Browser Audio Enhancer
One extension for supported browser tabs. Hearably adds volume boost, EQ, compression, and limiting after compatible tab audio is captured.
Real-time enhancement via extension · Or upload a file for free in Studio
Your browser is where you consume most of your audio content — YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, podcasts, video calls, online courses, news clips, social media videos. Yet the browser itself has zero built-in audio processing tools. No EQ. No compressor. No volume boost beyond 100%. Every tab plays at whatever level the website decides to send, and you're stuck with it. This is the problem Hearably was built to solve.
Hearably is a universal browser audio enhancer that processes every tab's audio through a professional-grade DSP chain. Unlike system-wide audio tools (like Boom 3D, Equalizer APO, or macOS Audio MIDI Setup), Hearably works entirely inside the browser with per-tab granularity. You can boost a quiet YouTube tutorial to 400%, keep your Spotify music at 100% with a bass-heavy EQ, and reduce a loud autoplay ad to 50% — all simultaneously, all independently, all without affecting your system audio or other applications.
The technical architecture that makes this possible is Chrome's tabCapture API, which gives Hearably access to the raw audio output of each browser tab. This audio stream is routed through an offscreen document — a hidden page that hosts the full Web Audio API processing chain — where it passes through input gain, a 20 Hz high-pass filter, 10-band parametric EQ, 3-band Linkwitz-Riley crossover, per-band multiband compression, per-band gain staging, and a custom AudioWorklet look-ahead limiter before reaching your speakers or headphones.
This approach is fundamentally superior to the two alternatives: content script injection and system-wide processing. Content script approaches (used by most competing extensions) try to intercept audio by calling createMediaElementSource() on the page's media elements. This fails catastrophically with cross-origin content (YouTube, Netflix, Spotify all serve media from CDN domains), triggers autoplay policy blocks, and permanently reroutes the element's audio — if the extension crashes, you lose audio entirely. System-wide tools process all audio from all applications, giving you no per-tab control and often requiring kernel driver installation.
Hearably uses Chrome's tabCapture API to request a tab's mixed audio output after the browser has decoded it. This avoids the cross-origin limitations of attaching Web Audio directly to page media elements. Capture can still be blocked by the browser, protected-content rules, enterprise policy, or site-specific playback paths, so compatibility must be tested rather than assumed.
Need the same fix elsewhere? See also Best Chrome EQ Extension in 2026, How to Make Laptop Speakers Louder and Boost Headphone Volume in Chrome — all three use the same audio engine, tuned per platform.
How tabCapture and the Offscreen Document Architecture Work
Hearably's audio processing relies on three Chrome extension APIs working together: chrome.tabCapture, offscreen documents, and the Web Audio API.
When you activate Hearably on a tab, the service worker calls chrome.tabCapture.getMediaStreamId(), which returns a unique stream ID for that tab's audio output. This ID is passed to the offscreen document — a hidden HTML page that the extension creates specifically to host audio processing. The offscreen document calls navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia() with the stream ID as a constraint, receiving a MediaStream containing the tab's raw PCM audio.
This MediaStream is connected to a MediaStreamSourceNode in a Web Audio API AudioContext, where the full DSP chain is constructed: InputGain → 20Hz HPF → 10-band EQ → 3-band Linkwitz-Riley crossover (250Hz / 4kHz) → per-band compressor → per-band gain → summing bus → look-ahead limiter → MediaStreamAudioDestinationNode. The destination node's output stream is connected to an <audio> element, which plays the processed audio back to the user's default output device.
The critical advantage of this architecture is isolation. Content scripts run in the page's context, where cross-origin restrictions (CORS) prevent accessing audio from CDN-hosted media. The tabCapture API operates at the browser level — after all CORS checks, DRM decryption, and media decoding have completed. It sees the same audio that would reach your speakers, regardless of its origin. The offscreen document provides a stable, long-lived context for audio processing that isn't affected by page navigation, tab switching, or extension popup lifecycle events.
Each tab gets its own independent AudioContext, DSP chain, and <audio> output element within the offscreen document. This per-tab isolation means settings changes on one tab have zero impact on another, and if one tab's stream encounters an error, other tabs continue processing uninterrupted.
How to get the best audio on Browser Audio Enhancer
Enable Hearably only where you need it
Pin Hearably to the toolbar and activate it on compatible tabs where extra gain or EQ is useful. CPU, memory, and latency depend on the device, effects, tab count, and browser version.
Set per-tab volume levels for multitasking
Working with background music while watching a tutorial? Set your music tab to 60% and the tutorial to 300%. Hearably gives you mixer-console-level control over your browser audio without touching your system volume.
Apply Voice Boost for any speech content
Whether it's a Zoom call, a podcast, an online course, or a news clip — Voice Boost amplifies the 1-4 kHz speech intelligibility band. Toggle it on for any tab where understanding spoken words is the priority.
