--- title: "Sony Headphones Equalizer on Mac" description: "Use your Sony headphones' own equalizer on a Mac: presets, five bands and Clear Bass or ten bands on the XM6, saved curves and scenes, for every app." url: https://opensoundconnect.app/features/equalizer language: en --- # Your Sony equalizer, on your Mac Sony headphones have an equalizer built in, but macOS has no way to reach it. Open Sound Connect gives you its presets, bands and Clear Bass in a Mac window and the menu bar. Applies to: [WH-1000XM2](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm2), [WH-1000XM3](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm3), [WH-1000XM4](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm4), [WH-1000XM5](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm5), [WH-1000XM6](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm6), [WH-1000XX](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xx) · Updated 2026-11-03 ## Short answer The Sony headphones equalizer runs inside the headphones, so it shapes everything you play on your Mac, in every app, and stays set when you switch to your phone. With Open Sound Connect: 1. Open **Sound** (⌘2) and click one of the presets your headphones report, such as Bright, Vocal or Bass Boost. 2. Or drag the band sliders and **Clear Bass** to make your own curve; editing a fixed preset switches to **Manual**. 3. Keep curves you like under **My Curves** with **Save Current**. The WH-1000XM2 to XM5 have five bands plus Clear Bass, the WH-1000XM6 has ten bands, and the MDR-1000X has no equalizer. ## How the equalizer works on a Mac The equalizer isn't a Mac audio effect: it's part of the headphones' own sound processing. Open Sound Connect sends the preset or the band values over Sony's control connection, the headphones apply them and confirm, and the app shows what they confirmed. Nothing is processed on your Mac, so: - it works the same in Music, Spotify, your browser and video apps; - it doesn't add a virtual audio device or change your Mac's output; - the setting stays in the headphones when you close the app or switch to your phone. That's the opposite of a Mac equalizer app such as eqMac, which processes the Mac's audio before it's sent. [Sony EQ vs eqMac](https://opensoundconnect.app/compare/sony-eq-vs-eqmac) compares the two, and [do Sony EQ settings carry over?](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-eq-settings-carry-over) explains where each setting is saved. ## Bands by model The app shows the equalizer each pair of headphones reports, so the sliders match your model: | Model | Bands | Range per band | Clear Bass | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | MDR-1000X | No equalizer | — | — | | WH-1000XM2, WH-1000XM3, WH-1000XM4, WH-1000XM5 | Five: 400 Hz, 1 kHz, 2.5 kHz, 6.3 kHz, 16 kHz | −10 to +10 | Yes, −10 to +10 | | WH-1000XM6 | Ten: 31, 63, 125, 250 and 500 Hz, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 kHz | −6 to +6 | No separate slider | | WH-1000XX | The bands it reports | As reported | If it reports it | **Clear Bass** is Sony's separate low-bass control on the five-band models. In the app it's the first slider, set off to the left of the bands. On the XM6, the 31, 63 and 125 Hz bands do that job. ## Presets, Manual and Custom The preset list comes from the headphones, so it's the same list Sony's phone app shows for your model. On the five-band models it includes Bright, Excited, Mellow, Relaxed, Vocal, Treble Boost, Bass Boost and Speech, plus **Manual** and Custom. On the XM6 and XX, the app shows the presets those headphones report. Sony's presets are fixed curves. If one is selected and you move a slider, the card's subtitle tells you editing switches to **Manual**, and your change is applied on the Manual preset in one step. **Flatten** sets every band to 0 on Manual, a neutral place to start. ## Make and save your own curve 1. Open **Sound** (⌘2). The sliders draw the curve as you drag. 2. Drag a band, or click it and use the arrow keys to move one step at a time. The value goes to the headphones when you let go. 3. Under **My Curves**, choose **Save Current** and name the curve. 