Elevating Your Mac Audio: A Review of Boom3D

Reviews • Updated on May 26, 2024

Apple does an impressive job offering a premium audio experience with MacBooks. Even though the built-in speakers on Mac desktops are subpar, you have an option to connect external speakers, also thanks to the support for hi-res audio.

But there are times when the audio from your Mac sounds flat and boring. Of course, part of this is due to the lack of a proper equalizer. Of course, you can upgrade to premium headphones like Apple AirPods Pro or AirPods Max to get features like Spatial Audio.

But wouldn’t it be spectacular if you had an option to improve the audio quality for all of your headphones? Well, it is precisely what Boom3D for Mac proposes.

This professional audio enhancement app lets you get the best audio experience from your Mac, regardless of the headphones you use.

In this Boom3D for Mac review, we have discussed what this audio enhancement offers, also answering the common questions you may have.

TheSweetBits’ key takeaways

Pros

Boom3D offers a free trial without requiring payment details upfront.
A one-time purchase at a reasonable price of $14.99.
Provide 31-band equalizer and 15+ music genres and moods preset.
Customize movie surround sounds to meet your needs, such as turning on Night Mode.
Seamless integration with popular streaming platforms like Netflix and AirPlay.
App-specific volume controls allow precise sound management within individual applications.

Cons

Available only in English.
The app interface does not fully utilize the screen on Mac devices, potentially affecting user experience.
Minor delays may occur while enabling certain features, and the output device change options could be improved.

What is Boom3D?

Boom3D is a professional-quality audio enhancement suite. It lets you enhance the various aspects of audio input from your Mac. However, you should not mistake Boom3D for Mac for an equalizer. Although this audio enhancement tool offers an equalizer, it does offer more. Most importantly, perhaps, it lets you listen to high-quality 3D audio, regardless of which headphones you use.

Instead of relying on the 3D audio capabilities of your headphones, Boom3D for Mac does everything in the virtual mode. So, the non-3D sound output from your Mac system and apps will be converted into 3D-quality sound using some proprietary technique. Therefore, when any piece of audio goes through the Boom3D for Mac system, it gains better quality, volume, and surround features. Doesn’t that sound interesting?

In other words, you do not have to spend money on an expensive pair of headphones or a fully-fledged home theater system. Instead, you can get Boom3D and enjoy the same features through your existing devices. In theory, whatever Boom3D for Mac proposes is incredible. But we have to see how the app performs.

Who needs Boom3D?

According to the developers, Boom3D has been designed for Mac and Windows users. You can use this audio boosting app if you want to improve the sound quality while using your MacBook or a Mac desktop. However, after our testing, we believe the following group of people will benefit the most from Boom3D.

Movie Enthusiasts

A great movie-watching experience requires high-quality audio, and 3D surround audio makes things several times better. By setting up Boom3D, you can enjoy all your movies in 3D surround sound. It also lets you choose between multiple equalizer options. Thanks to native support for platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, you can enjoy enhanced audio whenever you watch a movie.

Audiophiles

If you are an audiophile, you would rather not compromise the quality of music playback, right? Well, with Boom3D, you do not have to even if you do not have premium headphones. Instead, you can convert the existing audio from popular music apps like Spotify and Apple Music to 3D surround audio. Once you do that, you can listen to high-quality audio through any pair of headphones or earphones.

Gamers

Gamers, too, can benefit from the multichannel 3D audio that Boom3D for Mac brings onto the table. Since the feature works in real-time, you can use the power of virtual 3D sound for live gaming as well. As a result, you get impressive feedback for all your actions within the game. So, if you have not used premium-quality drivers before, the post-Boom3D experience will be impressive.

As you can guess, the benefits of Boom3D for Mac are not limited to these three categories. For instance, if you want to ensure the best movie experience whenever you watch something on Netflix, it makes sense to set up Boom3D on your device. Now, let’s see whether Boom3D for Mac delivers on its promises.

How does it work?

Even though Boom3D for Mac brings advanced features to your Mac, setting up and getting started with the tool seems simple for the most part. Once you have downloaded Boom3D from the official website, you can use the wizard to move forward with the setup process. While the setup process itself does not take a lot of time, you have to restart your Mac to complete the setup.

After the restart, a new virtual audio output device will be added to your Mac—called BoomAudio. At this point, you can open the Boom3D app and set up the output device you want to listen to the audio from. So, as long as Boom3D is turned on and running in the background, you can enjoy 3D surround sound throughout your Mac.

Our take: we loved the user experience of Boom3D for Mac. Even though you may need a few minutes to finish the setup process, everything was smooth from that point. For instance, toggling Boom3D or changing the audio output properties was easier than we expected. More importantly, because Boom3D can integrate well with the macOS system, the entire process does not face any disruption.

How does it sound?

Let’s look at the core features of Boom3D for Mac.

