EQBaseApple AirPods (1st generation) EQ settings for Mac
Last updated: October 2, 2026
Apple AirPods (1st generation) has 2 published AutoEQ corrections, from 2 measurement rigs, and this page carries every one of them. macOS has no system-wide equalizer of its own, so applying a correction to everything your Mac plays, rather than inside a single player, needs an app that sits on the system audio path.
- Who it is for: anyone listening to the Apple AirPods (1st generation) on a Mac who wants its measured tonal balance pulled toward a neutral target.
- What a correction is: a set of equalizer filters that the open-source AutoEQ project computes by comparing a published measurement of the headphone with a target curve.
- What this page holds: for every measurement, the curve, its parametric filters, the same filters as copy-paste text, a ten-band version and a one-click EQBase preset.
- What it cannot do: it changes frequency response only. It will not make up for the way it happens to sit in your ear or for distortion, and it was measured on someone else's pair, not yours.
- What you need: any parametric equalizer takes the filters, on any platform. The preset needs EQBase, free on macOS 14.4 or later.
Worth knowing: The two rigs that measured the original AirPods disagree in the midrange and not only at the top, which is unusual: oratory1990 asks for 3.3 dB of cut at 500 Hz where Rtings asks for a decibel of boost, and they finish 6.5 dB apart at 8 kHz. Their preamps differ by more than 2 dB for the same reason. Try both rather than deciding one is wrong, because an earbud that does not seal gives a measurement rig very little to hold on to.
What the Apple AirPods (1st generation) correction changes
These figures come from the measurement by oratory1990, the one the picker below opens with. The largest boost is +3.4 dB at treble (8 kHz), and the largest cut is −3.3 dB at midrange (500 Hz). Total swing across the ten bands is 6.7 dB. Averaged over its bands the bass is lifted by 2.0 dB, more than the other two, which is where most of the audible change lands.
The 2 published measurements on this page, from 2 rigs, do not agree with each other, and the size of the disagreement is worth knowing before picking one. They differ most at treble (8 kHz), where the ten-band figures span 6.5 dB, and least at upper bass (125 Hz), where they span 0.0 dB. A spread that wide usually means the rigs disagree about the seal or the coupler rather than about the headphone, so prefer the measurement whose conditions match how you actually wear them.
The Apple AirPods (1st generation) corrections, measurement by measurement
Pick a measurement to see its correction curve, its parametric filters, the same filters as copy-paste text in AutoEQ's format (which Equalizer APO and Peace, REW and most desktop parametric equalizers import, and which EQBase's own Expert EQ reads and writes), and EQBase's ten-band version, which is what the downloadable preset applies.
Apple AirPods (1st generation), measured by oratory1990
| Type | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | +3.2 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 9.38 kHz | +4.7 dB | 0.74 |
| Peak | 526 Hz | −3.3 dB | 1.28 |
| Peak | 1.98 kHz | −2.0 dB | 0.92 |
| Peak | 4.49 kHz | +2.9 dB | 2.30 |
| High shelf | 10 kHz | −3.0 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 154 Hz | +0.9 dB | 1.15 |
| Peak | 47 Hz | −0.8 dB | 1.53 |
| Peak | 308 Hz | −0.6 dB | 1.95 |
| Peak | 102 Hz | +0.3 dB | 2.03 |
Copy into another equalizer
Preamp: -3.9 dB
Filter 1: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain 3.2 dB Q 0.70
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 9383 Hz Gain 4.7 dB Q 0.74
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 526 Hz Gain -3.3 dB Q 1.28
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1979 Hz Gain -2.0 dB Q 0.92
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 4485 Hz Gain 2.9 dB Q 2.30
Filter 6: ON HSC Fc 10000 Hz Gain -3.0 dB Q 0.70
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 154 Hz Gain 0.9 dB Q 1.15
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 47 Hz Gain -0.8 dB Q 1.53
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 308 Hz Gain -0.6 dB Q 1.95
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 102 Hz Gain 0.3 dB Q 2.03| Band | Gain |
|---|---|
| 31 Hz | +2.5 dB |
| 62 Hz | +1.8 dB |
| 125 Hz | +1.5 dB |
| 250 Hz | −0.2 dB |
| 500 Hz | −3.3 dB |
| 1 kHz | −0.5 dB |
| 2 kHz | −2.0 dB |
| 4 kHz | +2.9 dB |
| 8 kHz | +3.4 dB |
| 16 kHz | −0.5 dB |
| Preamp | −3.9 dB |
Apple AirPods (1st generation), measured by Rtings
| Type | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | +6.2 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 8.92 kHz | −4.0 dB | 1.30 |
| Peak | 985 Hz | +2.4 dB | 0.95 |
| Peak | 1.87 kHz | −4.1 dB | 1.27 |
| Peak | 401 Hz | +0.9 dB | 0.34 |
| High shelf | 10 kHz | −3.0 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 4.27 kHz | +1.4 dB | 2.96 |
| Peak | 75 Hz | +0.8 dB | 3.69 |
| Peak | 5.61 kHz | −1.8 dB | 6.00 |
| Peak | 8.68 kHz | +1.3 dB | 2.83 |
Copy into another equalizer
Preamp: -6.2 dB
Filter 1: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain 6.2 dB Q 0.70
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 8916 Hz Gain -4.0 dB Q 1.30
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 985 Hz Gain 2.4 dB Q 0.95
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1873 Hz Gain -4.1 dB Q 1.27
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 401 Hz Gain 0.9 dB Q 0.34
Filter 6: ON HSC Fc 10000 Hz Gain -3.0 dB Q 0.70
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 4273 Hz Gain 1.4 dB Q 2.96
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 75 Hz Gain 0.8 dB Q 3.69
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 5606 Hz Gain -1.8 dB Q 6.00
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 8681 Hz Gain 1.3 dB Q 2.83| Band | Gain |
|---|---|
| 31 Hz | +5.3 dB |
| 62 Hz | +4.6 dB |
| 125 Hz | +1.5 dB |
| 250 Hz | +0.4 dB |
| 500 Hz | +1.0 dB |
| 1 kHz | +2.3 dB |
| 2 kHz | −3.6 dB |
| 4 kHz | +1.2 dB |
| 8 kHz | −3.1 dB |
| 16 kHz | −3.1 dB |
| Preamp | −6.2 dB |
Ten-band or parametric EQ for the Apple AirPods (1st generation)?
