A big part of any virtual entertainment experience is audio and how it’s delivered to the user. Done right, good sound is key to making sure your Netflix binging and gaming sessions are fun. However, not all audio is created equal. In order to truly experience 3D audio, one would need to spend a good chunk of money on the right headphones, DAC, and more. Or that was the case anyway. Now, there are apps out there that intelligently take traditional stereo audio and transform it into a 3D and spatial experience. Boom 3D is one such app, which includes a host of features while being light on the wallet. But how does Boom 3D help breathe life into your audio experience? Well, I have been using the Boom 3D app for the past few days, so let’s talk about it.
Boom 3D: An Audio Experience for Headphones
Since Boom 3D has more features than 3D Audio, I have divided this article into various sections that talk about the app’s key features like the 31-Band equalizer, spatial tracking, and more. Depending on what you’re looking for, use the table below to navigate this guide.
Boom 3D: Cut to the Chase
In a market with not a lot of options, Boom 3D comes as a solution that breathes life into sound. Using any pair of headphones, Boom 3D turns your stereo audio into a full 3D surround sound experience. Combine this with adjustable spatial sound, and this app is now a must-have for those looking to elevate their listening experience.
Audiophiles will greatly appreciate the 31-band massively customizable EQ (detailed below in the article) they can tinker with. Boom 3D also comes with added features like a worldwide radio and customizable presets. Topping it all off is an easy-to-use UI that packages the entire thing neatly. If you’re someone tired of the old audio ways and want to level up, it’s time to switch to Boom 3D.
Boom 3D: Pros and Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| System-Wide 3D Surround Sound | N/A |
| Works with any pair of headphones | |
| 31 Band Equalizer; highly customizable | |
| Worldwide Radio | |
| Supported on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS |
Boom 3D: Pricing and Platforms
A lot of apps rely on monthly or annual subscriptions as a way to boost revenue. However, I was pleased to find out that Boom 3D only requires a one-time payment of $49.99. The pricing remains the same whether you are a Mac or Windows user.
I did think the pricing was a bit steep initially, but then I saw Boom 3D hosting a Christmas Sale, which effectively slashes the price down to $12.5 (discounted by 75%). As someone who loves only paying once and being done with it, along with this huge discount, it was a no-brainer buy for me. For those with commitment issues, Boom 3D even offers a free 30-day trial, so you can test out all the features. Once satisfied, simply buy the license and begin booming.
Boom 3D: Set Up Experience
If you have used a nuanced EQ app, you must have gone through a grueling process that has you installing drivers and configuring things in an app thereafter. I have experienced the same, so naturally, I was a bit hesitant going into this review. Surprisingly, all Boom 3D requires is a download and an easy installation process. All the app needs from your side is a few taps and you’re there.
Once done, Boom 3D greets you with a video showcasing how a normal audio experience can easily transform into a 3D one. You can skip the demo video if you want but it’s kind of cool, so I recommend keeping it on. From then it is easy. All you need to do is navigate through the app and use it to your liking.
Boom 3D: Key Features
User Interface
Boom 3D has optimized its desktop app in a way that it can be used by both amateurs and professional users. I was greeted by a simple yet sleek window that was neatly divided into categories. Besides the handy Boom On/Off button and volume slider, the app has sections for its equalizer, presets, and 3D effects on the top taskbar.
I found using the app pretty easy since it relies on simple click settings and sliders. For instance, to quickly adjust audio settings, I just need to click on the top audio effects like Ambience and use the slider to adjust its intensity. The process remains the same for other effects, including Spatial Audio, which is enabled by default once you open the app.
For those looking to get into presets, click the dropdown menu and you’ll be greeted by a ton of them. They are neatly organized, and there are a ton of them. All presets have 31-band adjustable EQ support, which we have discussed below. I appreciated the fact that Boom 3D has a feedback button built right into the app for any concerns I had. Speaking of those, I did not like the fact that you can’t maximize the app, but it was scaled accordingly and didn’t bother me after a while.
Overall, I found the user interface of Boom 3D attractive and simple to use. As someone who knows just a fair bit about audio, I thought I would be overwhelmed by the app’s options. However, it’s obvious that the app makers have kept people like me in mind and created an experience for us.
Built-in 31-Band Equalizer
While I’m not an expert in audio manipulation, I do love to customize and tinker with stuff. Fortunately, Boom 3D not only comes with 3D sound but a full-fledged equalizer that let me fully customize the sound experience. Remember the pre-sets I mentioned above? All of those are fully customizable and feature a whopping 31 Band EQ control panel.
No matter what audio was playing on my PC, all I had to do was select a preset, click on Advanced and all the bands showed up. Each band corresponds to a specific frequency that you can adjust using its slider. But while I was doing that, Boom 3D further showed me that I can manually adjust the decibel range of each band, which I found to be rather handy. You can play audio in the background and actually see the real-time effects of this customization, which is nice.
However, I get that not everyone (including me) can fully tinker with audio like that. For those cases, Boom 3D also offers a simpler mode that only shows 10 bands. Adjusting those 10 bands is a bit easier, and again, you can see your effects. If you do end up making changes to your preset, the app offers to shift that change to a custom preset, which you can name and use. I found this useful since people do want their own custom settings for all their different headphones and speakers. So yeah, 3D audio paired with a custom preset makes for a fully customized audio experience.
