The Best Music Apps for Audiophiles: The Best iPhone, iPad and Android Apps

jetAudio Plus

by Team Jet

Price: $3.99

Rated: 4

Requirements: Android 2.3.3 and up

jetAudio for Windows is the highest rated and most downloaded media player on CNET and, now you can listen to same high-quality sound on your Android phone using jetAudio.

It plays almost any type of digital music files you have (.wav, .mp3, .ogg, .flac, .m4a, .mpc, .tta, .wv, .ape, .mod, .spx, .wma* and more) and, it provides a very high quality sound with various effects and enhancements such as Wide, Reverb, X-Bass.

It comes with 32 equalizer presets that will provide a wide array of listening experience.

For those who would like to customize their own sound experience, it also allows 10/20 bands graphic equalizer and other advanced playback functions including playback speed control, crossfading, AGC and much more.

* 20-bands graphic equalizer

* Display lyrics in tag (Unsynchronized lyrics)

* 2 lock screens

* 10 app widgets : 4x1 (#2), 4x2 (#3), 4x3, 4x4, 3x3, 2x2, 2x3

* Pitch shifter

* Last.fm (requires official Last.fm app)

* Precise playback speed control (50% ~ 200%)

* Light Gray theme for browser (Plus only)

* Grid mode for Song/Folder/Genre browser

jetAudio Plus

* Can choose between List or 10 Grid modes for layout style

* Wide, Reverb, X-Bass sound effects

* AGC (automatic gain control) to avoid volume fluctuations between tracks

* Speed control from 50% to 200% (pitch adjusted)

* Crossfading, Gap-less playback

* Fade-in/Fade-out

* Browser and play music by artist, albums, songs, playlists, genres and folders

* Balance/Volume control

* Sleep timer up to 24 hours

* Flick up to post what you’re listening to on Facebook/Twitter

* Flick down to show Now Playing

* Flick left/right to play next/previous

* Lock screens

* Repeat A - B

* Headset button control

- press to pause/resume

- double/triple press to play next/prev

- long press to mute or TTS (time, title)

* Multi-select function (Delete/Add to playlist) for folder mode

* Keep screen on, Lock orientation options

* Shake to play next/previous track

LouderLogic

By McDSP

$3.99

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later.

Rate 4+

This week I heard from Colin McDowell of McDSP (good name!), about the LouderLogic app his software company designed this past year. McDSP has been serving professional audio folks for over 14 years. Some of their clients include Skywalker Sound, Sony, Disney, and many others.

He had this to say about the app, “...in short, we’ve taken audio plugins normally sold to the super high end clients, and packaged it into an audio player capable of making any iPhone or iPad sound amazing, and give it additional cool features along the way.”

LouderLogic features include:

> 4-band parametric EQ

> Dynamic interactive Play Queues

> Spectrum Animation Mode

> Crossfading

> Professional audio enhancement with patent pending ALX technology

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LouderLogic

LouderLogic features include:

With the McDSP 4-band parametric equalizer, you get the highest quality interactive EQ for your iOS device, along with the ability to customize and tweak to your heart’s content. Easily drag the curves to control boost and cut, and use two fingers to adjust the Q (bandwidth).

Play Queues let you modify what’s coming up next at any time, without interrupting your current track.

Spectrum Animation Mode lets you view the audio signal being animated right behind the album artwork.

Adjust the crossfade time between songs from 1 to 30 seconds.

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LouderLogic

LouderLogic uses patent pending Audio Level eXtension (ALX) technology by McDSP.

LouderLogic minimizes volume fluctuations between songs while maximizing all the musical details the artist intended you to enjoy.

Simply put, you’ll get more from your music!

“If you don’t have LouderLogic I don’t know why you’re even listening to music.” – Chaka Blackmon, Producer/Songwriter for Christina Aguilera, CeCe Winans, MTV and Disney.

Note that while LouderLogic does play back DRM protected music, it cannot apply ALX enhancement to DRM protected audio. DRM protected audiobooks are not currently playable.

Bongiovi DPS

By Bongiovi Acoustics

Free or Full Version $2.99

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Rate 4+

> The Bongiovi DPS app brings the award winning Digital Power Station’s Patented Real-Time Audio Re-Mastering audio enhancement to your iOS device. Sound Science for your headphones, mobile speakers or iPod dock!

An In-App Upgrade gives you the power to customize the sound for your headphones & accessories with our innovative profile system and the new DPS Equalizer.

