New York, NY (March 12, 2026)—IK Multimedia’s ARC On·Ear headphone DAC and amplifier has received a considerable upgrade with the arrival of its new V1.3 firmware update. The headphone correction/virtual monitoring system has always been designed to help users on the move mix on headphones, simulating the experience of listening and working in a professional control room. Now with the V1.3 update, more brands and models of headphones are supoprted through expanded headphones profiles, and there are new workflow enhancements and monitoring engine refinements.

In essence, ARC On·Ear augments listeners’ hearing experience by providing headphone correction based on physical modeling of studio monitors in a professional control room; by using headphones plugged into the unit, listeners can get the experience of mixing in that space.

The success of that experience depends on the headphones, of course, and while the unit supports hundreds of models, IK has added a number of new calibration profiles, including  Apple AirPods Max, Audeze S20 and HEDDphone D1.

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Software UI changes have been made as well to improve workflow, such as simplifying switching between headphones or virtual speakers; adding ‘smart search’ in the headphone browser; cut-and-paste presets and more.

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Perhaps most crucially, according to IK, the virtual monitoring engine has been updated with “a better ambience algorithm to create more natural depth and spatial realism.” Other updates include an enhanced frequency-response graph with toggleable curves and quicker User Trim controls.

The ARC On·Ear version 1.3 firmware and software update is available for free to registered users via the IK Product Manager. ARC On·Ear is still available at $249.99.