There are many Windows 10 apps that you can use to improve your sound, and in this article we want to highlight some of the best.
We’ll take a look at some of the best equalizers, some of the best software for virtual surround sound, and some alternatives to the default Windows 10 mixer.
Also, be sure to check out our companion article on Best way to improve display quality in Windows 10.
Table of Contents
Best Equalizer for Windows 10
With the equalizer you can change the sound profile of your sound. Equalizers are often used to listen to music or listen to movies to help boost the bass or limit other aspects.
With these equalizer apps, you can choose presets suitable for certain genres of music, or create your own custom equalizer presets. We’ve picked out two great equalizers for Windows 10 below.
FxSound Enhancer – $49.99
Statement about FxSound Enhancer on their website that they can enhance the sound quality of your music. I assume that while FxSound Enhancer won’t make a $20 pair of headphones the same as a $200 pair, they can use EQ presets to improve the listening experience for many use cases.
First, I would like to explain that FxSound Enhancer works smoothly and consistently across the entire Windows 10 operating system. This is something that many equalizers struggle with, for a number of reasons, so it is a point. great start.
Basically, when you enable FxSound Enhancer, it adds an automatic EQ preset to your sound that will, in most cases, improve your listening experience if you’re using cheap audio equipment. than.
It’s a great alternative to shelling out $200-500 for a good pair of headphones and a decent DAC. The EQ presets are rich, which is great when you want to get the best experience when listening to a certain genre of music. You can also create your own presets.
FxSound Enhancer also uses an interesting live ‘decompression’ technique to add clarity to the sound you hear. If you listen to music on YouTube or streaming platforms with compression, this makes a big difference.
However, I would say that Spotify’s own Extreme quality or Tidal’s Hifi streaming subscription would be better alternatives.
FxSound Pro isn’t free, which is where it separates from our next recommendation below. A full lifetime subscription costs $49.99, but you can get a 7-day free trial to test everything out.
APO Equalizer with Peaceful Interface – Free
If you want convenience, nice interface and easy setup, I still recommend FxSound Enhancer from above. If you don’t mind your technical hands getting a little dirty, Equalizer APO is a better choice, it’s free and open source.
Setting it up takes some time, and you’ll need to read the support files carefully. You have to install Equalizer APO and then download the Peaceful Theme. The two combined give you a powerful audio control software with a feature-packed interface.
With Peaceful Layout, you have full control over creating your own presets. There are also some great presets to choose from. The listening experience is amazing, and once you’ve got the hang of it, everything runs pretty smoothly on Windows 10.
You can find APO Equalizer here and Peaceful GUI here.
The best surround sound software for Windows 10
With surround sound software, you can turn your ordinary stereo headphones into a whole new experience.
Good virtual surround sound will mimic a real surround sound setup, which means you’ll be able to hear video game noises in the same direction they’re coming from, or you can have a more immersive movie experience .
Here are three great surround sound software options for Windows 10.
Razer Surround – Free or $19.99
Razer Surround is 7.1 surround sound software designed to provide virtual surround sound to any pair of headphones or earphones. The basic software is free, but you can get the pro version for a one-time payment of $19.99.
Coming from the Razer team, it’s immediately clear that the surround sound on offer is specifically designed for gaming. Therefore, the experience in video games is expected to be very good. Playing games like Battlefield 5 or Black Ops 4’s new Blackout mode is a real experience.
Both games have great audio engineering, but the Razer Surround 7.1 software takes it to another level. In games where surround sound is useful for identifying other players’ movements, Razer Surround is also great.
Using Razer Surround is also very easy, and fortunately, with a single button press, you can turn off the virtual sound. In my opinion, Razer Surround is absolutely the best choice for gamers.
Dolby Atmos – $14.99
Dolby Atmos can be accessed by downloading the Dolby Access app from the Microsoft Store. To access Dolby Atmos, you also have to spend $14.99 after installing the Access app.
Browsing through the Access app feels a bit more clunky and complicated than what Razer offers. In the end, the surround sound is pretty good, but it seems to depend a lot on the headphones you have.
If you have a good pair of headphones, especially open-powered ones, surround sound from Dolby Atmos can work surprisingly well. It’s great for adding immersion in movies and videos, but it can suffer or miss depending on how the sound is created for what you’re watching.
Obviously, if you have a surround sound speaker setup, Dolby Atmos is definitely the best choice. Dolby Atmos is the pinnacle of the game when it comes to true surround sound.
In the end, Dolby Atmos is a useful app, especially if you have a true surround sound setup. If you use headphones, it’s a gamble to see if it makes a difference, depending on what you’re using it for.
Windows Sonic for Headphones – Free
Windows 10 already has virtual surround sound and you most likely never knew it. Microsoft quietly added Windows Sonic for Headphones in the Creators Update and shoved it into the taskbar.
To activate Windows Spatial sound, right click on volume mixer icon on the taskbar, then click Spatial Sound (Off). Then you will have the option to choose Windows Sonic for headsets.
In my experience, Windows Sonic for Headphones is just as good as Dolby Atmos. In fact, I have a hard time telling the difference.
If you’re looking for free virtual surround sound, Windows’ own service might be the best option available. However, for a true surround sound speaker system, Atmos could be better.
Best Alternative Audio Mixers for Windows 10
Windows 10’s standard audio mixer is pretty limited, so we thought we’d include two alternatives that can give you more control over each app’s volume levels. You can also use the two suggestions below to manage the sound of two devices at once and choose which apps use which audio devices.
EarTrumpet – Free
EarTrumpet has been heralded as one of the top audio control apps on Windows 10. Instead of adding a clunky new interface to work your way through, EarTrumpet essentially expands on the mixer UI. Windows 10 audio is available.
With EarTrumpet, you can control the individual volume of each open program, and you can quickly switch playback devices. You can also set default audio devices for specific programs.
What I like most about EarTrumpet is that it integrates nicely into Windows 10 – it looks more like an official update to the audio mixer than a standalone app. The great thing about EarTrumpet is that it’s also free. You can find it in the Microsoft Store.
Voicemeeter – Free
VoiceMeeter is a big step up from EarTrumpet, but the extra features are only really useful for people who need to tweak individual audio streams.
With VoiceMeeter, you can change the EQ of multiple audio devices at once and adjust where the sound is directed. For example, you can record your desktop audio but not your voice, or vice versa.
If you stream on platforms like Twitch or YouTube, you can do it to capture your voice and game sounds, but voices from your friends in your communication app can’t.
There are a lot of possibilities with Voicemeeter, although you have to do some heavy reading or watch a Youtube tutorial to learn how to use it. You can find free Voicemeeter software from VB-Audio.
Summary
Do any of the software recommendations in this article interest you? Let me know if you have any questions about the software I’ve included. Interesting!