> Easy to use. Breathe new life into your media library with a simple push of the “B” button.

Bongiovi DPS improves the clarity of your mobile library* across all frequencies and provides cleaner, deeper bass response. You will hear detail that you never heard before. DPS analyzes the audio signal in real-time and optimizes it for playback through any device connected to your headphone, wireless or line-out jacks**. It also compensates for differences in volume between songs and enhances dialogue and sound effects for personal videos and podcasts.

> Take a tour of our Cities!

The DPS technology uses a system of profiles. Each profile will work on a wide range of devices. We have given our most popular profiles the names of Cites so you can take a DPS road trip.

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Bongiovi DPS

By Bongiovi Acoustics

Bongiovi DPS H.E.A.R.

Sound Science for YOUR ears. Answering the call for an exciting audio experience that is also kind to your ears. Everyone can benefit from engaging this version of the patented award winning DPS technology specifically mastered for volume levels that promote healthy ear bud and headset listening. Enjoy all of the acoustic clarity, fullness and detail without the ear splitting volume. DPS H.E.A.R.- Hear what’s There!

> NEW! Import audio files and DPS profiles directly into Bongiovi DPS.

New profiles are available at BongioviAcoustics.com. Just touch the profile link on our website and choose “Open in Bongiovi DPS”. Audio files downloaded to your device may also be opened in Bongiovi DPS.

> Clarity in noisy environments…

Have you noticed that you have to turn your earbuds up much higher on an airplane or train in order to hear the details of your favorite music? DPS technology automatically brings sonic detail forward while creating a signal that makes your headphones operate more efficiently. Even the built-in speaker of your device sounds better.

> PLEASE NOTE: Only NON-DRM media in your library is accessible by Bongiovi DPS. This is a legal not an app limitation.

Some non-standard compression and lossless formats are not fully supported at this time.

To allow DPS to play your iTunes match library you must first download tracks or play the tracks first in the Apple Music Player on your device.

This free app is ad supported and comes with profiles for standard Apple earbuds and the built-in speakers of supported iOS devices. An in-app purchase removes the ads and provides access to a constantly expanding list of profiles for your headphones, speakers, bluetooth, Airplay, and docking systems as well as the new DPS EQ.

** Bongiovi DPS has profile selections for the 1/8th inch headphone jack, the built-in speaker, bluetooth, Airplay, and the analog line out dock connector. Only these connections are supported. If you connect your iOS device digitally via the dock connector, the Bongiovi DPS app will play your media library but will not process audio using DPS technology.

Audio Xciter Studio

By Aphex

$4.99 (there’s a free version—but I recommend just forking over the five bucks - Cindy)

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. (Android is coming)

Rate 4+

Aphex, has been in audio enhancement technology. They have developed Audio Xciter audio app that dynamically improves the quality of digital music (as well as audiobooks and podcasts) on your Apple iOS devices through a proprietary Xciter digital signal processor (DSP). It has been the career-long dream of Aphex Chairman & CEO David Wiener to help musicians and music lovers make the most of every music experience, and Audio Xciter is a great testament of Wiener’s drive to end the debate about poor audio quality in digital devices. Audio Xciter uses patented Aphex DSP technology to improve the quality of your music by analyzing and enhancing the audio signal in real time. The iOS app is available today with an Android version to follow next month.

Legendary musicians such as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Led Zeppelin have relied on the Aphex technology behind Audio Xciter for years and used to rent Aphex products for thousands of dollars for audio mastering. Now music lovers can experience the original sound quality created in-studio through the Audio Xciter app (available as a free demo download).

“Heavily compressed digital music files reduce sonic performance in music recordings,” said David Wiener. “We’ve leveraged our professional studio technology and created Audio Xciter to restore the detail, richness and spaciousness to your audio experience. The result is a more immersive sound that more accurately reflects the original intentions of the artists, engineers and producers. All the musicians and producers we work with think this is a revolutionary product for mobile music.”

“The Audio Xciter app brings musical detail to life, no matter what style of music you’re listening to. You will hear increased clarity, along with space and detail, that will impress anyone,” said Alan Parsons, GRAMMY Award-winning record producer and engineer.

The free Audio Xciter app allows 15 minutes of enhanced playback per day. Users have two upgrade options: Audio Xciter Basic removes the time restriction and Audio Xciter Studio allows users to fine-tune the Xciter DSP settings for a truly custom experience.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Audio Xciter will go to Respect the Music, Aphex’s foundation supporting music and arts education.