3D Audio and Spatial Tracking
A big gripe with most headphones is that they are restricted to a traditional stereo setup. For those unaware, a stereo setup is basically when the audio comes from a traditional left-right scenario. To experience 3D audio and spatial sound without an app, one would need to buy an expensive pair of headphones like AirPods. However, Boom 3D comes with 3D surround sound support natively. In short, the Boom 3D app enables you to experience audio that feels like it’s coming from all around you.
All I needed to do was connect my headphones to my PC and click surround sound. Boom 3D presented an interactive menu that displayed all the speakers. However, even before that spatial audio took over, sounds from all sides overtook my headphones. Surround sound videos that were stereo before now had their audio coming from all sides and felt super immersive.
How Does Boom 3D Bring Surround Sound to Your Headphones? Let me explain.
Once I was done being amazed, I did contact Boom 3D asking how they achieved this. Global Delight uses what it calls a patented sound staging algorithm that can transform any pair of headphones into a 3D one. This algorithm not only works system-wide but even across platforms and onto macOS as mentioned above.
As someone who ended up using the spatial audio feature quite a bit, I was blown away by what Boom 3D had to offer. I appreciate that no matter what pair of headphones you connect, the 3D spatial audio starts working automatically. Since quality audio is something that is needed for everything, Boom 3D had the foresight to make sure their app works system-wide. So no matter whether I binge-watch shows on Netflix, play games on Steam, use Boom’s audio player, or just attend meetings, surround sound was available everywhere. Well, Boom 3D did this right.
Perfect for Entertainment
Now naturally, a big part of consuming entertainment is audio. From a sci-fi experience like Interstellar to even a show like Friends, I like good sound. Netflix recently announced the availability of spatial audio in select content. However, as mentioned one would need high-end headphones for them. Luckily, Boom 3D’s spatial sound is system-wide and applied here too.
Throughout my time with Boom 3D on Netflix, I had lots of fun as my audio experience was turned into something new. Now, to be honest, the change was a little weird at first since I am not used to 3D audio. However, I quickly got accustomed to it, as I practically heard sounds from everywhere in movies and TV shows.
If you’re new like me but want to tone it down, Boom 3D offers users to disable some virtual speakers. So you only need to click on the relevant speaker in the menu, and it will be muted. However, I would recommend adjusting the intensity of the spatial sound from the app. You can even adjust the Bass Control through a slider if you want.
Worldwide Radio Support
Besides all its audio capabilities, Boom 3D comes with a functionality that a few still might care about. The app comes with a radio player that has more than 20,000 stations. As someone who does listen to the nostalgia box from time to time, this is a welcome feature. The stations have been divided into categories, including by country.
That meant I could sit in India and listen to BBC Radio stations. Boom 3D also divides the stations by different genres and categories of music for easy sorting. If you’re of the rare few who want a radio built into their 3D audio, and music player app, go for Boom 3D.
High-Quality Surround Sound on Mac Too
While I use Windows as my daily driver, I did install Boom 3D on macOS to see if its benefits are present for Apple users too. And indeed, Boom 3D does offer 3D and spatial audio support on macOS. And this is good timing, as Apple’s announcement of spatial audio on selected music content means you can reap the app’s benefits here.
Another big advantage for mac users is Boom 3D’s v 1.4 update that takes things further. By spatializing all audio channels of a 5.1 surround audio, Boom upgrades the fidelity and depth of sound on any pair of headphones. Because Boom separates these audio channels, users get a distinct and immersive audio experience where they feel all the audio cues around them.
The best part is that you can use any old pair of headphones and don’t really need to shell out money. As before, macOS users can use the Boom 3D app to fine-tune this virtual surround sound feel by setting the system on/off, adjusting intensity, and even adjusting subwoofer volume. macOS users even get a Boom volume booster function that safely increases the volume beyond its limit for a better experience. So if you’re someone on macOS, go ahead and try it out.
Boom for iPhone and Android Phones
While Boom is an excellent audio companion for PCs, there are times when you need to go mobile. For those times and more, Boom has a dedicated app that doubles up as a music player for your phone. Available on iPhone or Android phones, Boom: Bass Booster & Equalizer does what it says. The app recognizes and syncs your tracks from Apple Music and even has a partnership with Tidal for you to stream your music from there.
Like the desktop app, it too can offer a 3D surround sound experience using your standard pair of headphones. You even add Boom audio effects, boost your bass, and generally improve your listening experience. Also, the mobile app features a radio player. However, do note that you need a premium membership for all these features. Nonetheless, even if you use it for free, the Boom app makes for an excellent audio player for mobiles. Try out the Boom Mobile Apps using the links right here.
Boom 3D Is Here to Level up Your Audio Game
My personal experience with Boom 3D introduced me to 3D surround sound on headphones, and the wonders it unlocks for your content consumption. In a market where not many companies offer this kind of service, Boom 3D brings something refreshing. The fact that this app works with any pair of headphones is a big plus too. While I only casually used the EQ, a massive 31 Band Equalizer will certainly be more helpful to audiophiles, who know exactly what they’re doing. I took advantage of the ongoing Christmas Sale and got the Boom 3D desktop app for only $12.50. You should check it out as well. If you end up buying Boom 3D, do let us know about your experience in the comments and whether you see a change from stereo to 3D audio.
Download Boom 3D on Windows and Mac
