DeskFX Audio Enhancer vs EQBase

DeskFX Audio Enhancer changes sound played through computer speakers or headphones in real time. It runs on Windows and macOS and works with music services, streaming TV and movies, games and other computer audio. Effects include equalization, amplification, reverb, chorus, wahwah, vibrato and tremolo. Users can layer an unlimited number of effects and choose from more than 30 presets. Equalizer options are visual, graphic and parametric, with a system-wide equalizer of up to 20 bands. NCH also describes uses in gyms, foyers, retail locations and waiting rooms, including pink-noise masking for privacy; low latency and CPU use are listed as suitable for live-stream applications. The free version is for non-commercial use. A commercial quarterly license is $9.99 a month, billed quarterly and renewing automatically. Annual licenses are $34.99 a year for personal use and $39.95 a year for commercial use; both note +VAT/year. System requirements list Windows 7 through 11 and macOS 10.9 or above.

EQBase is a system-wide macOS equalizer that processes sound from apps in real time. It includes a 10-band EQ and measured correction profiles for more than 8,600 headphone models. The free tier has no time limit and can record system audio in MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, or AIFF. Pro adds microphone-based room measurement and a fitted parametric correction curve, per-app volume, mute and tone controls, and routing audio sources to one or more outputs. Pro also supports Audio Unit plugins. EQBase uses headphone correction curves from the open-source AutoEQ project. Audio is processed locally; the privacy policy says audio content, recordings, and listening information are not collected, stored, or transmitted. Normal setup does not install a driver, while optional Audiophile mode and Pro routing use a user-space Core Audio driver. It requires macOS 14.4 or later and supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Pro Monthly costs $4.99 per month for three Macs; Pro Annual is $39.99 per year for three Macs, and Pro Lifetime costs $79.99 once for one Mac.