CanOpener Studio

Name: CanOpener Studio
Price: 79 USD
Author: Goodhertz

by Goodhertz · Utility · Headphone crossfeed processor

Not rated yet

CanOpener Studio is a headphone monitoring plugin that uses crossfeed to make headphones sound more like a pair of speakers.

It adds a tone EQ and monitoring controls such as mono, flip and dim, and costs $79.

Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: mastering, utility, wide, full mix, hardware emulation, mixing, reference & monitoring, advanced, bus processing, colored, gentle, mix bus, transparent.

What it does

CanOpener Studio sits at the end of your monitoring chain and tries to "conjure speakers from your headphones." Goodhertz takes a less-is-more approach: it narrows the very wide headphone stereo image with as little coloration as possible, so mixes translate better and long sessions are less tiring.

Crossfeed: a transparent algorithm that simulates idealized loudspeakers in a room, with Amount (up to 150%) and Angle (0 to 60 degrees) controls.
Tone EQ: Baxandall-style bass and treble controls, borrowed from Goodhertz's Tone Control, to adjust the headphone voicing.
Monitoring tools: Mono, Flip L/R, Polarity, Dim, Balance and level Compensation.
Soft Start: gently brings playback in, avoiding loud transients in your ears.
Safe Gain: prevents clipping caused by EQ or crossfeed boosts.
Dither: mastering-grade dithering on the output, borrowed from Good Dither.
Advanced page: one page of extra controls, documented in the online manual.

Goodhertz's downloads page lists version 3.14.1 (June 2026) for its plugin line. A 30-day free trial is available.

Source: Goodhertz product page

When to use it

CanOpener Studio is a monitoring aid, not a meter: it changes how your headphones present the mix. Unlike REFERENCE 3, Insight 2 or Metric AB, it has no analysis or reference-track tools; it just makes the stereo image feel more like speakers. Compared with ToneBoosters Morphit, which also has crossfeed, a KVR reviewer found CanOpener "way more natural", but it does not calibrate a specific headphone model the way Morphit or SoundID Reference do. Bypass it before you bounce.

Best for: mixing on headphones, checking stereo width and reducing listening fatigue.
Genres: any; it is a monitoring tool.
Look elsewhere if: you want per-model headphone calibration or full room and speaker modelling; SoundID Reference or Morphit suit that, and REFERENCE 3 covers reference-track comparison.

What producers say

Users who have tried it find the crossfeed natural; the debate is mostly about whether to combine it with headphone calibration.

KVR users rate it 5 out of 5 from 1 review; the reviewer called it "awesome" and preferred its crossfeed to Morphit's, while still using Morphit alongside it.
Gearspace thread one poster argued against stacking it on top of Sonarworks calibration, saying two separate EQ stages give inconsistent results.

Where to buy

Goodhertz: $79

Tutorials and reviews

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