Surreal Machines Diffuse vs Pine Player Neo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Surreal Machines Diffuse
This audio effect plugin blends analog-modeled delay with classic digital reverb, allowing users to morph between the two for unique soundscapes. It offers intuitive control over smearing, echoes, and damping, inspired by vintage hardware.
- Analog-modeled delay
- Classic digital reverb
- Morphing between delay and reverb
- Nonlinearities and tape-style delay
- Intuitive control over smearing, echoes, damping
- AUV3 plugin compatibility
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Diffuse is inspired by classic hardware delay and reverb effects from the 1970’s and 1980’s. It takes a Surreal Machines look at the frontier between delays and reverbs. It's an analog/digital hybrid - an analog modeled delay fused with a classic reverb design used in early digital units. In Diffuse you get more than the best of both worlds - you can morph between delays and reverbs, and find all kinds of fantastical sounds in between the two. You’ll also find plenty of nonlinearities and smooth tape-style delay changes. Diffuse gives you complete control over smearing, echoes and damping in the most intuitive ways possible. ****** Diffuse is an Audio Unit V3 plugin; it benefits from an AUV3 host like Logic, GarageBand, Cubasis, FL Studio Mobile, AUM, etc.
Pine Player Neo
This app is a high-fidelity music player supporting high-resolution audio, DSD playback, and extensive file formats. It offers advanced EQ/DSP, network streaming via DLNA and cloud services, and seamless integration with Apple Music and CarPlay.
- High-resolution and DSD playback
- 12-band EQ and DSP
- DLNA, AirPlay 2, and Chromecast streaming
- CarPlay integration
- NAS and cloud streaming
- Download management
- Gapless playback and crossfades
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Pine Player Neo — All-in-One Hi-Fi Music Player Pine Player Neo combines high-resolution and DSD playback, powerful EQ/DSP, DLNA network audio, CarPlay, NAS and cloud streaming, download management, and Pine Player desktop remote control in one Hi-Fi music player. High-Resolution Audio Play music from iPhone, iPad, external USB/SD storage, and the Files app. Supports drag & drop, Open in Pine Player, background and Lock Screen playback, Dynamic Island, Bluetooth, and AVRCP controls. Supports MP3, FLAC, M4A/AAC/ALAC, WAV, AIFF, OGG Vorbis, Opus, WavPack, APE, MPC, TTA, WMA, CAF, AC3, DTS, DSF, DFF, DST, and more. DSD & DoP Play DSF/DFF with DSD over PCM (DoP), DST-compressed DFF decoding, and Pine .dst support. DSD-aware sample-rate configuration and high-quality upsampling are also available. EQ & DSP Fine-tune your sound with a 12-band EQ, Pre Gain, Bass Gain/Frequency, adjustable Q values, and real-time L/R level meters. Choose from built-in and Extreme presets or create, save, and export your own EQ settings. DLNA, AirPlay 2 & Chromecast Automatically discover DLNA servers and renderers. Browse, search, stream, and download music from DLNA libraries, or cast local/DLNA music to a renderer with playback, seeking, and volume control. The built-in DLNA server can share music from your device. Output options include AirPlay 2, Chromecast/Google Cast, DLNA renderers, and Pine Player desktop. Apple Music & CarPlay Browse, search, and play your Apple Music library and playlists. With CarPlay, access Local Music, the current queue, recently played tracks, favorites, and custom playlists. CUE Support Open CUE files like folders and play or seek individual tracks. Local, SMB, FTP, and SFTP CUE files are supported. NAS & Cloud Streaming Access music from iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, HTTPS links, DLNA, SMB/Samba, FTP, SFTP/SSH, and Pine Player desktop. Browse network folders, stream directly, and automatically reconnect interrupted sessions. Download Management Download individual files or folders with multi-selection, batch downloads, progress tracking, cancellation, retry, and resume. Download queues are restored after relaunching the app. Playlists & Smooth Transitions Manage the current queue, recently played tracks, favorites, and custom playlists. Enjoy shuffle, repeat, gapless playback, and adjustable 0–10 second crossfades. Pine Player Desktop Remote Automatically discover Pine Player on the same network and remotely control playback, seeking, playback modes, playlists, and EQ presets. Also includes LRC lyrics, album artwork, music search, detailed audio format information, a mini player, haptic feedback, Dark Mode, and portrait/landscape support. Your music, wherever it lives. Your sound, on the device you choose. Pine Player Neo connects local music and network audio in one Hi-Fi experience.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Surreal Machines Diffuse at 100% against Pine Player Neo's 0%. Surreal Machines Diffuse also leads on price ($7.99 vs $19.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Surreal Machines Diffuse costs $7.99 and Pine Player Neo $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Surreal Machines Diffuse | Pine Player Neo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | — | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Surreal Machines | Siseong Ahn |
Customer experience
Surreal Machines Diffuse
Pine Player Neo
In-app purchases
Surreal Machines Diffuse
No in-app purchases
Pine Player Neo
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Surreal Machines Diffuse free?
Is Pine Player Neo free?
Do Surreal Machines Diffuse or Pine Player Neo have ads?
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