How to use an equalizer with Spotify on Mac

Option 1: Spotify’s built-in equalizer

1. Open the Spotify desktop app and click your profile picture at the top, then Settings.
2. Under Playback, switch Equalizer on.
3. Choose a preset, or drag the points of the curve until it sounds right.

Good to know: the setting applies to Spotify on this Mac only. When you play to another device through Spotify Connect, Spotify doesn’t apply these audio settings. Safari, YouTube, Apple Music and games aren’t affected at all.

Option 2: a system-wide equalizer with TONO

1. Download TONO and open it. The first time you switch the sound on, macOS asks for “Screen & System Audio Recording” – that’s the permission’s name; TONO processes the sound live and records nothing unless you press record.
2. Play something in Spotify. You’ll see it on TONO’s live display.
3. Pick a preset – Hip-Hop, Pop, Classical, Loudness, Warm … – or pull the ten faders.
4. Hold HEAR ORIGINAL to compare with the untouched sound. If the difference isn’t better, it isn’t worth keeping.
5. Turn Spotify’s own equalizer off, so the two curves don’t stack.
6. Optional: import a correction for your headphones from AutoEQ, and give your headphones and your speakers their own preset in Tools. TONO switches when the output does.

Which one should you use?

If you only ever listen in Spotify and want a little more bass, Spotify’s equalizer is enough. If you also watch YouTube, play games or switch between headphones and speakers, one equalizer for everything is simpler.

Starting points for common problems

Small moves go a long way: 2–3 dB is a clear change. Cutting what bothers you usually sounds cleaner than boosting everything else.

• Muddy or boomy: cut 2–3 dB between 200 and 400 Hz.
• Thin, no weight: lift the lows around 60–100 Hz by 2–4 dB, or turn up TONO’s Bass Boost.
• Harsh or tiring: cut 2–3 dB between 3 and 6 kHz.
• Dull: lift above 8–10 kHz by 2 dB, or use the Brilliant preset.
• Vocals buried: the Vocal Boost preset lifts the center only, so the rest of the mix stays where it is.

Two more settings in Spotify matter: set the audio quality as high as your plan allows, and keep volume normalization on if you switch between playlists a lot.

Questions