Check out the details on the following sides

Audio Xciter Studio

By Aphex

Audio Xciter makes all your music, podcasts and audio books sound dramatically better, with richness, clarity and spaciousness that’s typically lost in digital files.

This Studio version of the free Audio Xciter app lets you adjust individual Xciter settings for a truly custom listening experience!

“The Audio Xciter app brings musical detail to life, no matter what style of music you’re listening to.”

- Alan Parsons, Legendary Artist and Producer

* NEW LEVEL OF DETAIL IN YOUR MUSIC:

The Audio Xciter digital signal processor bring out the details in your music lost in compression

* CUSTOMIZE THE SOUND:

Access three professionally tuned presets to adjust the processing settings to your liking or upgrade to the Studio version for full control for a truly custom experience

Audio Xciter Studio

By Aphex

* Familiar interface to access your local audio files

* Instant access to your library (no scanning delay)

* Enhanced playback through any audio output

* Full AirPlay support

“I love what it does for the mix. It sound more like it did in the studio for sure.”

- Jared Lee Gosselin, producer for artists like Flo Rida and Sie7e

Aphex audio technology has been at the heart of professional audio, recording, performance and broadcasting for over 35 years - used by every major artist, studio and performance, including GRAMMYS and OSCARS. With the Audio Xciter app, Aphex leverages this legacy of innovation to create a new level of listening enjoyment in mobile apps.

Neutron Music Player

Neutron Code Limited

$4.99

Rated: 4.5 stars (1,028)

Requirements: Android 2.1 and up

Professional audio quality with unique 32/64-bit rendering, fast and easy!

Neutron is a professional music player with high quality 32/64-bit audio rendering engine which helps to deliver to you the best possible sound quality from the Android device.

Neutron provides the sophisticated UI with advanced controls for music playback. It is not easy or another ‘pop’ music player, it is developed for the audiophiles and those who really in love with music. Recommended for use with Hi-Fi/High-End audio hardware.

Features on following slides

Neutron Music Player

FEATURES:

* 32/64-bit audio processing for high quality HD audio.

* Audio formats: MP1, MP2, MP3, OGG (Vorbis), FLAC, WMA, WMA Lossless (16-bit only), AC3, AAC, M4A, M4B, M4R, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, MOV, ALAC, APE (Monkey’s Audio), WV (WavPack), MPC (MusePack), WAV, AU, AIFF, MPG/MPEG (audio only), AVI (audio only), iTunes/Windows Media inclusive except DRM-protected.

* Modular audio formats: MOD, IM, XM, S3M.

* Voice audio format: SPEEX.

* Surround sound DSP (Ambiophonic R.A.C.E. technology).

* Crossfeed DSP (for better stereo music listening experience with headphones).

* Rumble Filter DSP (to protect speakers from overloading with frequencies below 20 Hz).

* Normalization (post EQ re-mastering of tracks).

* Streaming audio: M3U, PLS, ASX, RAM.

* HQ 4-band parametric equalizer.

* Accurate gapless playback.

* Normalization.

* Replay Gain.

* HQ Resampling with 3 modes: fast, quality, audiophile.

* Dithering (to improve audio quality by eliminating quantization in signal).

* Crossfading (including manual track switching in playlist).

Neutron Music Player

features continued

* Balance.

* Pitch.

* Shuffle playback.

* Looped playback.

* Database/Folder modes.

* Queuing.

* Lyrics (.LRC files).

* CUE Sheet support (including built into metadata).

* Media database grouping by: album, artist, genre.

* Artist grouping by ‘Album Artist’ category.

* Unicode tags.

* Real-time multi-band spectrum analyzer.

* Real-time RMS bar.

* Master and Preamp digital volume adjustment.

* Android widgets and Lock Screen mode.

features continued

Neutron Music Player

features continued

* Queuing.

* Lyrics (.LRC files).

* CUE Sheet support (including built into metadata).

* Media database grouping by: album, artist, genre.

* Artist grouping by ‘Album Artist’ category.

* Unicode tags.

* Real-time multi-band spectrum analyzer.

* Real-time RMS bar.

* Master and Preamp digital volume adjustment.

* Android widgets and Lock Screen mode.

* Movable to external SD Card.

* Night UI mode with colorful audio visualization.

* Album art (supported: PNG, JPG, BMP, incl. metadata from tags).

* Album art visual effect based on currently playing music.

* Clock mode.

* Sleep timer: 15,30,45,60,90 minutes.

