http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/technology/personaltech/audio-equalizer-and-enhancement-apps-beyond-the-smartphone-sound.html 2014-11-12 18:21:45 Audio Equalizer and Enhancement Apps Beyond the Smartphone Sound If you’re not satisfied with the quality of music produced by your smartphone’s player, there are plenty of options a sharper listening experience. === You’ve probably heard musicians like Neil Young complain over the last few years about the sound quality of digital music. But thanks to a new generation of so-called audio enhancement apps, your music’s sound quality doesn’t have to entirely depend on your smartphone. LouderLogic, ALX makes tones sound much warmer and vocals seem brighter. It gave movies theater-quality sound, even on headphones. The ALX button automatically delivers this effect, but users can manually adjust the sound quality with audio equalizer controls when the phone is turned sideways. Obviously, ALX works better with certain tracks. The app’s design is a little garish, and there are some pop-up ads in the free edition. But an ad-free version is available On Android, an equivalent app is DFX Music Player Enhancer, The DFX Player works as advertised. It makes music sound livelier, the bass notes warmer, than through a typical Android music app. You can also precisely adjust audio levels and choose settings to suit different types of music. On the downside, the app’s interface is a bit clunky and not as polished or easy to use as it could be. Headquake, Like LouderLogic, the app synchronizes with the music in your iTunes collection. But it includes a large “3d” button, which activates a whole new spatial dimension to sounds: You can actually get a sense of, say, the singer in a band standing in front of you while the guitar comes from the side. You can control the effect by sliding icons on the screen to try to centralize the location of the sound and by adjusting equalizer levels for bass, midrange and treble. But Headquake’s special effect doesn’t work well for all songs. With hard rock, for example, it makes midrange sounds mushy instead of clean, and singers can sound like they’re singing in a toilet bowl. For the right track, however, the effect is startling. And Headquake is free, so there’s nothing to be lost by giving it a whirl. LouderLogic, DFX Player and Headquake may not appeal to audiophiles because the processing they apply to music has such a bold effect on its sound. On iOS, a slightly more subtle and gentle effect If all this talk of advanced music processing makes you uncomfortable, simpler audio enhancement is possible with equalizer apps like Equalizer by Audioforge Quick Call Fitness app experts Runtastic have added a new dimension to their health-measuring powers: Sleep quality, via the new Sleep Better app. The app uses your phone’s sensors to assess your sleep behavior to try to help you sleep better, and it’s free on