FxSound Version 1.2.13.0

FxSound Version 1.2.13.0

FxSound is A Free System-Wide Audio Enhancer for Windows. It provides equalization, bass enhancement, clarity controls, volume enhancement, and other DSP effects that can improve music, movies, games, and voice playback.
(4.8)

Developer

FxSound LLC

Category

Utilities

Operating System

Windows

Date Published

Tue Aug 18 2026

Review FxSound Version 1.2.13.0

FxSound is a free, open source audio enhancement application for Windows that processes system audio in real time. It provides equalization, bass enhancement, clarity controls, volume enhancement, and other DSP effects that can improve music, movies, games, and voice playback.

Unlike a traditional media player, FxSound works at the system audio level. Once enabled, it can process sound produced by different applications without requiring each application to support FxSound individually.

FxSound's architecture consists of a GUI application, an audio passthrough component, and a DSP processing component. The application uses a dedicated FxSound virtual audio driver to receive and process Windows audio before sending it to the selected output device.

This makes it useful as a general-purpose audio enhancement layer rather than something tied to a particular music player.

The project is also open source under the AGPL-3.0 license, which is a significant advantage for users who value transparency and community development.

Key Features of FxSound

System-Wide Audio Enhancement

FxSound processes audio from across Windows, including music players, streaming services, games, movies, and voice applications.

You don't need to configure each application separately. Once FxSound is active, the processed output can be applied to system audio through its virtual audio device.

Equalizer

The equalizer provides detailed control over the frequency response.

Recent versions include configurable EQ controls, while the project's development history shows that the number of available bands has been expanded to as many as 31 bands, alongside adjustable filter bandwidth and master gain.

This gives advanced users considerably more control than a basic bass/treble adjustment.

Bass Boost

FxSound includes bass enhancement designed to make low frequencies more prominent.

This can be useful with small laptop speakers or inexpensive headphones that lack low-end impact, although excessive bass processing can make music sound muddy.

Clarity Enhancement

The clarity processing is intended to make vocals, dialogue, and other high-frequency details more prominent.

This can be particularly useful for movies, podcasts, YouTube videos, and voice calls where speech intelligibility is more important than perfectly neutral reproduction.

Surround Processing

FxSound includes surround-style processing that attempts to create a wider, more spacious soundstage from conventional stereo output.

The effect can be useful for games and movies, although users who prefer accurate stereo reproduction may want to leave it disabled.

Volume Enhancement

FxSound can increase perceived loudness and provide additional gain.

This can be useful when Windows' normal volume range isn't sufficient for a particular speaker or headphone setup.

However, aggressive gain can introduce clipping or distortion, so moderation is important.

Presets

FxSound includes presets designed for different types of content, such as music, movies, gaming, and voice.

Presets make the application approachable for users who don't want to manually tune DSP parameters.

Advanced users can modify the settings and save their own presets.

Output Device Management

FxSound can manage preferred output devices and associate output devices with presets.

Recent releases have also improved output-device handling, including the ability to change the system output device while FxSound is disabled.

This is useful for systems where headphones, speakers, Bluetooth devices, and HDMI audio outputs are frequently switched.

Hotkeys

FxSound supports keyboard shortcuts for controlling functions such as presets and output devices.

Recent releases improved hotkey management and allow individual hotkeys to be disabled.

Windows ARM64 Support

FxSound supports Windows on ARM64 in addition to traditional x86/x64 Windows systems.

The project's release history specifically lists Windows 11 ARM64 support, while the official download page provides separate x86/x64 and ARM64 downloads.

Open Source

One of FxSound's biggest advantages compared with many commercial audio enhancers is that its application and DSP source code are publicly available.

The main repository contains the GUI, audio passthrough, and DSP components, while the separate driver repository contains the source for the virtual audio driver.

The main application is licensed under AGPL-3.0.

The driver repository has its own licensing information, including AGPL-3.0 and Microsoft's Limited Public License for relevant components.

