A few years ago I discovered RE Equalizer FX. Since then, music sounds better no matter what headphones I have on. For about three francs or euros, you get ten bands and other sound customisation options.
Some headphone manufacturers provide an Android equaliser app. Some of them are better than others. And then there are masses of headphones that come without any customisation options, which is a shame because a good equaliser can get a lot out of them. For instance, if there’s too much bass or not enough. Or insufficient mids. None of that is a problem, as you can customise everything to suit your taste.
But the thing is, it’s not easy to find a good equaliser. Almost all the apps in the Google Play Store either offer only semi-satisfactory customisation options for sound – with (too) few bands – or they don’t even work with the smartphone in question.
The app that stands out
But there’s an app called RE Equalizer FX that deals with this issue and stands out from the rest. Both in terms of scope and the fact it works with many Android devices. The bottom line is you get a 10-band equaliser with 31 freely definable presets, 19 of which already have preset equaliser settings (including rock, pop, RnB and classic). It also comes with sound effects and extensive settings.
I’ve already used the app on a range of smartphones, from Google, Cat, Cubot and Sony. But that’s no guarantee it’ll run smoothly on your phone. Fortunately, Google Play gives you two hours after a purchase to try out the app and reverse the transaction should you need to. It currently costs about 3 francs or euros.
Although this equaliser does a good job on my smartphone, not everything is perfect with it either. Here are the bearable disadvantages:
The design is simple and customisable but not necessarily beginner-friendly. When you first start the app, you’ll probably only know what effect the control panels have after looking at the instructions.
This is a stand-alone app that’s not integrated into the system. As a result, you have to start it manually every time you switch on your phone. In the app description, the developer recommends starting the target media app first and then the equaliser. However, it also works perfectly for me when I don’t do this.
With some smartphones (or smartphone-headphone combinations), the RE Equalizer FX doesn’t automatically switch back to the speakers once you’ve untethered the Bluetooth connection. Pressing Re-check or Bypass (switch on and off) twice in the app’s status bar options helps to prevent this. There’s also an option to stop the equaliser as soon as the headphones are disconnected. However, in the worst-case scenario, your alarm won’t work properly and you’ll end up oversleeping the next day.
While not a drawback for me, it’s worth mentioning that the app is only available in English.
You have to start the RE Equalizer FX yourself, then it runs in the background (in the options, you can activate a direct background start without opening the app) and is always visible with an icon in the status bar. That’s where you’ll also find the quick settings. Source: Source: Screenshot/Martin Jud
RE Equalizer FX in detail
When I started the RE Equalizer FX for the first time, I didn’t understand what half the buttons did. Don’t let this put you off if you feel the same way. You can also use the app without knowing what RND, INV, AUT, DRW, LNK and S-LNK do. Leave the buttons aside for now and concentrate on the bit that shows the equaliser. It works in the same way as simpler apps.
Before you use the RE Equalizer FX, you should make sure that your in-house audio effects are deactivated. For instance, SoundAlive for Samsung smartphones. You should also exclude the app from applications that perform battery or memory optimisations. In other words, deactivate the «Stop app activity when not in use» option in Android under Settings > Apps > RE Equalizer. Then you can get started.
According to the official app description, this is what you get with RE Equalizer FX:
Studio-quality design and workflow
Powered by Shunt Audio Engine and smart interface technologies
10 ISO faders with one band per octave
Proportional Q filters
20 integrated ready-made presets with 10 user-defined presets (editor’s note: in the current version there are 19 ready-made and 12 user-defined presets)
Amplifier
Compressor for adjusting the audio dynamic range
Balance effect to adjust the volume of the left/right channel
Large selection of controls for quick fine-tuning and EQ design
Scaling options
Bands stepping, mixing, morphing, shifting with multidirectional automation control
7 modes for drawing multiple shapes and curves
Built-in threshold gate for overwriting the clipping signal
Global bypass/real-time switch
Audio analyser for real-time monitoring
The interface and its six areas
Listing and explaining all the functions is beyond the scope of this article. Especially as there are even more options hidden in the settings. Nevertheless, I’d like to give you an overview of the various app areas. If you want to know more about what everything does, it’s best to take a look at the somewhat outdated but comprehensive official guide.
By default, the app interface only activates in landscape format. In the options, you can also change this to the less clear portrait format if you want. Apart from these options, the controls are divided into the following six areas:
The interface is divided into six areas. Source: Source: Screenshot/Martin Jud
The most important areas: presets, equaliser, sound effects
In the preset area, you select which equaliser preset you want to activate. 19 of the 31 presets are already predefined on app installation. You can choose from Rock, Pop, RnB, Classic, Electro, Dance, Club, Acoustic, Drums, Vocals, Deep, Smooth, Presence, Enhance, Crunch, Fat, Highcut Filter, Roll Highs and Lowcut Filter. You can adjust all presets, rename them or even import or export them as a backup. I’ve created a separate preset for each Bluetooth player
If you long press on a preset, this menu appears that lets you do things like renaming. Source: Source: Screenshot/Martin Jud
The fader area is the heart of the app. This is where you can change the ten frequency band sliders in real time, which (as always with equalisers) are arranged from left to right, from low to high (32 Hz to 16 kHz). If you want to boost the bass, for instance, you could set the first three controls (32, 64 and 130 Hz) to +6, +4 and +2. There’s also a preamp gain slider on the far left, which alters the overall volume.
In the monitoring area, an audio analyser/visualiser shows what you’re currently listening to. By default, it displays this in a waveform, but you can change this to the classic graphical bar format in the options. If necessary, you can also switch off the visualisation or adjust the colours.
Press the blue FX button at the top of the app to switch from the monitoring area to the FX area. This is where you get a switchable surround effect and a deep bass (frequency range adjustable in the options), which can intensely amplify the lows. You can also adjust the balance between the left and right headphones and switch from the amplifier to compressor.
As soon as you press the blue FX button, the monitoring area at the bottom changes to the FX area. Source: Source: Screenshot/Martin Jud
Other areas: control options and information
The control/morph section gives you management options, such as a random equaliser (RND), a function for inverting the band settings (INV), morphing elements (arrow keys) for step-by-step control and a bypass option (BYP) for temporarily deactivating the equaliser. On the far right, click on the three dots to access the app settings. There’s also an FX next to it. If you press this, the settings for sound effects appear in the sixth area of the interface instead of settings display.
In the drag area, there’s a self-automation mode (AUT), a swipe gesture function (DRAW), linking functions for all or certain faders (LNK, S-LNK), a chain mode for smooth transitions (CHN) and lots more.
The status area shows information about the equaliser components. For example, the intensity level of the equaliser (low, medium, high or ultra), which can be adjusted in the options. You can also see the activity status, the current preset or output mode.
RE Equalizer FX is impressive when I use it with good headphones – such as my wife’s Sony Linkbuds S and also with my own inexpensive and lesser-known headphones, the Edifier TWS1 Pro. Not only does it make them sound better, it means they can compete with more expensive models. Without an equaliser, the Edifier deliver too much bass for my liking. If I connect the smartphone to my Retro 2.1 Bose setup via Bluetooth, I need a bit more bass and stronger treble.
If you know of an equivalent or better equaliser for Android that works with most devices, I’m all ears.
