Best Mac audio app for AirPods users
Join a call with AirPods on a Mac and your music suddenly sounds like an old phone line. It's not broken. It's Bluetooth call mode, and there's a free fix and an automatic one.
Short answer
- Free fix: in System Settings → Sound → Input, pick your Mac's built-in mic. AirPods stay in high quality. You may have to redo it when they reconnect.
- Automatic fix: Faders. It keeps the Mac's mic in use whenever Bluetooth headphones connect, and remembers when you choose the headset mic on purpose. It also adds per-app volume and call ducking. $5.99 at launch.
- Free per-app volume: FineTune. It doesn't list the mic fix, but version 1.8 stopped the crackle when headsets switch in and out of call mode. Needs macOS 15.
Why AirPods sound muffled on calls
Bluetooth headphones have two ways of talking to your Mac. For listening, they get high-quality stereo audio. As soon as an app uses their microphone, they switch to a call profile that carries sound both ways. That profile has much less room, so everything you hear drops to low-quality mono, music included. It stays like that until the mic is released.
The trick is to use a different microphone. If your Mac's built-in mic does the listening, your AirPods only ever play audio and stay in high quality the whole time. On a quiet desk, most people can't tell the difference in how they sound on the call.
What AirPods users actually need
- The Mac's mic to stay selected when headphones connect, without having to check Sound settings every time.
- A way to choose the headset mic when it matters, like on a noisy train, without the app fighting you.
- Calls louder than everything else, since AirPods put every app right in your ears.
- Devices that switch sensibly, without macOS jumping to the wrong output when AirPods connect or disconnect.
The picks
Faders
$5.99 once at launch ($15.99 regular) · macOS 14.2+ · No trial (browser demo) · fadersmac.com
When Bluetooth headphones connect, Faders keeps your Mac's built-in mic as the input, so AirPods stay at 48 kHz stereo through every call. If you pick the headset mic yourself, Faders remembers and leaves it alone. It also handles the closed-lid case. Beyond that you get per-app volume, call ducking, a global mic mute and device priority rules.
Good
- Keeps AirPods high-quality automatically
- Respects manual mic choices
- Call ducking and mic mute
Not so good
- No EQ yet
- No free trial
- Not on the Mac App Store
FineTune
Free, open source · macOS 15+ · GitHub
FineTune's 1.8 release fixed the crackle when a headset moves between music and call mode. It doesn't say it keeps the Mac's mic selected, so your AirPods will still drop to call quality when their mic is in use. It does give you per-app volume, an EQ with AutoEQ headphone profiles and device priority for free.
Good
- Free
- AutoEQ headphone correction
- Clean switch into call mode
Not so good
- Keeping the Mac mic: not listed
- Needs macOS 15
SoundSource 6
$49 once · Free trial · macOS 15+ · rogueamoeba.com
If what you want is to make your headphones sound better, SoundSource's Headphone EQ, 10-band EQ and Audio Unit support are the strongest here. It has a preferred device order too. The AirPods call-mode fix isn't listed.
Good
- Headphone EQ and effects
- Device order
- Free trial
Not so good
- $49
- Call-mode fix: not listed
Side by side
| Sound settings (free) | Faders | FineTune | SoundSource | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keeps AirPods high-quality on calls | ✓ by hand, each time | ✓ automatic | Not listed | Not listed |
| Per-app volume | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Call ducking | — | ✓ | Not listed | Not listed |
| Headphone EQ | — | — | ✓ AutoEQ | ✓ |
| Device priority | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| macOS | Any | 14.2+ | 15+ | 15+ |
| Price | Free | $5.99 | Free | $49 |
“Not listed” means we couldn't find it on the app's own page, not that it's confirmed missing. Checked October 2026.
Try the free fix first
- Connect your AirPods.
- Open System Settings → Sound → Input.
- Choose “MacBook Pro Microphone” (or your Mac's built-in mic).
- Join your call. AirPods stay in high quality.
If that's enough for you, you don't need an app for this. Faders is worth it if you're tired of redoing it, or if you also want per-app volume and ducking.
Questions
Will people hear me worse with the Mac's mic?
In a quiet room, the built-in mic on a recent Mac usually sounds as good or better. In a noisy place, the AirPods mic is closer to your mouth. Choose it in the Input menu and Faders will remember your choice.
Does this work with other Bluetooth headphones?
Yes. Every Bluetooth headset switches to a call profile when its mic is used, and the same fix applies.
What if my Mac's lid is closed?
Then the built-in mic isn't available. Faders notices the lid is closed and doesn't try to force it.
Keep your AirPods sounding like AirPods
Faders handles the mic for you and adds a volume slider for every app. $5.99 once at launch.
Related
Sources
- FineTune releases (v1.8: Bluetooth call-mode crackle fix)
- FineTune on GitHub (features, macOS 15)
- SoundSource (Headphone EQ, EQ, Audio Units, macOS 15)