How do you disable the equalizer on Poweramp?

Poweramp Equalizer is an advanced audio processing app developed by Max MP based on their popular Poweramp music player. Poweramp offers a robust built-in equalizer feature that allows users to customize the sound output and audio quality. The 10-band equalizer provides fine control over different frequency ranges to enhance bass, treble, or mids. Presets are also available to quickly optimize sound for different genres.

While the equalizer can improve audio and let users tailor it to their preferences, there are situations where you may want to disable it entirely. This removes all equalizer effects so you hear unaltered sound. Reasons to disable the equalizer include troubleshooting audio issues, listening to tracks as originally mastered, or using external EQ instead.

When to Disable the Equalizer

There are a few key reasons why you may want to disable the equalizer on your audio player:

To hear the original, unaltered audio quality – With the equalizer disabled, you can listen to music and audio as it was originally mastered, without any added effects or frequency adjustments. This allows you to hear the source audio cleanly and make your own judgments on quality. ¹

Default equalizer settings sound bad – The default equalizer presets on some apps may actually make the audio quality worse. Disabling the equalizer returns the audio to normal and removes any unwanted effects.

Prevent clipping or distortion – Overboosting certain frequencies with the equalizer can introduce clipping, distortion, and other audio artifacts. By disabling the equalizer completely you can avoid this issue.

Fix volume or balance issues – Sometimes equalizer settings introduce imbalances in stereo channels or inadvertently change volume. Disabling the equalizer can help troubleshoot these types of problems.

Save on battery life – Using less audio processing effects may help conserve battery life on mobile devices. The equalizer uses additional system resources which can drain battery faster.

Accessing the Equalizer Settings

To access the equalizer settings in Poweramp, you’ll first need to open the main settings menu. This can be done by tapping the menu icon (three horizontal lines or “hamburger” icon) in the top left corner of the app.

From there, scroll down and select the “Settings” option. This will open up the full settings menu where all of Poweramp’s customization options can be accessed.

Within the Settings menu, choose “Audio” and then select “Equalizer”. This will open the equalizer screen where you can view and adjust all of the frequency band levels to customize the sound output.

The equalizer can also be quickly accessed from the main Poweramp screen by tapping on the EQ button towards the top of the screen (looks like a graph icon). This provides a shortcut to enable or disable the equalizer directly.

Disabling the Equalizer

Disabling the equalizer in Poweramp is simple but not immediately obvious. Here are the steps:

Open Poweramp and go to the Playback screen.
Tap on the Equalizer button at the top.

This will open the Equalizer settings screen. At the top are buttons for “Equ” and “Tone.”
Tap the “Equ” button so that it is grayed out and says “Off.” This turns off the main equalizer bands.
Similarly, tap the “Tone” button so it is off. This disables the bass and treble tone controls.

The equalizer is now fully disabled. You can confirm this by playing music – it will sound “flat.”

With both the “Equ” and “Tone” buttons turned off, Poweramp will play music without any equalizer effects. The sound will be unmodified from the original audio file. This is useful if you want to disable any coloration from equalization presets and listen to tracks as the artist originally intended.

Note that the equalizer can also be disabled on a per-output basis from Settings > Audio > Output modes if needed. But turning off “Equ” and “Tone” globally disables Poweramp’s equalizer entirely.

Alternative Options

While fully disabling the equalizer is one option, there are some alternative settings that can be used instead:

You can reset the equalizer to flat/zero settings across all frequency bands. This will remove any EQ coloration while keeping the equalizer module active. To do this, simply tap the “Flat” button in the equalizer screen.

Another option is to use one of Poweramp’s built-in presets instead of fully custom settings. The presets provide genre-optimized equalization curves designed by experts. For example, you may want to try the “Acoustic” or “Classical” presets for a more natural sound.

You can also create your own presets to save custom EQ settings for different situations. Poweramp lets you create presets from scratch or by tweaking existing presets. This allows quick switching between options.

Additionally, consider using the compressor and volume normalization features. These provide audio enhancements beyond EQ that may give better results for your preferences.