* Wake timer.

* Automatic key-lock with colorful audio visualization.

* Highly customizable through Settings.

* Smart CPU/Battery consumption.

PlayerPro Music Player

BlastOn LLC

$4.99

Rated: 4.5 stars (19,636)

Requirements: Android 2.0 and up

PlayerPro Music Player is an advanced music and video player for Android 2.x devices.

Key features:

* Browse and play your music by albums, artists, genres, songs, playlists, folders, and album artists.

* Video browser and player.

* Automatically downloads missing album artwork, artist pictures and genre illustrations.

* Manually pick your preferred album artwork, artist pictures, genre illustrations from the Internet, the Gallery app, ID3 tags, or album folder.

* Change the user interface of the Player by installing one of the 18 available SKINS, all for free.

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PlayerPro Music Player

* Customize the layout, chosing between GRID or LIST views.

* Read album and artist REVIEWS.

* Download, search and and save LYRICS to your music files using standard ID3 tags.

* Single and group TAG EDITING: title, album, artist, album artist, track, year, genre, comment. Formats supported: mp3, ogg, flac, wma, wav, m4a, mp4 (provided that your phone supports these formats).

* Mixable AUDIO EFFECTS for Android >2.3 devices: 5 band graphic EQUALIZER with default/customizable presets (edit, rename, delete), STEREO WIDENING effect (virtualizer), REVERB effects (large hall, medium hall, plate, small room, medium room, large room), BASS BOOST effect, volume control.

Key features continued

PlayerPro Music Player

* Free additional DSP PLUGIN for Android 2.2 or 2.3 devices: 10 band graphic EQUALIZER with 15 default/customizable presets, PRE-AMP control, BASS BOOST control, volume control, optional VIRTUALIZER control (stereo widening). GAPLESS playback. Auto/Manual CROSSFADE. Go to Settings > Audio and select “Download DSP pack” option to install the free plugin.

* Dolby and SRS sound effects for HTC devices equipped with HTC sound enhancement (HTC desire HD, etc).

* Music stats and SMART PLAYLISTS: Recently added, Top rated, Most played, Recently played, Least played. Build additional custom playlists using the SMART PLAYLIST EDITOR and the many different criteria it offers: album, artist, title, play/skip count, last played/added, rating, is a podcast, duration, year etc. All smart playlists are AUTO-UPDATED.

Key features continued

PlayerPro Music Player

* Import and export music history and ratings from your favorite desktop music player: Songbird, Winamp, Windows Media Player, MediaMonkey ...

* Music folder selection.

* Choice of 2 LOCK SCREEN widgets with many customization options: unlock slider, sound toggler, skip tracks using volume buttons, swipe gestures, background selection, controls selection, time display, skin selection ...

* Choice of 5 different home screen WIDGETS (4x1, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 4x2). All widgets are customizable and skinnable: 6 different SKINS available, option to display artist picture instead of album artwork, option to display ratings, shuffle/repeat controls etc.

Key features continued

PlayerPro Music Player

* NOTIFICATION STATUS support: display album artwork, title, album and artist, play/pause, skip forward and stop CONTROLS (ICS only) in notification status.

* Supported SCROBBLERS: Simple Last.fm, Scrobble Droid, Official Last.fm app.

* SLEEP TIMER with fade out.

* SHARE text notifications, album/artist artwork on your favorite social networks: Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Picassa etc.

* HEADSET support. Customize long press and double/triple press actions.

* Library wide SEARCH. VOICE search support.

* SWIPE gestures (player: swipe album art to skip songs, browsers: swipe left to play next, swipe right to play last).

* SHAKE IT feature: give your phone a shake to play next/previous song (e.g.: shake top to bottom or bottom to top to play next/previous song).

* Create playlist SHORTCUTS.

* APP2SD support.

Fidelia

By Audiofile Engineering

$19.99

Rated (iOS): 4

Requirements: OS X 10.6.8 or later

Key features

Fidelia is a high-definition audio player for sophisticated music lovers. With support for all contemporary audio file formats and an elegant interface that focuses exclusively on music, it gives users the power and the freedom to organize, customize and savor their digital music collection at the highest possible fidelity in any circumstance. If you’ve invested in premium audio hardware, you should have the best audio software.

Just as an HD television enables viewers to enjoy high-definition video, Fidelia provides a gateway to high-definition audio by supporting a wide range of high-quality formats — including FLAC, which iTunes does not support. As artists in every genre increasingly turn to high-quality formats, Fidelia gives discerning listeners a way to hear their music as it was meant to be heard.

