PURE  PROSOFT SUPPORT As Gordon noted, we are working on a new version of Hear that will be available in the coming months.

In the coming years I think.

Hear is not compatible with Front Row and not compatible with Snow Leopard's Quicktime X.  
(Version 1.0.3)

MACACCRO  When I bought Hear several months ago, it worked just fine. But over the lasts months, with Apple updates, it started not to work with many applications...

And there's no update from Joesoft for more than one year now! This is not serious. And they still continue to sell it on their website!

It is sad, because it is a beautifully designed products, but it just doesn't work anymore. :( Hopefully, there's some companies that put a real development on their product and take really care of their consumers. Audio Hijack Pro from Rogue Amoeba Software is the alternative and it really works the way you want!

Goodbye Joesoft! It was (almost) a pleasure using (and paying!) your software.

f.  
(Version 1.0.3)

MACLOVER1.1  It only works with iTunes... and I need this to fix bad sound watching Youtube etc in my browser rather than fix the sound of my already flawless iTunes music.. and iWOW for iTunes is much better anyway, but unfortunately only an iTunes plugin.  
(Version 1.0.3)

MACLOVER1.1  Their site say it is Leopard compatible LoL lolololololololol Give me a break.. in all honesty this is a piece of garbage... actually it does not work at all and has not for a few OX updates way before Snow.  
(Version 1.0.3)

PURE  Still waiting since over one year for an UPDATE that fix the FRONT ROW Issue.  
(Version 1.0.3)

PISSNAROUND  Hear seems to be the only audio enhancer that didn't break with Snow Leopard. I have both iWow and AstoundStereo Enhancer. Both broke with 10.6  
(Version 1.0.3)

BELA  Anyone who has attended live performances knows full well that recorded music, even when expertly laid down and listened to on high end playback, is not the real deal. Many of us know what music is supposed to sound like live. Some of us who have worked in recording studios have a good idea what studio produced recordings are supposed to sound like. Unfortunately, less that optimal playback equipment and lossy compression of mp3 copies markedly limit the fidelity of any recording.

Hear helps generate more realistic sound from recordings. Used correctly it will compensate for deficiencies anywhere in the playback chain. Like any powerful tool, it is fully capable of wreaking havoc when misused. If you aren't interested in reading the manual and learning how to use the program, I cannot recommend that you buy it, this is not a one size fits all plugin. (If you don't want or need the flexibility and power of Hear, consider the Xmod, Astound Stereo Expander or SRS iWow, although the latter is only available for Mac as an iTunes plugin). But if you can devote a hour or so to learning what it is that Hear does, if you have a good idea of the sound you want for a given music genre and you enjoy tweaking, get this software.

I use Hear for all computer sources when played through attached speakers (Harman Kardon Soundsticks in my case). I have a few custom presets (jazz, pop, classical, small and large ensemble) all of which I set up using the stock Hear presets as starting points. This took very little time once the interface and processing was understood. Again, this is not a one size fits all process. Your play back system, musical tastes and conception of an ideal sound will differ from most anyone else's. Hear easily accommodates those differences.

On a dedicated audio system of good quality Hear has less to offer, but with poorly recorded music (especially older analog-digital remasters) or mp3 files it still can be a big help.

The interface is lovely. The controls are easy to use. From the general tab the basic effects can be adjusted, any individual processors can be toggled off and on, the processing chain can be reordered. Each individual processor is given a separate tab for its specific adjustments. There are a whole raft of presets for music, movies, speech, games and special effect. Some of these may work for you without modification, any of them can be modified and saved as a new preset. I suggest creating a personal folder in the ~/Library/Preferences/Hear/Hear Presets/ to hold your modifications.

My only complaint is that the manual doesn't go into enough detail about how each control actually works. A description of what exactly each one does to the sound be a big help. This information can be learned by trial and error and so is certainly not a deal breaker. A description of the installed components would also be welcome.

I have been using Hear on a MacPro and MacBook daily for the best part of a year and it has been rock solid. I have not uncovered any significant bugs and no slow down of the machines. In fact, I'm frequently using Photoshop and Final Cut while Hear is running with absolutely no hit on the performance of these processor intensive programs. These computers are. of course. relatively new Intel machines with at least a dual-core processor. I have no experience with Hear on PowerPC machines.  
(Version 1.0.3)

RY.MA  Sound is unchanged. For what is Hear good?  
(Version 1.0.3)

ZX  Hear is not working anymore!  
(Version 1.0.3)

ZX  After the latest Apple software updates...We are back to the 'coreaudiod not responding' error!!!

Please fix it.  
(Version 1.0.3)