A parametric equalizer lets every filter take any frequency, gain and width, where width is written as Q and a higher Q means a narrower filter, so it can reproduce AutoEQ's filters exactly. A ten-band graphic equalizer has ten fixed bands an octave apart, from 31 Hz to 16 kHz, all the same width, so it can only approximate them. EQBase's ten-band version sets those ten gains to match the parametric curve at the band centers, allowing for how the bands overlap, rather than reading the curve off at each center.
On oratory1990's measurement, the ten-band version stays within 1.2 dB of the parametric curve between 40 Hz and 10 kHz. Across all 8,666 corrections in EQBase's catalog the median for that range is 3.3 dB, which makes the Apple AirPods (1st generation) an easier fit for ten bands than most. Outside that range the gap reaches 2.0 dB around 20 Hz, below the lowest band at 31 Hz, where the parametric low shelf at 105 Hz keeps lifting by 3.2 dB all the way down and the 31 Hz band rolls off beneath its center.
Use the parametric filters if your equalizer accepts them: they are the correction exactly as published. The ten-band version is for equalizers with fixed sliders, EQBase's free tier among them, and it is what the downloadable preset applies. On EQBase Pro, applying the Apple AirPods (1st generation) from the Headphones pane uses the parametric filters directly, and the preset carries them as well, one switch to Expert EQ away. AutoEQ publishes its own ten-band file on the same grid, fitted to the raw measurement rather than to these filters, so the two agree closely through the midrange and can differ at the extremes.
How to use the Apple AirPods (1st generation) correction on a Mac
To use the Apple AirPods (1st generation) correction on a Mac, apply it with an equalizer that runs on system audio, so it reaches every app at once. In EQBase the fastest route skips this page: open the Headphones pane, search for the Apple AirPods (1st generation), which is in the built-in catalog of 6,033 models, and click the measurement you want. The preset above does the same from a file, for anyone who wants to see the numbers first or a specific measurement rather than the default one.
Either way the free tier carries it with no time limit. The Apple AirPods (1st generation) preset above sets the ten-band curve, which is what the free tier applies, so nothing on this page is behind a purchase.
The Apple AirPods (1st generation) sits in the ear without sealing it, so there is no seal to lose and no pad to wear out, and equally no way to hold low bass in. Every correction here asks for a large bass boost to make up for that, and how much of it reaches you depends on the shape of your own ear more than on the curve. If the bottom end still sounds thin afterwards, that is the form factor rather than the measurement.
The Apple AirPods (1st generation) connects over Bluetooth, so the Mac's own headphone amplifier never enters the picture: macOS encodes the audio and the headphone's electronics drive it from there. Nothing about amplification applies here, but the preamp does. Leave the headroom the preset asks for, because a boosted band that clips does so before the signal ever leaves the Mac.
Common questions about Apple AirPods (1st generation) EQ
Do these EQ settings work on any Mac app?
Yes, if the equalizer runs on system audio rather than inside one player. EQBase processes everything the Mac plays, so the same correction applies to Spotify, Safari, YouTube, games and calls. The Music app's own equalizer only affects Music.
Where do the Apple AirPods (1st generation) numbers come from?
From 2 published AutoEQ measurements of the Apple AirPods (1st generation), made by oratory1990 and Rtings. Each one is a real frequency-response measurement compared against a target curve, and each produces its own set of filters. They are all on this page rather than averaged together, because a measurement belongs to the person who made it.
Why is the Apple AirPods (1st generation) preamp negative?
The Apple AirPods (1st generation) correction needs −3.9 dB of headroom on its default measurement, so the preset pulls the signal down by that much before the boosts are applied. Boosting a signal that is already near full scale would clip it, and the negative preamp is what buys the room. Skip it and loud passages distort.
Can I use these filters in a different equalizer?
Yes. The filter table is a standard parametric list: type, frequency, gain and Q. Any parametric equalizer that accepts those four values per band will take them, on any platform. The one-click preset is only a shortcut for EQBase users.
Other headphones with published corrections
- Apple EarPods EQ settings for Mac, 4 published measurements
- 7Hz Salnotes Zero EQ settings for Mac, 10 published measurements
- Apple AirPods 2 EQ settings for Mac, 2 published measurements
- Apple AirPods 3 EQ settings for Mac, 2 published measurements
- Moondrop Chu EQ settings for Mac, 11 published measurements
More Apple headphones: Apple AirPods Pro 2 · Apple AirPods 4 · Apple AirPods Max · Apple AirPods Pro
Credits
Correction data from the AutoEQ project by Jaakko Pasanen, used under the MIT licence. The measurements themselves are the work of the people credited on each curve above. EQBase ships the same catalog in the app, with the same attribution.
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