Key features continued

Fidelia

Fidelia’s stylish interface reflects users’ pure passion for music, paying tribute to the iconic stereo systems of decades past while offering sleek, intuitive controls that Mac owners demand. A classically styled volume dial is augmented by Mute and Dim functions. A crisp, eye-pleasing display shows individual track details, stereo levels and audio waveforms. Fidelia also provides seamless access to your existing iTunes music library.

With Fidelia, savvy music lovers have the ability to further personalize audio playback by installing third-party Audio Unit plug-ins. For example, Fidelia reaches beyond the narrow parameters of typical built-in equalization controls, allowing users to install higher-quality EQ and other Audio Units plug-ins to suit any taste or listening environment.

Audiofile Engineering’s Fidelia Audio System optimizes the modern listening experience by realizing the full potential of quality audio hardware. No matter what type of sounds are in play, it incorporates iZotope’s industry-best sample rate conversion to achieve optimum sonic fidelity. Dedicated audiophiles can also select real-time audio dithering via iZotope’s MBIT+™ technology.

New in version 1.1.0, Lion users may now unlock the “Advanced” features of Fidelia, giving them control over specific parameters for iZotope MBIT+ dither and 64-bit SRC as well as exclusive hardware access and memory play-back. When you purchase Fidelia Advanced, a new “Advanced” pane will be available in Fidelia’s preferences.

Key features continued

Fidelia

New in version 1.2.0, Lion users may now also unlock FHX™ Headphone Processing, enabling you to create a more spacious, natural soundstage over headphones. With user controls that are simple and effective, the algorithm can be fine tuned to your personal music library, listening preferences, and hardware. When you purchase FHX, a new “FHX” pane will be available in Fidelia’s preferences.

FHX utilizes a unique, dynamic-range optimized equalization section to maintain the highest possible digital resolution at any setting. So you’ll never need to worry about digital clipping, distortion, or loss of headroom when using FHX The FHX monitoring section offers several key monitoring facilities that are typically reserved for high-end monitor controllers or mastering consoles.

With the Fidelia app for iOS (sold separately), users can turn their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a full-featured remote control for Fidelia.

TuneIn Radio in iOS

TuneIn Radio for Andriod

By TuneIn

Free

Rated (iOS): 9+

Rated (Google Play): 4.6

Requirements - iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, iOS 4.0 or later, Andriod

TuneIn is a free way to listen to music, sports and news from every corner of the earth, with over 70,000 radio stations and 2 million on-demand programs.

• Stream to an AirPlay-compatible receiver (requires iOS 4.2)

• Search for a song, artist or show to find radio stations around the world playing it live

• Add stations and songs to your presets

• Wake up with the alarm clock or fall asleep with the sleep timer

• Plays in the background while you use other apps

TuneIn Radio in iOS

TuneIn Radio for Andriod

By TuneIn

TuneIn Radio Pro in iOS

TuneIn Radio Pro for Andriod

By TuneIn

$0.99

Rated (iOS): 9+

Rated (Google Play): 4.5

The Pro version of this service lets you record all of this to your phone or tablet. TuneIn is a new way to listen to music, sports and news from every corner of the earth, with over 70,000 radio stations and 2 million on-demand programs.

• Record, pause and rewind any station as you listen *Pro Exclusive!*

• Set timed recordings for your favorite programs *Pro Exclusive!*

• Stream to an AirPlay-compatible receiver (requires iOS 4.2)

• Search for a song, artist or show to find radio stations around the world playing it live

• Add stations and songs to your presets

• Wake up with the alarm clock or fall asleep with the sleep timer

• Plays in the background while you use other apps

BitPerfect

By Tim Murison

$9.99

Rated (iOS): 4

Requirements: OS X 10.6 or later

Key features

Description

BitPerfect is a simple, easy to use, audiophile grade music player that works with iTunes to deliver the highest possible sound quality.

• Unobtrusive, minimal UI

• Bit perfect output

• Exclusive (hog) mode

• 64-bit playback engine

• Gapless playback

• Full memory playback with double-buffering to ensure continuous playback of large files

• Automatic sample rate switching

• Choice of sample rate converters for up and down sampling

• Dithered bit depth reduction

• Integer mode (on supported DACs and supported versions of OSX)

• Support for sound check

• Playback from networked drives

• FLAC support (via Fluke or other 3rd party iTunes FLAC importers)