Spectra vs Boom 3D
Written by the Spectra Audio team, so read it that way. The other column is written as Boom 3D’s own fans would write it, and every row where Boom 3D wins says so.
What it is
Boom 3D is the consumer pick: a volume booster, a 3D surround effect for headphones, bass boost, an equalizer with genre presets and headphone-model presets, and per-app volume. Version 2.3 shipped in June 2026 and it runs on macOS 11 or later, which makes it the most broadly compatible app on this list. It is built to make everything sound bigger, and it does.
Price: One-time license, priced by region, with a 15-day trial
What it is
A system-wide parametric EQ for macOS that measures your room with the iPhone you already own and fits a correction to it. No measurement microphone, no virtual driver, and every output keeps its own calibration, Bluetooth included. The measurement is the product; the EQ is the part everyone else also has.
Price: Free tier with an account; Base $59 one time; Pro $11.99/month, $99/year, or $179 one time. The $59 from Base counts toward Pro one time.
Pick Boom 3D if
- You want louder. Boom 3D's volume boost past the system limit is its headline feature and Spectra does not do it.
- You want a surround effect for movies and games on headphones.
- You need macOS 11 to 25. Spectra needs 26.2.
- You want per-app volume.
Pick Spectra if
- You want accurate rather than bigger. Spectra's correction is fitted to a measurement of your room; Boom 3D's presets are tuned by ear for a category of headphone.
- You want a real parametric EQ with a spectrum analyzer and per-output calibrations.
- You would rather not install a virtual audio device.
The table
| Feature | Spectra | Boom 3D |
|---|---|---|
| Audio path | Yes Core Audio process tap in a private aggregate device, one clock. No driver, nothing added to Sound settings. | Partly Installs its own audio device to sit in the output path. |
| Parametric bands | Partly Free: 10-band graphic. Base: 5 parametric bands, three Q widths. Pro: unlimited bands, Q 0.1 to 10. | Partly Graphic EQ with presets. Not parametric. |
| Per-app control | No The tap is device-scoped by design. One EQ per output, not per app. | Yes Per-app volume. |
| AutoEQ import | No No AutoEq or Equalizer APO file import yet. The headphone library is curated. | No No file import. Headphone presets by model. |
| Headphone library | Partly Curated headphone calibrations, applied in one click. Small next to the AutoEq databases. | Partly Preset list by headphone model, expanded in 2.3. |
| Room measurement | Yes Pink-noise measurement through your iPhone over Continuity, correction fitted to your room. About 90 seconds. | No None. |
| Microphone needed | Yes The iPhone you already own. No calibrated microphone to buy. | No Not applicable. |
| Per-output profiles | Yes Every output keeps its own calibration and switches with the device, Bluetooth included. | Not confirmed Not documented. |
| Effects | Yes Dynamic EQ, Sub Bass Extension and Prism:X Stage at Base; deep settings at Pro. | Yes 3D surround, bass boost, volume boost, ambience. |
| macOS required | Partly macOS 26.2 or later. The strictest requirement in this category. | Yes 11 or later. |
| Distribution | Yes Developer ID signed, notarized, Sparkle updates. Not on the App Store because the tap needs entitlements the store does not grant. | Yes Direct download with a 15-day trial; also sold through Setapp. |
The free ones
In 2026 six free, open-source system EQs shipped on the same Core Audio process-tap API Spectra uses. None of them measure a room, and several of them beat Spectra on bands per dollar and on file import. If a static curve is what you want, start here and keep your money.
- FineTune. Per-app volume, routing and EQ, with AutoEq profiles per output device. Edge: Per-app everything, a Homebrew cask, and the largest user base of the group. Caveat: Graphic EQ capped at 10 filters per profile; open Bluetooth desync reports without a maintainer reply as of September 2026.
- OnlyEQ. Unlimited parametric bands and the widest AutoEq and peqdb import support in the field. Edge: If you have a parametric file from anywhere, OnlyEQ loads it, for nothing. Caveat: Installed with a curl-to-bash script, not notarized, and its update signing key was reported lost.
- CoreEQ. 16 free parametric bands plus a fixed ladder, in a deliberately small app. Edge: Sixteen parametric bands and per-output profiles for free. Caveat: No headphone library and no file import yet; unsigned build.
- GlassEQ. A process-tap EQ that imports AutoEq, REW and impulse-response files. Edge: REW and IR import, which almost nothing else on the Mac does. Caveat: Alpha, ad-hoc signed and not notarized; a paid version is planned.
- Radioform. A notarized, GPL-licensed 10-band EQ with genre presets. Edge: Notarized and simple. Caveat: Uses a virtual driver rather than the tap; last release March 2026.
- SoundRouter Dore. Pay-what-you-want EQ with a browser hearing test and an ambience mode. Edge: Free, and the hearing-test idea is genuinely different. Caveat: Unsigned and unnotarized; its capture method is not documented.
Caveats
- Boom 3D's price is shown in local currency on its site and was not confirmed in US dollars, so this page does not quote one.
- Boom 3D's band count and whether its output device recalls settings per physical output were not confirmed from its documentation.
- Spectra is in public beta. External audio interfaces are the least-tested path. If a row above is wrong about Boom 3D, email general@spectraaudio.tech and it will be corrected.
Measure your room once and decide
The free tier is a real system-wide 10-band EQ. The measurement is in Base, $59 one time. The first 25 beta testers get Pro free through the founders program.
Other comparisons: eqMac, SoundSource, Boom 3D, Sonarworks, and every eqMac alternative in one list.