choose Flatten in Open Sound Connect, so eqMac starts from Sony's own tuning. On the XM2 and XM3, choose Off rather than a flat curve if you want DSEE HX to work.
2. Headphone EQ as the main one: leave eqMac flat and use it only for its extras, such as per-app volume.

Scenes can switch the headphone EQ for you, for example a flat curve when a particular app opens. To see why the headphone curve follows you to your phone, read why Sony EQ settings carry over.