eqMac vs Nahimic

eqMac is a system-wide audio equalizer and volume mixer for macOS. The free tier includes basic bass, mids and treble controls and a fixed 10-band equalizer. AutoEQ provides automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses, with support listed for 4,600 headphone presets. Pro adds unlimited customizable bands, a real-time spectrum analyzer, separate left and right channel EQ, AudioUnit hosting, spatial audio and per-application volume mixing. The maker says its driver captures system audio and passes it to the app through a secure memory tunnel for processing; it also says the driver runs in user space rather than the kernel. Downloads are listed for macOS 10.13 or later on Intel and Apple Silicon. The maker lists a free HTTP API for controlling eqMac, and remote control from iOS, iPadOS or Android devices on the same local network as a Pro feature. The free plan has no Pro features. Paid access is listed from $1/mo, while the Pro subscription page does not state a yearly price. Public GitHub code corresponds to version 1.3.2 without Pro features; newer releases are developed on a private fork.

Nahimic is audio software designed for music, movies, communications, and gaming through devices such as internal speakers, headphones, and speakers. Its 3D Sound engine uses head-related transfer function calculations to recreate directional audio as a multichannel sound field on stereo devices. Sound Tracker presents predominant sound directions on a customizable 360° radar overlay. Gaming features include Surround Sound, Device Compatibility, Volume Stabilizer, Voice Stabilizer, and Night Mode. Voice Stabilizer and Static Noise Suppression are intended to support clearer, steadier game communications; Volume Stabilizer helps keep levels more consistent. Night Mode reduces bass and lowers general volume to 50%, with a 10 dB volume reduction. Supported connections include Bluetooth, USB, analog, HDMI, and S/PDIF. Nahimic is free and targets Windows, MacOS, and mobile devices. Its download archive lists compatible computer models for Nahimic 2+ and Nahimic 3 rather than promising support for every computer, and the gaming page advises updating the audio driver before updating the software. The license limits use to the software embedded in equipment manufacturer products.