Download FxSound Version 1.2.13.0 - Software Mirrors

FxSound Version 1.2.13.0 for Windows

fxsound_setup.exe | 74.37 MB

fxsound_setup.arm64.exe | 67.02 MB

FxSound Version 1.2.13.0 Source Code

FxSound Version 1.2.13.0 Source code (zip)

FxSound Version 1.2.13.0 Source code (tar.gz)

FxSound Version 1.2.13.0 Release Notes:

version 1.2.13.0


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  • Fix for UI responsiveness issue caused by invalid device

  • Devices which are removed or disabled are not automatically removed from output device preference list

version 1.2.12.0


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  • MCP server included to let AI assistants like Claude to interact with FxSound

  • Fix to prevent Bluetooth device disconnect from removing the device from device preference list

  • Fix for mute getting applied when device is muted in Windows

  • Audio controls for the equalizer are moved to main window from settings

  • Normalization control removed since volume leveling provides a superset of the functions

  • Czech language support added

version 1.2.11.0


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  • Command line options added to set equalizer band frequency and gain, set effect levels, and print the running instance's status as JSON (--set_band_freq, --set_band_gain, --set_effect, --status)

  • Command line options added to for preset commands

  • Equalizer band gains are interpolated according to the band mappings when the number of bands change. The modified preset will not be reset when the number of bands are changed.

  • Fixed application not working correctly on Windows 7 due to a missing suspend/resume notification API (#551)

  • Fixed Remote Desktop session behaviour. FxSound audio processing is disabled in Remote Desktop.

  • Volume leveling with 0.0 to 4.0dB range

version 1.2.10.0


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  • Command line options can now be applied to an already running instance of FxSound

  • Command line option added to launch FxSound minimized to the system tray

  • Fixed output device not being changed through hotkeys when FxSound is off (#524)

  • Individual hotkeys can now be disabled with Delete key (#515)

  • Fixed the but to prevent invalid hotkeys from being registered (#523)

  • Bluetooth devices removed from device settings are removed from device preference list

  • Fixed device detection failures

  • Fixed application hang when retrieving the audio mix format fails

  • Fixed presets import dialog file name combo box text alignment

10. Fixed output device not being applied through command line 11. Fixed a delay blocking application load when minimizing to the system tray 12. Fixed EQ band sliders not refreshing when switching number of bands (#521) 13. Fixed user-set mute being overridden by FxSound 14. Fixed icon visibility in ARM64 version 15. Finnish language support added 16. Corrected Persian translations version 1.2.9.0


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  • Auto save preset when Equalizer or Effects settings are changed

  • Reset to factory defaults can reset the unsaved preset changes

  • Settings dialog UI improvements for Audio and Equalizer sections

  • Output device list is now displayed in the device preference order

  • Preset is selected immediately when the preset for an active output device changes from settings

  • Fixes and improvements in preferred output device selection

  • Fixed crash issue #487

  • Fixed preset not getting applied and EQ flat after update (#403 and #472)

  • Fixed system audio device not being restored on reboot (#483)

10. Fixed preset export and import dialogs not shown when always on top is enabled 11. Fixed audio not being restored on exit after the preset save dialog 12. Fixed FxSound on/off handling on Windows session changes version 1.2.8.0


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  • Fixed the bug which caused blank text on theme change

  • Fixes in giving control to system audio when FxSound is off. Now output device can be changed in FxSound and OS when FxSound is off.

  • Fixed the device preference list persistence issue and repetition of device names.

  • Slovenian language support added

  • Changed Save/Cancel to Yes/No in preset save prompt

  • Changed +0 to 0 in EQ gain

version 1.2.7.0


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  • Priority can be set to output devices

  • Output devices can be associated with a preset

  • Fixed a bug which caused incorrect text being displayed after changing the theme and relaunching the application

version 1.2.6.0


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  • System audio output device can be changed when FxSound is off

  • Moved menu button to the left on the toolbar

  • Fixed the bug in setting preset through command line

  • Added a check to avoid a crash

version 1.2.5.0


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  • x86 and x64 builds are done with JUCE 6.1.6 to avoid any GPU usage