So in summary, explore the preset library, make custom presets, use compression/normalization, or simply reset to flat instead of fully disabling the powerful equalizer module.

Effects on Audio Quality

Disabling the equalizer in Poweramp will remove any audio adjustments made to the frequency response. This means the music will playback as it was originally mastered by default, without any added bass, treble, or other EQ adjustments.

According to discussions on forums like Reddit and Head-Fi, disabling the equalizer can improve audio quality, as EQing can degrade or distort the original source file, especially with significant boosts or cuts to certain frequencies.¹² The consensus is that a flat, unmodified frequency response provides the most accurate representation of the music.

So for those seeking the highest fidelity playback, disabling the Poweramp equalizer will remove any artificial adjustments and allow the music to be heard as the artist and sound engineer originally mastered it.

Using Presets Instead

Many users find it beneficial to switch between pre-made equalizer presets in Poweramp, rather than fully disabling the equalizer.

Presets allow you to quickly optimize the audio for different use cases, like rock music, pop, or podcasts. According to one Reddit user, presets can make the music “sound amazing” compared to a flat equalizer setting [1]. The effects like bass/treble boost are already tuned for certain genres.

Additionally, presets can compensate for headphones or speakers that lack bass or treble. Rather than disable the equalizer completely, users can pick a preset that specifically enhances the bass and treble [2]. This allows retaining audio quality improvements.

The key benefit is that presets provide flexibility to quickly optimize the audio for different contexts, vs being limited to a flat disabled equalizer. Users can enable the equalizer when needed, and switch between presets for different audio sources.

Troubleshooting

If you disable the equalizer in Poweramp but still hear effects being applied, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:

First, check that the equalizer preset is set to “Flat” under Settings > Audio > Equalizer. The flat preset will bypass any EQ effects.

Next, confirm that any other audio effects like Dynamics Processing or Stereo Widening are disabled under Settings > Audio. These can also alter the sound even with the EQ off.

Try restarting Poweramp and your device to make sure settings are properly applied. As one Reddit user suggested, rebooting your phone can help if the equalizer is not working as expected (source).

Check that Poweramp has permission to access device storage and modify audio settings. Go to Settings > Apps > Poweramp > Permissions and enable all permissions.

If issues persist, try reinstalling Poweramp or updating to the latest version from the Play Store. Developer updates periodically fix bugs related to audio output and effects.

As a last resort, submit a request to Poweramp support or post on their user forums for personalized troubleshooting assistance. The active community is helpful for resolving equalizer problems (source).

Additional Customization

Besides the equalizer, there are several other audio settings in Poweramp that can be customized for your specific listening preferences and audio setup.

Some key settings to explore include:

Hi-Res Output – Enables high resolution audio output if your device supports it. Can make the sound clearer and more detailed. (Source)
Bass and Treble – Separate sliders to boost or cut low and high frequencies. Useful for compensating for headphones or speakers.

Channel Balance – Adjusts left/right balance which can compensate for hearing loss in one ear.
Reverb – Applies a digital reverberation effect, similar to a concert hall ambience.
Tempo and Pitch – Allows speeding up/slowing down and changing pitch of songs. Helpful for learning and transcribing music.

There are also advanced audio options like upsampling and downsampling rates that can provide further fine tuning. It’s worth exploring Poweramp’s comprehensive settings to customize the sound signature and audio processing to your personal preferences.

Conclusion

In summary, disabling the equalizer on Poweramp is a straightforward process that involves navigating to the audio settings and toggling the equalizer button to off. The key steps are:

Open Poweramp and go to Settings.

Tap on Audio in the menu.
Scroll down and tap Equalizer.
Toggle the Equalizer button to Off.

Disabling the equalizer can help reduce audio processing demands and conserve battery life. It may also be preferred if you want flat, unmodified audio output. However, you lose the ability to customize the sound signature. Using presets can be a good middle ground option.

We hope this guide has helped explain how to easily disable Poweramp’s equalizer. Let us know if you have any other questions!