AETHER
Spatial audio · Desktop · Browser · Mobile

Sound that leaves
the inside of your head.

AETHER is real HRTF binaural spatial audio — not a stereo widener. Eight virtual speakers, tuned per output device, with EQ, bass and a safety limiter under them. Everything is processed locally on your device.

Install guide See the three apps

Best on headphones · Speakers mode is mono-safe

Three surfaces, one engine

Same DSP philosophy everywhere: HRTF binaural for headphones, mono-safe stereo for speakers.

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Desktop

v1.11.0

System-wide HRTF 7.1 for everything your computer plays. Windows, macOS and Linux.

  • 8 HRTF panner nodes, true 7.1
  • Per-device tuning & auto-balance
  • THX integration (feeds it a clean signal)
  • Bauer crossfeed, room impulse
  • ~30 smoothed sliders, no zipper noise
◈

Browser extension

v1.4.0

Spatializes any tab's audio — YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, streaming, web games.

  • Chrome / Edge / Brave / Opera GX / Vivaldi
  • Firefox build included
  • Per-site memory, auto re-applies
  • Presets: Game, Movie, Music
  • Headphones / Speakers output modes
◐

Mobile

v1.0.0

A local media player plus an in-app browser, both running the spatial engine.

  • Android & iOS (Capacitor)
  • Spatializes your own media files
  • Settings persist on device
  • Same device-tuning table

What actually happens to the audio

A fixed chain, gain-staged so "on" isn't just "louder."

01 — SPATIALIZE

Real HRTF

Eight PannerNodes in HRTF mode place virtual speakers around you. Sub-bass is kept out of the panner so the low end stays centred and solid.

02 — ADAPT

Device match

A tuning table for headphones, IEMs, earbuds, gaming headsets and speaker types applies correction EQ, picks the output mode, and balances the THX stage.

03 — SHAPE

EQ & bass

Three-band EQ plus a bass exciter for a fuller low end without mud. Crossfeed softens the hard-panned split that fatigues you on headphones.

04 — PROTECT

Level-matched limiter

A trim keeps A/B comparisons honest, and a limiter holds peaks clean. A clip indicator tells you when it's working.

Privacy

The short version.

0

Bytes of audio leave your device. Processing is real-time and local; captured audio exists only momentarily in memory and is never saved or sent anywhere. No analytics, no tracking, no advertising SDKs, no remote code. The only thing stored is your own slider and preset choices, on your device.
Read the full privacy policy →

Honest limitations

These are real constraints, not things waiting to be fixed.

Please read before installing

  • Mobile can't spatialize other apps' audio. Phones forbid capturing other apps' protected audio — iOS especially. The mobile app processes its own media in the Player; the in-app browser can't touch YouTube, Spotify or Netflix.
  • Firefox can't process DRM audio. Spotify and Netflix are encrypted end-to-end and Firefox has no tab-capture API. The Chromium build handles them fine.
  • AETHER can't control THX, Sonar or Dolby internals. Those vendors expose no API. AETHER integrates by feeding them a clean signal, not by changing their settings — and two spatializers are never stacked.
  • Desktop and mobile builds aren't code-signed yet. Windows SmartScreen and macOS Gatekeeper will warn on first run. The install guide shows the one-time click-through.
  • Tuning values are code-verified, not ear-tested. The balance figures are reasoned starting points. Trust your ears and nudge them.

Questions

Is this just a stereo widener?

No. Early versions used a mid/side widener; v1.2.0 replaced it with real HRTF virtual speakers — front left/right plus rear ambience — which produces genuine out-of-head imaging rather than just a wider stereo field.

Will it work on my speakers?

Yes, but differently. Speakers mode switches to a mono-safe wider stereo, and the surround stage is pulled down because stereo and laptop speakers can't throw real rears. The out-of-head effect is much clearer on headphones — that's what HRTF is for.

Does it make everything louder?

No — deliberately. The v1.10.0 overhaul re-gain-staged the whole chain to kill an +8 dB loudness crush, and the Spatial A/B is level-matched so you're comparing the effect, not the volume.

Windows says "Windows protected your PC"

Click More info → Run anyway. The build isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen flags it as an unknown publisher. On macOS, right-click the app → Open → Open, once.

Can I use the desktop app and the extension together?

You can, but you generally shouldn't spatialize the same audio twice. The desktop app already covers browser sound system-wide; the extension is for when you only want browser audio treated, or you're not running the desktop app.

How do I update the desktop app?

Drop-in updates ship as an app.asar. On Windows, go to C:\Program Files\AETHER Spatial\resources\, rename the old app.asar to app.asar.bak, copy the new one in, and relaunch as administrator.