  • Constant registry read for EQ parameters fixed

  • Norwegian language support added

version 1.2.4.0


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  • Light theme added and theme can be changed from menu option

  • Added global variables which avoids using NVIDIA and AMD GPUs for rendering

  • Fixed the issue of application not running on Windows 7

  • Menu option added to switch always on top

  • Refresh device list when system tray icon context menu is opened

  • Check for updates done silently

version 1.2.3.0


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  • Korean translation corrections

  • Fixed the Russian translation issues in settings dialog

  • Fixed the Restore Default button size for proper rendering in all languages

version 1.2.2.0


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  • Application window position is saved and restored to fix the bug where the window was appearing in the wrong monitor in a multi display system

  • To fix the bug where some devices were not automatically enumerated, devices are enumerated when the output devices dropdown list is opened

  • Automatic updates can now be enabled/disabled from settings

  • Reset presets button is moved to audio settings pane

  • Restore Defaults button is added to restore audio controls in settings

  • Visualizer algorithm optimizations

version 1.2.1.0


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  • Fixed hotkey editor rendering

  • Translation corrections

version 1.1.36.0d


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  • Fixed the GPU utilization by changing the visualizer rendering

  • Changes to donate button in toolbar

version 1.1.35.0


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  • Potential fix for application crash

version 1.2.0.0


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  • Integrated audio features implemented by theremino

  • Equalizer band frequencies compliant with the ISO standard

  • Adjustable number of bands from 5 to 31

  • Adjustment of master gain

  • Adjustment of filter bandwidth (Filter Q)

  • Balance adjustment

  • Normalization adjustment

  • Output device selected is displayed on system tray icon hover

version 1.1.34.0


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  • System tray context menu width is fixed and device names are adjusted to width

  • Prompt to save the preset in a new name if changes are made and new preset is selected

  • If preferred device is not connected then it is disabled and greyed out from selection until connected again

  • Application crash dump is saved on unhandled exceptions

version 1.1.33.0


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  • Volume normalization supported through RMS normalization

  • Bugfix: Tray icon added back after explorer restart

  • Context menu changes for playback device selection

  • In mini mode, window will be always on top

  • Ukrainian language support added

  • Translation corrections in Arabic, Bosnian, Croatian, Dutch, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish

version 1.1.32.0


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  • Windows 11 ARM64 support added

version 1.1.31.0


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  • Fixed the unhandled exception and crash in the application after installation

  • Notifications not displayed during output device change is fixed

  • Correction in Swedish translation

version 1.1.30.0


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  • Fixed the issue of taskbar icon color not changing after application window restore

  • Fixed a potential crash in changing volume/mute

version 1.1.29.0


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  • Build optimizations done to improve performance and reduce CPU utilization

  • Crash identified in font loading is fixed

  • Function call stack with line number will be added to the log on any exception causing application crash

  • FxSound window opens as topmost window on system tray icon click

  • Settings file not found error is fixed

  • Notifications will be displayed in custom notification theme. Notifications can be hidden from Settings.

  • Corrections in Portuguese and Russian translations

version 1.1.28.0


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  • Feature added to connect to newly connected output device

  • Debug logs are captured in log file

  • Chinese (Traditional) and Korean translations updated

  • Farsi/Persian language support added

version 1.1.27.0


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  • Fixed the export presets bug which exported the current preset instead of the presets selected in the dialog

  • Fixed the bug which appended "[Mono]" to the device name if the preferred device is disconnected

  • Added a shortcut Alt+Enter to open the menu

  • Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) language support added

  • Translation corrections in Russian

version 1.1.26.0


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  • Removed mono device support

  • Changes to preferred device feature

version 1.1.25.0


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  • Fixed the issue that caused fonts and presets to not load in Windows 7 startup

  • Fixed the issue of mono devices getting selected when auto switch is enabled

version 1.1.24.0


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  • Fixed the application crash issues

  • Added the missing fonts in 32 bit installation

  • Fixed issue #113 - application closing from Alt+Tab switching

version 1.1.23.0


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  • Added support for mono playback devices. Mono devices can be selected now, but FxSound does not process mono audio.

