Which Is the Best Sounding Media Player?

[XTRProf]

Well, shoot here. Itune, WMP, Real, Squeezebox, Transporter and whatever that can play from a computer or music server.

[XTRProf]

To keep Alex at bay, I should mention at least red book to scarlet book hirez music files ...............

[toad]

WinAmp with ASIO plugin

[Spirit]

I will probably get lambasted for saying this, but
Winamp with Audioburst PowerFX.

Don't knock it till you've tried it... ;D

[toad]

Mar 23, 2009 12:41:47 GMT Spirit said:

I will probably get lambasted for saying this, but
Winamp with Audioburst PowerFX.

Don't knock it till you've tried it... ;D

Tell me more.

[XTRProf]

Mar 23, 2009 18:48:32 GMT toad said:

Mar 23, 2009 12:41:47 GMT Spirit said:

I will probably get lambasted for saying this, but
Winamp with Audioburst PowerFX.

Don't knock it till you've tried it... ;D

Tell me more.

X2. But can the winamp do hirez like 192/24 files? AFAIK, WMP can do up to 96/24.

Yeah, also why you guys choose winamp over all others? There must be something that others can't do righter. Yes, what qualities musically or technically?

[XTRProf]

Oh dear,

It doesn't support Apple codecs ...................


FAQ here: www.winamp.com/player/faq#30

[Spirit]

Who needs apple codecs?
Mp3, wavpack & flac do me just fine...

www.qolabs.com/audioburst/
Make of that what you will.
I like the resultant sound anyway...

[XTRProf]

Mar 24, 2009 1:14:38 GMT mrarroyo said:

Apple rules!

X2. The "I" series kills them all.

[XTRProf]

Mar 24, 2009 0:28:03 GMT Spirit said:

Who needs apple codecs?
Mp3, wavpack & flac do me just fine...

www.qolabs.com/audioburst/
Make of that what you will.
I like the resultant sound anyway...

Be careful with the Audioburst thingy as it's incompatible with the latest Winamp version. Report here:


forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?s=a8abad3aee025673224f6985150507e7&threadid=303880

[Spirit]

Working fine for me... ;D

[toad]

Mar 24, 2009 6:18:34 GMT Spirit said:

Working fine for me... ;D

And me... Cheers Phil. This plugin rocks.

I loaded it up at here at work at lunchtime and have been listening since then on my Prota Pros and PX-100s. Sorry Mike but the PX-100s are besting the Porta Pros with this plugin. The soundstage is much larger and more natural.

As it now well past 5 o'clock and I'm officially working late again so the HD595s are on my noggin. I'm listening to Elbow's Seldom seen Kid through Audio Burst Power FX, my go vibe dac and my Novo and it's turned one of my favorite but heavily compressed albums into an absolutely wonderful sound. Dynamic. Excellent soundstage. Excellent tone from top to bottom. This really is an eye opener with compressed stuff.

This Plugin is doing a better job with this MP3 recording at 320Kbps than my Arcam DV135, AKG K701 and Solo combination manage with the original CD.

Let me stress this is due to the way the dynamics are added back into the track by the plugin not because my home rig isn't any good

Earlier I was listening to Harry Connick Junior on the PX-100s and he sounded better than he ever has on the Little Sennheisers.

It seems to do much less to my well recorded classical stuff and indeed worked far less magic on the Harry Connick tracks.

This one's a keeper!

EDIT: It's now 9.15 PM and the Girlfriend and I have been playing with this plugin for a couple of hours. We are both very impressed.

It's even managed to wring a decent soundstage out of her Allesandro MS1s.

In short... Impressive!

[XTRProf]

Mar 24, 2009 22:20:57 GMT mrarroyo said:

On a serious note I am told that iTunes sounds much better on an Apple computer versus a PC. Has anyone here been able to test this? Thanks.

I don't own an Apple so don't know. But the Itune under Win platform seems to sound better than the WMP thru my lousy China made PC speakers.

Vallejos, if you are seeing this, any comments on this since you own an Apple PC.

[XTRProf]

Sorry, after some in depth extensive listening and comparison now on Win platform, the WMP is better than the Itune thru my lousy China made PC speakers using the same music wav file (instead of aiff or wma to avoid bias). I can really listen into the feeling and expression of the singer as well as the musical instruments. Also, I'm more involved in the music and got engulfed by the sheer volume immersion into the music environment.

I will try the Winamp with Audioburst when I have the time to give you guys and gals what I feel about that media player.

[toad]

Ok a quickie from me re Audio Burst.

I've had a few days with it and I can honestly say it's a revelation on badly compressed CDs but it does nothing for well recorded stuff and in fact on really well recorded stuff it actually detracts from the music. Overall though the Audio Blast Win Amp plugin rocks and really adds life to a lot of my modern CDs.

I've been swapping between plugins at the start of my albums and just going with the one that sounds initially the best and it really can be quite pronounced one way or the other. For modern compressed recordings it really is worth giving this plugin a go. It's definately a keeper. It breathes life into all those CDs you loved but were really disappointed in when you first got a decent headamp/can combination and realised how compressed they were.

[XTRProf]

Mar 26, 2009 14:01:32 GMT toad said:

Ok a quickie from me re Audio Burst.

I've had a few days with it and I can honestly say it's a revelation on badly compressed CDs but it does nothing for well recorded stuff and in fact on really well recorded stuff it actually detracts from the music. Overall though the Audio Blast Win Amp plugin rocks and really adds life to a lot of my modern CDs.

