EQBaseBeats Studio Buds EQ settings for Mac
Last updated: October 2, 2026
Beats Studio Buds 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 Beats Studio Buds 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 a tip that does not seal 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: Only two rigs, but they agree to an unusual degree: 0.1 dB apart at 250 Hz, never more than 3.1 dB apart at any band, and both asking for the same shape, roughly 2.5 dB into 250 Hz and a cut through 2 kHz. Two measurements that land on top of each other are worth more than five that scatter. This is the original Studio Buds, not the Studio Buds +, which measures differently and has its own page.
What the Beats Studio Buds correction changes
These figures come from the measurement by oratory1990, the one the picker below opens with. The largest boost is +2.5 dB at lower midrange (250 Hz), and the largest cut is −4.4 dB at upper midrange (2 kHz). Total swing across the ten bands is 6.9 dB. Averaged over its bands the treble is lifted by 1.2 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 3.1 dB, and least at lower midrange (250 Hz), where they span 0.1 dB.
The Beats Studio Buds 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.
Beats Studio Buds, measured by oratory1990
| Type | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | −2.2 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 1.82 kHz | −4.7 dB | 0.74 |
| Peak | 145 Hz | +3.3 dB | 0.23 |
| Peak | 6.27 kHz | +4.8 dB | 1.67 |
| Peak | 568 Hz | −2.4 dB | 1.88 |
| High shelf | 10 kHz | +0.3 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 3.62 kHz | +2.3 dB | 4.81 |
| Peak | 2.77 kHz | −1.7 dB | 3.92 |
| Peak | 68 Hz | +0.8 dB | 1.75 |
| Peak | 127 Hz | −0.8 dB | 1.91 |
Copy into another equalizer
Preamp: -4.3 dB
Filter 1: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain -2.2 dB Q 0.70
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 1819 Hz Gain -4.7 dB Q 0.74
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 145 Hz Gain 3.3 dB Q 0.23
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 6271 Hz Gain 4.8 dB Q 1.67
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 568 Hz Gain -2.4 dB Q 1.88
Filter 6: ON HSC Fc 10000 Hz Gain 0.3 dB Q 0.70
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 3619 Hz Gain 2.3 dB Q 4.81
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2771 Hz Gain -1.7 dB Q 3.92
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 68 Hz Gain 0.8 dB Q 1.75
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 127 Hz Gain -0.8 dB Q 1.91| Band | Gain |
|---|---|
| 31 Hz | −0.8 dB |
| 62 Hz | +1.3 dB |
| 125 Hz | +1.2 dB |
| 250 Hz | +2.5 dB |
| 500 Hz | −0.6 dB |
| 1 kHz | −1.1 dB |
| 2 kHz | −4.4 dB |
| 4 kHz | +1.1 dB |
| 8 kHz | +2.5 dB |
| 16 kHz | +0.0 dB |
| Preamp | −4.3 dB |
Beats Studio Buds, measured by Rtings
| Type | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | −2.4 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 139 Hz | +3.4 dB | 0.25 |
| Peak | 1.25 kHz | −3.9 dB | 0.83 |
| Peak | 820 Hz | +2.8 dB | 3.54 |
| Peak | 571 Hz | −1.8 dB | 2.69 |
| High shelf | 10 kHz | −2.6 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 3.7 kHz | +2.8 dB | 4.00 |
| Peak | 2.73 kHz | −1.8 dB | 3.89 |
| Peak | 67 Hz | +0.8 dB | 1.88 |
| Peak | 133 Hz | −0.7 dB | 1.80 |
Copy into another equalizer
Preamp: -2.7 dB
Filter 1: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain -2.4 dB Q 0.70
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 139 Hz Gain 3.4 dB Q 0.25
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 1253 Hz Gain -3.9 dB Q 0.83
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 820 Hz Gain 2.8 dB Q 3.54
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 571 Hz Gain -1.8 dB Q 2.69
Filter 6: ON HSC Fc 10000 Hz Gain -2.6 dB Q 0.70
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 3698 Hz Gain 2.8 dB Q 4.00
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2734 Hz Gain -1.8 dB Q 3.89
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 67 Hz Gain 0.8 dB Q 1.88
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 133 Hz Gain -0.7 dB Q 1.80| Band | Gain |
|---|---|
| 31 Hz | −1.0 dB |
| 62 Hz | +1.2 dB |
| 125 Hz | +1.4 dB |
| 250 Hz | +2.5 dB |
| 500 Hz | −0.1 dB |
| 1 kHz | −1.5 dB |
| 2 kHz | −2.3 dB |
| 4 kHz | +1.9 dB |
| 8 kHz | −0.7 dB |
| 16 kHz | −2.2 dB |
| Preamp | −2.7 dB |
Ten-band or parametric EQ for the Beats Studio Buds?
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 2.4 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 Beats Studio Buds a typical fit for ten bands. The largest of those gaps sits around 2.8 kHz, where a cutting filter at 2.77 kHz with a Q of 3.9 is far narrower than a one-octave band can follow.
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 Beats Studio Buds 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 Beats Studio Buds correction on a Mac
To use the Beats Studio Buds 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 Beats Studio Buds, 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 Beats Studio Buds preset above sets the ten-band curve, which is what the free tier applies, so nothing on this page is behind a purchase.
The Beats Studio Buds is an in-ear monitor, and its bass depends far more on the seal than on anything in this correction. A tip that does not seal loses the low bass outright, and no amount of boost puts it back. If the bottom end still sounds missing after applying this, change tips and re-seat them before deciding the curve is wrong.
Most of the measurements behind this page were made with the headphone in its normal listening mode, and active noise cancelling changes the response it is correcting. Switching ANC or transparency on and off is not a small tone change, so a correction that sounds right in one mode may not in another.
Common questions about Beats Studio Buds 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 Beats Studio Buds numbers come from?
From 2 published AutoEQ measurements of the Beats Studio Buds, 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 Beats Studio Buds preamp negative?
The Beats Studio Buds correction needs −4.3 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
- Beats Solo3 Wireless EQ settings for Mac, 4 published measurements
- Beats Powerbeats Pro EQ settings for Mac, 3 published measurements
- Beats Studio Buds + EQ settings for Mac, 3 published measurements
- Beats Studio3 Wireless EQ settings for Mac, 3 published measurements
- Beats Solo Pro EQ settings for Mac, 2 published measurements
More Beats headphones: Beats Fit Pro · Beats Flex · Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 · Beats Solo 4 · Beats Solo Buds · Beats Studio 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.
All headphone EQ pages · Does macOS have a built-in equalizer? · Room correction on a Mac