#193 Bluetooth headphone static noise with Graphic EQ

[Kyle]

After tying to install APO on my bluetooth as SFX/MFX (which is the only option that I tried that works) it produces a static noise when applying a graphic eq, it works fine with pre amps, Plugins, etc. Is there a work around to this? I am currently using windows 11.

[Peter Verbeek]

Try using peak filters instead if you're using the Configuration Editor. Or use the Peace equalizer interface which by default uses peak filters to eq. Graphic eq has its issues. When it works it's fine but if it produces noise/distortion then there isn't much you (or anyone else) can do.

Btw. SFX/MFX or SFX/EFX are the right settings for Windows 10 and 11.

[ikt]

I'm running into similar issues, which started with Windows 11. The EQ do apply, but there is an electric-interference-like noise in the output when a Graphic EQ is enabled. Also, when the output graph displays parts as red, there's a loud buzzing sound that fades away.

Things I tried, which weren't successful:

• Removing it for the headphones, rebooting, and adding back the headphones
• Remove the device, reconnect it and reinstalling them in Equalizer APO
• Completely uninstalling Equalizer APO, rebooting, and then re-installing Equalizer APO
• Disabling the handsfree telephony service

It's only on the Graphic EQ as OP described - other adjustments work fine. I guess it's just something to do with Windows 11 specifically. Quite a shame, I was using AutoEQ's curve for my headphones.

I hope more is known of this issue - I saw some other tickets reporting weird Equalizer APO + Bluetooth behavior when Windows 11 was initially released, but apparently the situation still hasn't changed.

Small update: Reverted to Windows 10 and all issues disappeared, so I'll just stay on 10. I hopped over to 11 hoping for a better Bluetooth experience, but it wasn't much of an improvement anyway. Reverting was quite trivial, so if anyone runs into a similar issue after upgrading, I can highly recommend just going back.

[Peter Verbeek]

I was using AutoEQ's curve for my headphones.

If you're using the Peace equalizer (interface for Equalizer APO) the lastest version has an autoEQ interface (see image) which holds more than 5500 EQ's. I suggest to use the parametric eq which are biquad peak filters. These don't have any issues.

Reverting was quite trivial, so if anyone runs into a similar issue after upgrading, I can highly recommend just going back.

Might be the most important advice to give :)

[Herman Gaviria Marin]

2023 UPDATE so I ran into the same issue where applying a graphic eq would create a horrible buzz or electric sound which was absolutely painful. The only way to fix it was to install Peace and control the EQ from there. This worked immediately, I'm a bass head and it worked instantly.

yes I tried changing the SFX/MFX or SFX/EFx, I'm on windows 11 btw.

[Peter Verbeek]

That's the issue with Graphic EQ. Either it works or one gets awful distortion. The developer hasn't commented on this. For this Peace uses the biquad filters for EQ-ing although
Graphic EQ is also available.

[Stephen Lin]

I made an account just to reply to this. I recently switched to Windows 11 and also get horrible static and buzzing from Graphic EQ while using bluetooth headphones.

This also happens with the Convolution filter, which also affects HeSuVi. What I found out is that impulse responses with a sample rate of 44100 Hz loaded through hesuvi doesn't get any buzzing, but it sums both LR to mono instead of convolving.

All is fine on non-bluetooth headphones. I figured this was a bug caused by a change in Windows 11, so now I'm just hoping for a fix or at least a workaround.

[Peter Verbeek]

It could be that a next Windows 11 update suddenly don't have the issue any longer. Btw. Equalizer APO's graphic eq is based on convolution. So the issue could be about different sample rate settings?