Use Night Mode for late-night browsing
Night Mode applies heavy multiband compression across all frequencies, reducing the volume gap between quiet and loud content. Ideal for browsing at night without headphones — random autoplaying videos won't blast at full volume.
Save presets for different workflows
Create and name presets for your common scenarios: "Music Listening" (bass boost + mild compression), "Video Calls" (voice boost + 200%), "Movie Night" (cinema preset + 300%), "Background Audio" (flat EQ + 50%). Switch between them with one click.
Combine with headphones for the full experience
Browser audio enhancement shines with headphones because every frequency you boost is faithfully reproduced. Laptop speakers can't reproduce bass below 200 Hz, but your headphones can — making Hearably's Bass Boost preset dramatically more impactful.
No system-wide tools needed
Unlike Equalizer APO (Windows), Boom 3D (macOS), or PulseEffects (Linux), Hearably requires no driver installation, no admin access, and no system-wide configuration. It works inside Chrome and Edge with per-tab precision that system tools can't match.
Built for this exact use case
Designed for supported browser tabs
tabCapture can expose the browser-mixed output of compatible tabs across streaming, calls, podcasts, and web apps. Protected content and site-specific paths can still prevent capture.
Per-Tab Mixer Console
Each tab gets independent volume, EQ, compression, and preset settings. Run completely different audio profiles on different tabs simultaneously — true mixing console control in your browser.
Full DSP Chain
10-band parametric EQ, 3-band multiband compressor, 3-band crossover with per-band gain, look-ahead limiter. The same signal processing topology used in professional mastering — running in your browser.
5ms Look-Ahead Buffer
The limiter uses a 5ms look-ahead buffer. Total end-to-end latency also includes browser, operating-system, and output-device scheduling.
Choose your method
Different situations call for different tools. Hearably gives you both.
Chrome Extension
Enhance audio live while you stream. The extension intercepts your tab's audio and processes it in real-time — volume boost, EQ, presets — without downloading anything.
- Streaming on Browser Audio Enhancer, Netflix, Spotify
- Video calls on Zoom, Meet, Teams
- Supported browser tabs with audio
- When you want instant, always-on enhancement
Free Online Studio
Upload an audio or video file, apply volume boost + 10-band EQ, preview in real-time, then download the enhanced WAV. Your file never leaves your browser.
- Downloaded videos or music files
- Podcast episodes you want to boost before sharing
- Voice recordings, lectures, interviews
- When you need a permanently enhanced file
Pro tip: Use a YouTube-to-MP3 tool to download the audio, then enhance it in Hearably Studio with EQ + volume boost. Perfect for offline listening, DJ sets, or sharing on social media.
Three clicks to better audio
Install
Add Hearably from the Chrome Web Store or Microsoft Edge Add-ons.
Enhance
Click the Hearably icon and tap "Enhance." Boost kicks in instantly.
Enjoy
Adjust volume, EQ, and presets on supported browser tabs.
Frequently asked questions
Does Hearably work on all websites?
No universal support is promised. Hearably uses Chrome tab capture on compatible playback paths, while protected content, browser restrictions, and site-specific implementations can prevent capture.
How is Hearably different from system-wide audio tools like Boom 3D or Equalizer APO?
System-wide tools process ALL audio from ALL applications with a single set of settings. Hearably provides per-tab control inside the browser — different volume, EQ, and compression for each tab. It also requires no driver installation or admin access, and works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS.
Does Hearably work with DRM-protected content?
It depends on the browser, website, title, and playback path. Protected-content restrictions can prevent capture, so test the current content and keep the extension disabled where capture is blocked.
Will Hearably slow down my browser?
The DSP runs in an offscreen document using Web Audio rather than on the page main thread. Actual CPU and memory use depend on the device, number of captured tabs, active effects, and browser version; test performance on your own hardware.
Does it work with Chrome and Edge?
Chrome and Microsoft Edge are the supported release targets. Other Chromium-based browsers may expose similar APIs, but they are not part of the current compatibility matrix.
Can I use Hearably with any output device?
Yes. Hearably processes audio before it reaches the operating system's audio output. The enhanced audio plays through whatever device Chrome is using — laptop speakers, wired headphones, Bluetooth headphones, USB DACs, HDMI output, or external speakers.
Is there any audio latency?
Under 10ms total. The 5ms look-ahead limiter buffer is the largest contributor. This is imperceptible for video playback (lip sync tolerance is ~45ms) and comfortable for real-time communication.
Does Hearably affect video quality or page performance?
No. Hearably only processes audio streams. Video rendering, page JavaScript, network requests, and other tab functionality are completely unaffected. The extension runs its audio processing in a separate offscreen document that doesn't interact with page content.