  • Minimize button added to minimize FxSound to taskbar

  • A preferred device can be selected from settings.

  • Check for updates in settings, updates to a new version

  • Croatian and Bosnian language support added.

  • Translation corrections and improvements in Chinese, Spanish, Russian and German

version 1.1.22.0


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  • Removed the auto start disable option in Windows 10/11

  • Increased Setttings dialog height to avoid partial display of reset presets button

  • vorige changed to Vorige in Nederlands settings

  • Changed Donate button string in Russian

version 1.1.21.0


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  • Arabic and Japanese language support added

  • zero processing Default preset added

  • Notifications on/off settings on Windows 10 now remain unchanged after reboot/relogin

  • Hotkeys which conflict with any valid character typing shortcuts are not enabled

  • Default hotkey combinations are modified to Ctrl+Shift+key

  • Maximum user defined preset limit is increased to 20 by default

  • User defined preset limit can be configured in the FxSound.settings file by adding the value for which can be in the range of 10 to 100

  • Hotkey options now available to switch to next and previous preset

  • Settings dialog, Import presets dialog and Export presets dialog can be closed with ESC key

10. System tray icon changes according to FxSound status on/off/processing 11. open-source announcement displayed on first launch after installation 12. FxSound window title can be displayed in AutoIt Window Info Tool

Performance and User Experience

FxSound is designed to remain in the background and process audio continuously.

The application itself is relatively lightweight, and recent releases have specifically avoided unnecessary GPU usage in the x86/x64 builds.

The biggest practical consideration is that FxSound relies on a virtual audio driver. This introduces another layer into the Windows audio pipeline.

For normal use, this is transparent, but audio-device changes, Bluetooth devices, exclusive-mode applications, or unusual audio configurations can occasionally require troubleshooting.

The project has continued fixing device detection, output switching, startup, and application stability issues in recent releases.

Pros

  • Free to use.

  • Open source.

  • System-wide audio processing.

  • Works with music, games, movies, and voice applications.

  • Bass enhancement.

  • Clarity enhancement.

  • Surround processing.

  • Volume enhancement.

  • Customizable equalizer.

  • Presets.

  • Output-device management.

  • Hotkey support.

  • Windows 7–11 compatibility according to the official site.

  • Windows ARM64 support.

  • No account required.

Cons

  • Windows only.

  • Requires a virtual audio driver.

  • DSP processing can introduce unwanted coloration if configured aggressively.

  • Surround and enhancement effects aren't ideal for users seeking completely neutral audio.

  • Some audio-device configurations may require troubleshooting.

  • Bluetooth and device switching can be more complicated than with a simple audio player.

  • It is primarily an audio enhancement tool rather than a complete audio management application.

Who Should Use FxSound?

FxSound is particularly useful for Windows users who feel that their laptop speakers, headphones, or desktop speakers sound too quiet, thin, or lacking in clarity.

It is also useful for people who consume many different types of content because the processing works system-wide. You can enhance a YouTube video, switch to a game, then play music without configuring each application separately.

For audiophiles seeking completely transparent playback, however, FxSound may be less attractive. Its purpose is enhancement rather than strict audio neutrality.

Final Verdict

FxSound is an excellent example of a focused Windows utility done well.

It doesn't try to replace your music player or audio application. Instead, it sits underneath them and provides a configurable DSP layer that can improve the perceived loudness, bass, clarity, and spaciousness of almost any system audio.

The fact that the application and DSP are open source makes it particularly interesting compared with proprietary audio-enhancement utilities.

Its recent development is also encouraging. The project continues to receive releases with fixes for device detection, output switching, hotkeys, startup behavior, and Windows ARM64 support. The repository currently lists 1.2.10.0 as a beta release, while 1.2.7.0 is listed as the latest stable release on the release page.

For users who want a free, system-wide equalizer and audio enhancer without paying for a proprietary alternative, FxSound is an easy recommendation.