[Soundbuff]

I'm trying to figure out what media player/organizer to use and am mainly looking at Foobar 2K (due to wide acceptance) and J. River Media Center.

It seems like 90% of people recommend Foobar 2K as the best - but I must say this program looks VERY difficult, and VERY time consuming to set up. I'm put off by the daunting task of setting this player up to look good and function well.

J. River Media Center looks OK - it's more of a "bloated" player with a lot of extra features I don't particularly want...but it does look pretty good as a media player and file organizer as far as that goes.

Is there any way to make the Foobar setup process easier and less formidable? I just don't have enough free time to be spending 20+ hours researching websites on how to get it configured properly.

If possible, it would be wonderful to get a Foobar that was already fully configured, with columns, skins (if it can do those), and all plugsins, so that all I would need to learn was how to actually use it, not set it up or alter the appearance or function in any way.

Is there a way to get a fully configured Foobar like this, or is it always a process of creating from bare scratch?

 

[proxops-pete]

I know Foobar can seem a bit challenging at first...
But give it a try.... here's a Foobar setup guide for you to use...

Ever since I discovered this gem, I haven't used any other software for music listening!!

 

[ADS]

Foobar2000 really isn't that difficult to set up. All the options are clearly labelled and generally easy to understand, and most of the defaults are good already. It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to get things set up to your liking.

 

[Feanor]

here is a tricked out version for you:

http://horizonradar.com/itfoo/

 

[Hiratsuka]

I would say no.

I much prefer the Quintessential player.

Get it here http://www.quinnware.com/

 

[Asmo]

Foobar is the best because it gives you the most control over your music. It supports all the formats, it has easy to use database music management and great playlists, I love tabbed playlists.

Everything else out there just pales in comparisson. If you want easy to use, then maybe its not for you, but most people who are looking to use the 'best' go with foobar for a reason.

 

[Jon L]

It's a real big plus that there are so many useful plugins/components available out there for FREE. For example, you can download and use 3 different upsamplers (SSRC, PPHS, SRC) and have fun comparing how 3 sound different at 176.4kHz, 192kHz, etc, etc.

You can have pretty much total control over how your music sounds with the choice of ASIO, Kernel Streaming, DirecOut v.1 v.2, Waveout, etc. You can use eq, convolver, reverb, etc if you want as well.

I actually like the ugly stock screen without tables and bars b/c I can see more songs on one screen without any lines to distract my eyes.

Most of all, sound quality is fantastic. Playing FLAC via ASIO with 32bit setting for my Lynx card, anywhere between 44.1kHz and 192kHz straight into my main speaker system sounds Fantabulous..

 

[spike33]

At first, I was skeptical too, but once I tried it, it was a breeze..

 

[mrkangpae]

Yeah. If spike can do it, you can definitely.

 

[comabereni]

It's worth it. Take an evening and figure it out.

-coma

 

[fewtch]

I use WinAMP v2.91, with a special SSRC output plugin upsampling to 24/96 (my soundcard's default). Theoretically it's using 'WaveOut' on Win2k, but I did a careful sonic comparison using both music and "udial.wav", and hear no sonic degradation.

This is a serious "your mileage may vary" situation, however WinAMP should be fine as long as you use the correct plugins for it. Oftentimes this means ditching the defaults and searching for better ones, so for this reason I would usually steer people toward Foobar2k instead. WinAMP is easier to set up and use, but also easier to mess up in terms of getting sub-standard sound quality. If you plan to use any DSP (including EQ), Foobar2k is a better idea.

 

[chia-pet]

the ease of use is the reason i choose foobar over anything else. most simply, foobar's just a bunch of playlists that you can switch through using tabs. great bc me and my gf dont have to load up new playlists everytime we trade off listening, we just click the different tab.

 

[morphie]

i use winamp with asio and it works great

I have a plugin called album list like so:

It points to my lossless and mp3 folders

 

[fewtch]

That brings up another WinAMP advantage. Although Foobar2k has come amazingly far, WinAMP has simply been around a lot longer and more plugins are available. You could probably find a WinAMP plugin to shave you and comb your hair in the morning

.

 

[Svperstar]

I have been using WinAMP since the dawn of time and still use it now. Foobar has some really kick ass features, I tried it for a few days but when it came right down to it I just love winamp more.

I also did audio tests, and with the right plugins I couldn't hear any difference, I am using ASIO with winamp on my EMU.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it