How To Add Sound Equalizer on Windows 10

I used to think sound equalizer isn’t necessary for my music enjoyment. If I have a good pair of headphone or speakers I could get the most enjoyment out of it. Well, having a well-tuned sound EQ on top of that can make the music enjoyment even more. But since Windows 10 or any previous Windows version don’t have EQ built-in, here is how you can add one with one of these free tools.

FXSound

FXSound is a free tool that brings you booming bass, crystal clear audio, and high fidelity by optimizing your music in real-time. You can simply boost the bass, add 3D surround sound or adjust the level of fidelity by using the slide bars in Effects tab.

It comes with a list of presets that you can choose right out of the box, Jazz, Rock, Pop, or R&B. Just pick whichever one comforts your ears the most and enjoy.

If none of these are satisfying, you can go to the EQ tab and customize the tune according to your own preferences.

/Update on Jan 30, 2019/

Unfortunately, FxSound is no longer free. It offers a 7-day trial version and then you will need to buy the license to keep using it.

Equalizer APO

Equalizer APO is an open source tool that provides a system-wide sound equalizer for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10. It’s a parametric/graphic equalizer implemented as an Audio Processing Object for the system effect infrastructure introduced in Windows since Vista.

While the tool is great using it takes a bit learning curve. You will need to launch the Editor from C:\Program Files\EqualizerAPO folder and go from there.

One nice thing I like about Equalizer APO is that you can stack up a few equalizer setup and turn it on/off when needed. For example, I have two pairs of headphones, one needs more bass while another needs less mid-range. With Equalizer APO, I can set up two different EQ sets that suit for each of the headsets and use the on/off button to toggle them.

ViPER4Windows

ViPER4Windows is another free audio driver for Windows PCs, using the same Audio Process Object infrastructure. It comes with many audio effects such as Gain Control, Equalizer, Convolver, Surround, Reverb, Compressor, and Limiter. Open the tool as Administrator and click the Equalizer button to open up the EQ table.

Final thoughts

Among all three tools, I like Equalizer APO the most as it provides more flexibilities. But if you just like to have an EQ that is easy to use and follow, FXSound is your guy. Or, if you need a tool more than an EQ, give ViPER4Windows a try.