FAQ

macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon. There is no build for Intel Macs, Windows or Linux yet.

Bench is in public beta and free to use. Get a beta license key on the Pricing page, then download the app from the Download page.

Any app that plays to the system output: TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify, Apple Music and others. Select Sonir Bench as the output device and Bench receives the playback. Bench also shows whether the app passed the audio through untouched.

No. In both, the audio is changed before it reaches Bench, either by the app itself or by the macOS processing that hands the app’s audio to the device, and nothing on the receiving side can undo that. The audio still plays through Bench. Apps that let you choose their own output device, such as TIDAL and Qobuz, arrive untouched when you choose Sonir Bench in their settings. The monitor in Bench shows which case you are in.

macOS treats input from a virtual audio device as a microphone. If Bench has not been given microphone permission, the system delivers silence instead of an error. Allow Sonir Bench under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

Use the uninstaller included in the app. Moving the app to the Trash leaves the virtual audio device installed in the system.

A calibrated measurement microphone (with a UMIK, REW, or FRD calibration file) is recommended for accurate room correction. You can also measure using your phone’s built-in microphone, but high-precision correction requires compensating for microphone frequency response.

No. Remote turns the recording into a frequency response and an automatic PEQ on the phone, and sends Bench only the filter settings.

The iOS version is on the App Store. The Android version is in a closed test on Google Play: join the tester group first, then install it. Both links and the steps are on the Bench download page.

The earlier Sonir phone app for recording, measuring and comparing is being withdrawn from the stores. Room EQ, its main use with Bench, continues in Sonir Remote.