Comparison

HeadMania.org Upsampler vs Embeat

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HeadMania.org Upsampler

Features
Read full description

A million-tap audio processor in your pocket. HeadMania UpSampler rebuilds your music with the same 64-bit filter engine as the desktop app, then feeds a USB or network DAC at the highest rate it accepts. On an M-series iPad, four million taps. Neuromancer, a free experimental neural renderer, shapes the attack of each note on the Neural Engine, now also in lighter Eco versions. What you need HeadMania UpSampler does not play through the iPhone or iPad speaker. It needs a real output: • A USB-C or Lightning DAC — a plain USB-C-to-3.5 mm dongle counts. • Or a UPnP/DLNA network DAC or streamer on your Wi-Fi. Bluetooth and AirPods are not supported. To receive from a control point, both must be on the same Wi-Fi, and you must allow Local Network access when iOS asks. THREE WAYS TO FEED IT - Your own files on the device: FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, CAF, MP3 - Lossless internet radio — 14 stations whose operators gave written permission - UPnP/DLNA receiver — send to it from mconnect, JPLAY, Audirvana or any control point OUTPUT PCM up to 705.6 / 768 kHz over USB or the network, if the DAC accepts it. THE FILTERS Eight families, each at several kernel lengths, so you can hear the difference rather than take it on trust: Organik (minimum phase, no pre-ringing), Organik Touch and Organik Pulse (a short path for drum hits, the long Organik reconstruction around them), Linear (linear phase), Mixed Phase (between the two), Organik-Adaptive, Transient-Perfect (optimised for step response) and Kinetic (polyphase). Lengths run from 6,000 taps to 1,000,000 on iPhone and 4,000,000 on an M-series iPad. The tap count shown is the measured length of the kernel built. If playback starts to starve (short memory, sustained heat), a lighter filter of the same family takes over mid-track and the app says so. NEUROMANCER It reshapes the attack of notes as the music plays: the kick, the bass note, the snare hit come forward by a fraction of a decibel to about two, and little else changes. It is not an EQ. Four choices: Neuromancer, Awakened, Revelio and Revelio's Pulse. Each comes in a lighter Eco version, close to it but not identical, with up to about three times less processing. Compare with Original. It is demanding: it needs iOS 27 and was tested on iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPad Pro with M5. The app measures each model as it plays and turns it off where it cannot keep up. Expect more battery use and warmth; Eco asks less. Playback starts about three seconds later. Trained on openly licensed multitrack recordings, credited in About. ROOM CORRECTION Your room does more to the bass than any filter does. Record a test sweep with a microphone and the app finds the resonances the room adds, then places parametric cuts at them, each sized to its measured height and adjustable by hand. Where a note keeps ringing it can also shorten the decay, previewed first and marked experimental. Bass only, one seat; no equaliser fixes reflections. Without a microphone it can design from a floor plan. It is still in testing and says so. WHAT IS FREE, PERMANENTLY Every filter below 500,000 taps, at every output rate. Neuromancer, full and Eco. All three input paths. Measuring your room, with the graph, the editor and saving. No account, no time limit. SIGNATURE EDITION One optional purchase adds the presets from 500,000 taps upward (on an M-series iPad up to 4M) and hearing room correction applied. One payment, no subscription. A 30-day trial comes first; when it ends, playback continues on the deepest free preset of the family. Codes redeem in the app. PRIVACY No account, no analytics, no crash reporting, no telemetry. Neuromancer runs on the device. The app listens on the local network so control points can find it, and connects out only to radio stations you choose, the AutoEq database when you search it, and the App Store. REQUIREMENTS A USB or network DAC and iOS 15 or later; Neuromancer needs iOS 27. A renderer and a player, not a music service.

About

Embeat

Features
Read full description

Embeat is the native music player for your Emby or Jellyfin server. Enjoy your library just the way you organized it: artists, albums, tracks, genres and playlists, with cover art and metadata. • Gapless, lossless playback for FLAC and ALAC. • CarPlay. Browse and play your library from the car screen: recent, new, favorites and playlists, with cover art, the queue, and shuffle and repeat. Plus a tab with your downloads, which plays even when the server is out of reach. • Radio mode. When the queue runs out, Embeat keeps going on its own with music that fits what you were listening to. • Sleep timer. Tell it to stop in 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes and fall asleep to it: the countdown stays on screen. • Embeat Connect streams music to DLNA/UPnP devices on your local network, Sonos speakers included — gapless there too. • Download tracks, albums and playlists to listen offline, on your phone and in the car. • Choose a quality cap for mobile data and keep the original on Wi-Fi — gapless either way. • Multiple Emby and Jellyfin servers, with quick switching between them. • Global search, favorites that update themselves when you star something elsewhere, an editable queue, background playback and lock screen controls. • Ask Siri to play your music on Embeat. Sonos only accepts audio up to 48 kHz. If your library is hi-res, Embeat adapts it on the way there, keeping it lossless. Embeat connects directly to your server. It collects no data and shows no ads. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Emby, Jellyfin or Sonos. Embeat Annual — auto-renewable subscription. Length: 1 year. Price: €9.99 / year, with a 1-month free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account upon confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the same price and for the same duration unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it at any time in your Apple Account settings. If you buy the subscription during a free trial, any unused portion of the trial is forfeited. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://www.embeat.media/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.embeat.media/privacy

Screenshots

HeadMania.org Upsampler4 screens
Embeat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Embeat at every 3 days against HeadMania.org Upsampler's weekly. HeadMania.org Upsampler's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. HeadMania.org Upsampler sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Embeat sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HeadMania.org Upsampler ships an update weekly, Embeat every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
HeadMania.org Upsampler versus Embeat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeadMania.org UpsamplerEmbeat
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size310 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDAN ALEXANDRU GHEORGHEJoan Pallas Ribes

In-app purchases

2 purchases

HeadMania.org Upsampler

One-time2
  • 30 Days FreeFree
  • Signature Edition$29.99
1 purchases

Embeat

Subscriptions1
  • Embeat anual1 Month trial$8.991 Year

Questions

Is HeadMania.org Upsampler free?
HeadMania.org Upsampler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Embeat free?
Embeat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HeadMania.org Upsampler or Embeat have ads?
Neither HeadMania.org Upsampler nor Embeat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HeadMania.org Upsampler or Embeat?
HeadMania.org Upsampler ships an update weekly, and Embeat every 3 days. Most recently, HeadMania.org Upsampler was updated on October 24, 2026 and Embeat on October 17, 2026.

Other comparisons