Impressive 3D Quality Audio

The virtual 3D audio technology used by Boom3D for Mac is so effective that it often feels like magic. You get to know the real difference when you enable the Boom3D engine. It does not even matter whether the app in question offers better-quality audio output in the first place. Therefore, regardless of whether you’d like to play your favorite music via Apple Music or a local media player, you can expect the best audio.

Advanced, 31-Band Equalizer

As you know, the built-in equalizer on macOS is not great. However, Boom3D for Mac brings a powerful 31-band equalizer to the table. You can use this aspect of the app to choose between the right preset for your needs. For instance, while the music preset gives importance to different genres, the gaming preset will take care of noise isolation and precision.

Sound Presets

Boom3D includes over 15 presets tailored for various music genres and moods, as well as general presets for your Mac. Additionally, Boom3D offers specific presets for gaming and movies. Music genre presets include Electronic, Hip-hop, Acoustic, Jazz, and Classical.

For mood presets, Boom3D provides options such as Party, Lounge, Treble Boost, and Bass Boost. These presets allow you to customize your audio experience based on your current activity or preference, enhancing the overall sound quality tailored to your needs.

Volume Booster

Occasionally, you may find that your Mac is not loud enough. And increasing the volume to the top level may tamper the quality of audio, especially if you use a pair of conventional headphones. However, through the Boom3D app for macOS, you can boost the volume without compromising quality. Because the boosting is done virtually, it does not take a toll on your headphones.

App Volume Controller

Do you think some apps are always ruining your audio experience due to high volume? If so, you may want to check out the app-specific volume controller of Boom3D for Mac. This option is convenient when you like to have better control over the entire system. For instance, you may want to suppress the volume from an app like Skype.

Miscellaneous Options

In addition to these core features, Boom3D for Mac offers some other utilities as well. For instance, you can use the same app to listen to an impressive variety of radio stations from across the globe. Similarly, there is an option to use the Boom3D app as a hi-res audio player.

You can use this audio player to deal with many popular formats, including FLAC. As you can guess, the app will play any file you throw at it at 3D surround quality. In short, Boom3D for Mac delivers a lot in terms of features and core functionalities.

Integration & compatibility

Boom3D for Mac integrates seamlessly with macOS, and the restart required during the setup process enhances this integration. When the Boom3D app is running, all your audio is routed through a virtual sound device. This might cause issues when accessing settings for some headphones, like Apple AirPods.

However, Boom3D’s compatibility is impressive overall. It supports a wide range of apps and streaming services, including Spotify, VLC, Netflix, YouTube, and various music streaming sites and radio stations. With Boom3D, you can apply audio effects not only to songs played within the app but also system-wide across your Mac. When using apps like Spotify and VLC, you’ll see a popup requesting permission to access these apps. Click OK to allow Boom3D to modify audio effects.

For media played from Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo, and other sites in browsers like Safari, Chrome, or Firefox, Boom3D ensures you enjoy rich, immersive, and fine-tuned audio. For example, to enjoy the highest-quality audio from Netflix, you can install the Google Chrome extension, ensuring you can stream all your Netflix content in 1080p quality.

Additionally, Boom3D offers excellent AirPlay integration. If you regularly use your Mac and iPhone together, you’ll find this feature particularly helpful. Once connected, you can play songs via Apple Music on your iPhone using your Mac’s sound settings, enhancing your audio experience across devices.

Our take: Boom3D provides system-wide audio enhancement, its 3D surround sound effect is surprisingly and pleasingly immersive. But here are a few areas where we think Boom3D needs some improvement.

As we said, Boom3D for Mac faces some issues when you connect specific headphones/earphones to your Mac. It seems to be the case with Apple AirPods, which is not convenient for those who have invested in the Apple ecosystem.
While it was not a pertinent issue, we faced some delay while enabling some features. We think the output device change options can also be improved to an extent. On the bright side, the app doesn’t disrupt any other options.

We should mention that these issues are not dealbreakers in any way. In fact, compared to what Boom3D for Mac delivers, these small issues would not matter to most people.

What’s the price, is Boom3D free?

Boom3D offers a free trial version for a 30-day trial period. After the trial, Boom3D for Mac is available for purchase with a straightforward pricing structure, starting as low as $14.99 from the official website.

Additionally, you can get the Boom3D for Mac app through your Setapp subscription. With a $10-a-month subscription, you gain access to a collection of impressive apps, including Boom3D.

It’s important to note that while this review focuses on the Mac version of Boom3D, the app is also available for separate purchases on other platforms such as iOS, iPadOS, Windows, and Android. This expands the audio enhancement features of Boom3D across various devices, beyond just the Mac ecosystem.

The final verdict

In the end, we believe Boom3D for Mac provides immense value for what it costs. When compared to the features and the overall audio experience the app brings, the money you have to pay upfront is minimal. Of course, we loved the option to test all the features for up to thirty days. And it is very likely that you would get the full version once you get used to the high-quality audio experience throughout your Mac.