Publisher's Description
From Prosoft Engineering:
Hear is sound enhancement software for the Mac. Hear improves the sound quality from your headphones, internal or external speakers. Hear can also add 3D sound and other various special effects to the sound on your Mac. Improve the sound from iTunes and make your music, movies, games or any other Mac OS X application sound amazing. Hear also gives you the ability to customize the sound to your preference with a 10 to 96-band equalizer for your Mac. Once you try Hear you won't be able to go without it. 3D Sound Like movies? like'em more with virtual cinema quality sound experience. Sound will approach you from all angles, even from behind. You are there with Hear, 3D sound for Mac. Equalizer Perfect your sound with Hear's studio quality N-band equalizer with built-in peak limiter. You've got control. Speaker Correction Control speaker resonance to increase frequency range and enhance sound. Center Channel Control Control the volume and width of the sound coming from your own virtual center-stage for performance-grade audio effects. A concert in your house. Virtual Subwoofer No Sub? No problem. Let Hear use your existing speakers to boost your bass. Don't you need more thump in your life?
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All versions:
3.6 starsout of 18 votes
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Current version:
0 stars Be the first to review this product -
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"crashed my macbook"
Version: Hear 1.1.1
Pros
none none none
Cons
I've tried twice now to download "hear" only to have it lock up my itunes and had to uninstall it both times. I've sent two emails to their support site and have gotten NO! response. What gives???
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"It doesn't work"
Version: Hear 1.1.1
Pros
don't know it doesn't work
Cons
I downloaded and installed and it says my trial is over.
What is that ? -
"potentially great app, no support"
Version: Hear 1.0.4
Pros
loads of features, great sound enhancement
Cons
crashes some apps, no support
Summary
No support (I mailed three times) is a definite 'don't buy' for me
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"Silly by way of immoderation."
Version: Hear 1.0.4
Pros
I didn't even know i could adjust the sound in all these different dimensions. See my summary below, and thats not even the half of it. You know those videos of recording studios and theres just knobs and knobs and knobs.
Cons
If you can figure out what you're doing with all these features, you probably already own some professional software and then your complaints would be directed to the small screen.
Summary
5 stars not because i like it, but because it's a great product, (thats how people should rate things, and they typically do, but i hate seeing a 1 out of 5 because the person was inept).
Clearly more capable than i could ask...that is to say it does more than i even know how to use. Each of the 17 options has 9 more options and three different levels and a range of styles, and you can tweak everything from -100 to +100. If i become a record producer, in the next 20 days, and all i have is my macbook, i'll learn what half of this does...to what end? who knows...who cares.
For the average joe, this app is way too easy to over-tweak and end up with a distorted sound. Yes you can boost the volume, seemingly magically, but you can boost the volume WAY past what your speakers can handle (MacBook. I do own some desktop speakers that i might try hooking up with this program installed, but for me it's not worth the price to keep. Thats what stereos are for...i'm not a movie producer).
$49.95 to purchase? No thanks.
Whats the difference between 3D Surround and Extended Space? And what depth do you want with that? Threshold or Ceiling? Do you want your Ambience Wet or Dry? Maximizer or High Contour or Low Contour?
Thats not even 1/3 of the features, and i usually love options, but this is too much...all i want is to make my iTunes louder, but not for the price.
Suggested reading:
"The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less" by Barry Schwartz. -
"You want sonic quality, then this product is for you!"
Version: Hear 1.0.4
Pros
It has many pre-set EQ settings and the ability to tweak them. There is a Preamp feature for boosting the volume. Many settings for different types of speakers and types of music. Much more than I care to play with. I just love the great sound!
Cons
It is a bit more complicated than I need and because it runs in the background, I can't tell if it running or not.
Summary
I love it for the great quality sound, from Mozart to Talk Radio!
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"Looks appealing, but... doesnt't work!"
Version: Hear 1.0.4
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Very nice interface but it didn't work on a MacBook Pro with ANY sound app, even after a whole hour of trying, configurating and restarting. Sorry, zero points. -
"Powerful audio enhancement"
Version: Hear 1.0.3
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Anyone who has attended live performances knows full well that recorded music, even when expertly laid down and listened to on high end playback, is not the real deal. Many of us know what music is supposed to sound like live. Some of us who have worked in recording studios have a good idea what studio produced recordings are supposed to sound like. Unfortunately, less that optimal playback equipment and lossy compression of mp3 copies markedly limit the fidelity of any recording.