So we can generalise the Audio Burst acts as some sort of a decompressor for those modern and badly compressed CDs? Btw, when you say detract when using good recording, how bad is bad? Also, in what way it detracts. Eg, sounds like decrease in fidelity after going thru an extra stage (here Audioburst).

[toad]

The Audioburst PowerFX2 plugin basically remasters the track on the fly. This is the blurb from the site:

"PowerFX is different to other audio enhancers in that it truely remasters the music using exclusive AudioBurst technology and ideas, to create an inviting sound that draws the listener in and keeps thier attention for extended more enjoyable listening periods. One way to think about it is an upgrade to your sound system and your ears!"

----

Lets just say it makes bad CDs sound good. Reasonable CDs sound better. Good CDs sound about the same or a little better or worse than before.

Very good to excellent recordings sound worse. Not awful just less dynamic. The soundstage shrinks a bit while parts of the music can actually move back into the mix and end up losing that special something that makes a good recording really shine. But as I said, for badly compressed CDs this plugin is very clever indeed, bringing compressed tracks to life.

It's like when you hear a good recording on good equipment for the first time? You hear stuff you've not heard before, well this plugin does that for compressed stuff.

Ian

[XTRProf]

Reporting time ...................

I had installed the Winamp 5.551 (without Audioburst) and started listening. All equalisers are set flat. Listening again based on a lousy China made PC speakers. Preliminary catches are:


1) Surely better than Itune 8.1 but not better than WMP 9.

2) Same as before, WMP let me hear better the emotions and feelings of the singer and backing instruments more than the winamp. However, I'm not saying winamp did not convey those emotions and feelings. It did whereas the Itune was missing that. WMP just conveyed that better by about 10 to 15%.

3) Because of 2), I'm more easily drawn into the recording environment, just like well designed tube amps over SS amps.

4) So ranking: 1st WMP 9
2nd Winamp 5.551
3rd Itune 8.1


So let me see if that changes with Winamp + Audioburst 2.1 ............... But later .............

[XTRProf]

Reporting time again. This time round with Audioburst 2.1, courtesy of Phil sending it to me. Thanks Phil for all.

Basically, the same as without Audioburst but this time round, the singer which can sound distorted thru my lousy PC speakers + WMP, all of a sudden sounds more control and the distortion gone. Hmm, I have to agree that it does remove some of the distortion of the sound when using the WMP. Damn it, if only I can hear it clearer thru the main system. However, I still prefer the WMP with the instruments as I can hear more of the instrument technics as well as more of the recording environment.

In conclusion using the Winamp with Audioburst, these 2 applications togather do remove some of the distortions of the music. I have to agree with Ian, it will be better used with lousy recording then with very good recording without much distortions thru too high a compression or being too loud due to loudness war. Being KISS, I will still use WMP for very good recording and Winamp + Audioburst with those top of the pop tunes. At least preliminry until I have a more in depth usage thru my main system.

[XTRProf]

Hey, you know what? The Winamp can play Apple aiff files, man! Great news for me!

[toad]

Just for info I tried some streaming Radio at work the other day and the Audioburst PowerFX2 plugin even made that sound better!... I won't say good, after all it was 128 Kbps but it did make it at least listenable.

[rickcr42]

I keep bouncing back and forth between Media Monkey,Media Monkey as the front end for WinAmp and SongBird and have no idea which one i like best (why i keep all three ) but I think I will end up using sonbird eventually it being open source and in continuous code upgrade making it the most promising though i have to say the Media monkey front end/GUI is damn nice in my opinion

[jelosno]

am I the only one using Foobar?

it runs nicely on my Acer Aspire One under Vista+WASAPI

I run Vista 'cause thats the only OS I had legal versions hanging around.

very slow startup on the netbook but the little Atom is doing very fine with the Aero graphics.

[tg]

No - I use it too, though I don't do so much direct 'puter listening (don't work at a desk/puter).
I like it for the built-in ABX function for testing/comparing different recordings.
I tend to use it more when doing needle drops @ 24/96 - works well with the ASIO drivers for my Terratec and M-audio sound card/interfaces.
Not exactly eye-candy but very configurable and minimum fluff, just stays out of the way and does what it should.
The others probably provide better library functions and prettier interfaces, that doesn't interest me.

[rickcr42]

I personally find that as my computer has morphed from "sometimes music player at the desk" to another "Primary Music source" integrated into my home system a simple stripped down "player" is not enough becaUSE AS the size of the library increased managing that libray became a hassle so I sought an all-in-one solution that I could just click on and use without the hassle of "add-on" programs for each thing such as



1-ripper
2-converter
3-tagger
4-playlist generator
5-manager
6-album art downloader
7-burner

a couple of those features like the album art downloader which allows me to make a visual choice by album (save a sh*tload of reading) and the party mode get a lot of use in my house plus the "customize" feature is seemingly limitless.Add in its option to use Winamp as the actual "player",a player I feel can be made to sound as good as Foobar and it is pretty much the last word in "free" music media players for me........except for SonBird-

SongBird is one of those programs that has a nice "feel" to it,has some really nice features and that also can sound damn good but has some MIA parts that need to be added before I can say that is THE ONE.I like it but i seem to always refer back to the Mokey because it feels as if it is not quite yet a complete program on the "high end/High SQ" player side of things.The code being currently limiting for me personally even though it DOES sound damn fine using the sound card spdif out to an external dac,a thing that means I need to re-route my SOP setup of USB DAC out to PCM DAC to line controller setup

www.mediamonkey.com/information/free/

getsongbird.com/features/