4. Click a saved curve to apply it later; Control-click it to delete it. Saved curves are kept on your Mac, not in the headphones. A curve applies only to headphones with the same number of bands: a curve made on an XM4 works on an XM2, XM3 or XM5, but not on the ten-band XM6. Need numbers to start from? The [preset library](https://opensoundconnect.app/presets) has exact values for both layouts, and the model guides explain each band: [WH-1000XM3](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/wh-1000xm3-eq-settings), [WH-1000XM4](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/wh-1000xm4-eq-settings), [WH-1000XM5](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/wh-1000xm5-eq-settings) and [WH-1000XM6](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/wh-1000xm6-eq-settings). ## Switch presets without the window - **Menu bar:** the panel has a preset picker under the noise controls. - **Headphones menu:** the **Equalizer** submenu lists the presets. - **My Device** (⌘1): the equalizer summary shows the presets as chips, with **Edit** to jump to the full editor. - **Scenes:** a [scene](https://opensoundconnect.app/features/scenes) can set a preset or a custom curve, including one from **My Curves**, along with noise control and DSEE, by click, shortcut, schedule or when an app opens. ## Equalizer, DSEE and listening modes - **DSEE.** Some headphones warn that using the equalizer together with DSEE uses more battery; the app shows that message when they send it. On the XM2 and XM3, Sony says DSEE HX works only with the equalizer off. See [DSEE on a Mac](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-dsee-mac). - **Listening modes.** On the WH-1000XM6, the equalizer can be unavailable in some listening modes, such as Background Music. The card then says "The equalizer is unavailable in the current mode." - **Volume.** The equalizer shapes the sound; it isn't a volume booster. For quiet audio, see [Sony headphones too quiet on a Mac](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-low-volume-mac). For a full listening setup, from the Mac's output to DSEE and noise canceling, read [Sony headphone settings for music on a Mac](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-music-settings-mac). ## Common questions ### Does the Sony equalizer work in Spotify and Apple Music on a Mac? Yes. It runs in the headphones, so it applies to whatever your Mac plays. If your player has its own equalizer, leave that one off so the two don't stack. ### Does Open Sound Connect have to stay open for the EQ to work? No. The headphones keep the preset or curve after you quit the app. You need the app only to change it. ### Why doesn't my MDR-1000X show an equalizer? The MDR-1000X doesn't have one, and it isn't supported by Sony's app either. The app still controls its noise canceling and ambient sound; see the [MDR-1000X page](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/mdr-1000x). ### Can I make a 10-band EQ on the WH-1000XM4 or XM5? No. The equalizer is in the headphones, and those models have five bands plus Clear Bass. Only the WH-1000XM6 has ten. ## Where to next - [EQ preset library](https://opensoundconnect.app/presets): Six starting curves with exact values for the five-band models and the ten-band WH-1000XM6. - [WH-1000XM3 EQ settings](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/wh-1000xm3-eq-settings): Four starting curves for the XM3's five bands and Clear Bass, what each slider does, and how to set them from a Mac. - [WH-1000XM4 EQ settings](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/wh-1000xm4-eq-settings): Five starting curves for the XM4, what to raise or lower for the sound you want, and how to set them on a Mac. - [WH-1000XM5 EQ settings](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/wh-1000xm5-eq-settings): Starting curves for the XM5's five bands and Clear Bass, how to build your own, and how to set it from a Mac. - [WH-1000XM6 EQ settings](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/wh-1000xm6-eq-settings): Five starting curves for the XM6's ten-band equalizer, what each band does, and how to set it from a Mac. - [Do EQ settings carry over?](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-eq-settings-carry-over): Why the EQ you set on your phone also plays on your Mac, what stays behind, and how to change it from the Mac. - [Sony EQ vs eqMac](https://opensoundconnect.app/compare/sony-eq-vs-eqmac): Headphone EQ versus a system-wide Mac equalizer: where each runs, what it affects and when to use which. --- Open Sound Connect is independent software. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony. Sony, DSEE, DSEE Extreme and LDAC are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Group Corporation or its affiliates. Apple, Mac, macOS, Finder, Safari, Xcode and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. The Bluetooth® word mark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Other names are trademarks of their respective owners.