Let’s Get Booming
Boom 2 is a system-wide audio enhancer and controller. The first time you install the app it will analyze your Mac to determine the best settings that will produce the best sound. After that it will stay quietly in the menu bar while continuously improving the sound from the background. You will notice that your Mac sounds louder and richer after activating Boom. The menu bar icon gives you quick control of overall volume. You can slide the control up and down to change the volume.
To access more options click the three dots under volume control. The main window will open. You can activate/deactivate Boom sound control using the switch on the top part of the window.
In the middle is the equalizer. There’s the graphic equalizer visual representation in the middle and the settings on the right. You can choose the typical EQ settings from the drop-down list such as Jazz, Movie, Music, Party, Pop, Rock, etc. But the best settings for my MacBook are in “My MacBook;” it’s the result of Boom’s first analysis when I first installed it. At the bottom is sound effects: Ambience, Fidelity, Spatial, Night Mode, and Pitch. You can activate one of them by clicking on the one that you want. Click again to deactivate it. At the bottom you will find the hotkey settings that will slide up when you click on it. You can use the default key combination, or you can customize them to your liking.
Enhance Other Files
As good as Boom is the enhanced sound stays on your Mac. If you play a music file on an external device, like iPhone, it won’t have the improved sound quality as if you played it on your Mac. That’s why Boom 2 comes with the File Boosting feature. You can enhance the sound quality of individual music and movie files by dragging and dropping them to the Boom window.
You can add them from your iTunes library or another folder on your computer. You can also customize the naming and saving location of the enhanced files.
External Remote
Boom 2 also comes with a free iOS remote app called Boom 2 Remote. You can get it from iTunes App Store directly on your iPhone or iPad. The remote works when you have Boom 2 running on your Mac, and both the Mac and iOS device are connected to the same wireless network. The first time iOS remote tries to connect, your Mac will ask for confirmation. Allow the remote access.
After that you can control all of Boom’s feature from your iOS device, I ncluding quick volume control (both Mac’s and Boom’s), playback control, equalizer, and sound effects.
If you yearn for better Mac sound, you should try Boom 2. After using it for several days, you’ll wonder how you put up with your Mac’s plain sound before using Boom. Image Credit: Global Delight