Hear helps generate more realistic sound from recordings. Used correctly it will compensate for deficiencies anywhere in the playback chain. Like any powerful tool, it is fully capable of wreaking havoc when misused. If you aren't interested in reading the manual and learning how to use the program, I cannot recommend that you buy it, this is not a one size fits all plugin. (If you don't want or need the flexibility and power of Hear, consider the Xmod, Astound Stereo Expander or SRS iWow, although the latter is only available for Mac as an iTunes plugin). But if you can devote a hour or so to learning what it is that Hear does, if you have a good idea of the sound you want for a given music genre and you enjoy tweaking, get this software.
I use Hear for all computer sources when played through attached speakers (Harman Kardon Soundsticks in my case). I have a few custom presets (jazz, pop, classical, small and large ensemble) all of which I set up using the stock Hear presets as starting points. This took very little time once the interface and processing was understood. Again, this is not a one size fits all process. Your play back system, musical tastes and conception of an ideal sound will differ from most anyone else's. Hear easily accommodates those differences.
On a dedicated audio system of good quality Hear has less to offer, but with poorly recorded music (especially older analog-digital remasters) or mp3 files it still can be a big help.
The interface is lovely. The controls are easy to use. From the general tab the basic effects can be adjusted, any individual processors can be toggled off and on, the processing chain can be reordered. Each individual processor is given a separate tab for its specific adjustments. There are a whole raft of presets for music, movies, speech, games and special effect. Some of these may work for you without modification, any of them can be modified and saved as a new preset. I suggest creating a personal folder in the ~/Library/Preferences/Hear/Hear Presets/ to hold your modifications.
My only complaint is that the manual doesn't go into enough detail about how each control actually works. A description of what exactly each one does to the sound be a big help. This information can be learned by trial and error and so is certainly not a deal breaker. A description of the installed components would also be welcome.
I have been using Hear on a MacPro and MacBook daily for the best part of a year and it has been rock solid. I have not uncovered any significant bugs and no slow down of the machines. In fact, I'm frequently using Photoshop and Final Cut while Hear is running with absolutely no hit on the performance of these processor intensive programs. These computers are. of course. relatively new Intel machines with at least a dual-core processor. I have no experience with Hear on PowerPC machines. -
"Works for me"
Version: Hear 1.0.3
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Wow, some really mixed reviews here. For myself, I had been using SRS iWow. Whereas I think that's a good program, I always got a certain amount of distortion in the sound. Hear has been giving me much cleaner sound. I was initially hesitant to use it because I found that the previous incarnation (OSS 3D) was not entirely stable. But they seem to have worked out the bugs, and I think this program has been well worth the money. -
"An update on my previous review"
Version: Hear 1.0.3
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Back in August I gave HEAR 2 stars. To me it's unusable for the purpose of listening to music, given that the what I'm hearing sounds processed and artificial. For reference, I use a variety of "effects" such as delays, reverbs, equalizers, enhancers, exciters, compressors, limiters, etc., both in hardware and software versions. HEAR sounds so artificial that it is unusable for me when it comes to listening to music.
Back then I even suggested a few features (e.g., resizable window, analyzer). No news on those.
I gave HEAR a chance and used it with other media, such as games and movies. I ran into a problem since HEAR is not working for me when I use VLC.
I reported the problem and received a reply 3 days later asking whether I had restarted my Mac. Apparently restarting has solved some issues.
I told the support person that I had indeed restarted my Mac. I've also uninstalled and reinstalled HEAR, and restarted my Mac once again.
It's been 51 days, I have not received a reply, and HEAR has not been updated.
I wish I could update my review and give the software a higher rating. Unfortunately, it's as bad as when I reviewed it in August, but now with the added inconvenience of unresponsive support. -
"Hear Here!!"
Version: Hear 1.0.3
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
I have spent more than my share of money on software downloads and have been frequently disappointed. Do I continue to buy software? Of course I do.
So when I convinced myself to do something about the poor sound I get from my laptop I was not expecting much, and the cost was (I thought) excessive. How could software improve the poor quality of laptop speakers?
It was a REVELATION !!!! Who could have imagined the gain in clarity, volume, and reduced distortion present in unaided audio. I have been blown away by the difference in the sound all my computers put out now.
I have learned that every speaker has a sweet spot, no matter the quality. The trick is to find those sweet spots and adjust the settings to improve what your speakers do well, and to reduce those sounds that are beyond the speakers reach. This reduces distortion at higher volume levels, and creates a dynamic sound field that you have to hear to believe!
The controls available in 'Hear' are stunning in effect and number. Thankfully for me, there are dozens of presets that allow you to fine tune your audio to match your speaker configuration.
I would happily pay whatever they ask, and have, for each of my computers. And urge you to try this amazing software!! I do not work for, nor was I asked to post these comments. I just want you to know and understand what this company has done for me.
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