[Dawnrazor]

That's correct. Why isn't it valid? It plays every format, it costs nothing. When I find something I'm satisfied with I usually don't spend any time looking for something else. And I don't care if I have credibility with you or anybody else. I'm not on your payroll. Understand this.

The thread is "Is there such a thing as an audiophile music player for windows" and I answered that. My answer was on topic.

Many other people said the same thing before I did. Why are you trying to gang-bang me? If you want to know you and you buddy could have asked "For the people who like foobar, do you think it's better than other players?" Or you could start a new thread. Because this thread is only about whether there is an audiophile player for Windows. Many of us responded to that with "foobar."

I don't understand the bellicose attitudes of some of the people here lately. Somebody asks a question, people answer, and then somebody doesn't like the answer. Nobody is paying us and it's free for everybody to participate. If you don't like my answer and the answer of the rest of the guys who said foobar, just ignore us. This could be a pleasant place with people expressing their opinions based on their experience. It doesn't have to degenerate into a needless of mindless arguments over nothing.

I guess the idea is that "audiophile" connotes more than "it just works". Sound quality should have some part of the assessment...

Really don't think I was bellicose at all, just trying to assess your answer in the scope of the OP's question. FWIW I just asked if you tried anything else. You started being bellicose by assuming I didn't have a point...

 

[Andrew_WOT]

I didn't expect any audio improvement, nor read about any either. The guys do not sell snake oil, if player provides bit-perfect output already there is nothing you can do to improve it, so not sure what was that I experienced, but I was literally listening to the Porcupine Tree flac album, upgraded, resumed play and was surprised by cleaner and more spacious sound. Checked all settings, they looked the same as upgrade copied all from older version.
Could be just placebo or SPL thing, not sure, honestly.

It's a good player regardless, probably the best and at discount price upgrade is a no-brainer, esp. if you want to continue supporting them.

 

[Brothred]

I use Foobar2k with an Audigy 5/rx with bit perfect enabled in the control panel.

The soundcard connected to Denon AV receiver. My setup is a 2.1, two polk bookshelf S10e and svs sb-1000.

Tryied Jriver in the past. Musicbee is nice too and easier to configure the UI vs foobar.

There isn't too much difference in sound quality from one music player to another if you doesn't want to EQ or make use of any plugin and use bit perfect option.

So foobar2000 is nice if you like to customize to your own tastes each detail of the UI etc.

 

[xeizo]

Any music player that can activate Exclusive Mode(WASAPI) for the audio interface should do, it directs the digital stream directly to the DAC without hidden processing.

 

[Sterling2]

I use iTunes. It supports my 24/192 AIFF downloads. I play these via usb to OPPO-205 DAC. No other means to stereo music sounds better. Even AAC streams from Apple Music sound great, as nice as music I have on SACD. For multi-channel pleasure I use Foobar 2000 via Network connection to OPPO, although this means to music is not gapless. HDMI connection is gapless, but not glitch free.

 

[Sterling2]

foobar. it's free, it plays everything beautifully, i couldn't be happier with it.

I am now experimenting with Foobar 2000 for playback of multi-channel FLAC downloads via HDMI connection from computer to OPPO-205. Although I get gapless play, I get glitches too, every few minutes which express themselves as dropouts. I do not yet understand if the problem is PC oriented, or perhaps the OPPO's HDMI input does not do FLAC. At any rate, for stereo I'm as satisfied with iTunes as you are Foobar 2000. I've tried other media players/streamers but none seem to deliver sound I could describe as better, in any manner better could be discerned. The lure of FREE has a very strong appeal.

 

[Roseval]

perhaps the OPPO's HDMI input does not do FLAC

If that would be the case it won't play at all.

 

[Sterling2]

If that would be the case it won't play at all.

I should have said It does not appear to do FLAC without glitch. I have no problem with movies from iTunes via HDMI connection but multi-channel FLAC has dropouts about every minute or two.

 

[Roseval]

Maybe the PC has a high DPC latency.
Try https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

 

[Sterling2]

Maybe the PC has a high DPC latency.
Try https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

Here's what OPPO says: HDMI Audio: up to 7.1ch/192kHz PCM, up to 5.1ch DSD, Bitstream

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I play high sample rate 24 bit depth FLAC through my Oppo 205 absolutely no problem. However, I'm using USB. I really would not expect HDMI input to work at all for that but apparently you are having some success. Try USB, because the USB driver is especially good. The Oppo 205 can play anything you through at it over a USB cable.

 

[Sterling2]

I play high sample rate 24 bit depth FLAC through my Oppo 205 absolutely no problem. However, I'm using USB. I really would not expect HDMI input to work at all for that but apparently you are having some success. Try USB, because the USB driver is especially good. The Oppo 205 can play anything you through at it over a USB cable.

I use the usb B input for gapless stereo from iTunes Library, all sorts of files, AAC, ALAC, and AIFF, some at 24/192. iTunes is set to output up to 24/192 and OPPO is set to up sample all to 24/192. I've gotta tell ya, even the AAC files are pretty much indistinguishable from stereo SACDs of same music. Some of the DOO WOP in iTunes Library is so detailed that I get the impression I know where splice edits occurred in that 50's and early 60's music genre. Of course, the usb B only does stereo so my multi-channel downloads are handled via usb drive inputs, since the wireless network connection does not do gapless and while the HDMI connection does do gapless it is not glitch free, at least so far with FLAC. I have not tried it with DSD downloads yet. The usb drive input for gapless multi-channel is as awesome as the usb B input is for stereo. Only thing that's problematic is the number of actions (clicks and scrolling) needed play from usb drive inputs, about 15 as I recall. That's what makes me prefer multi-channel SACDs over multi-channel downloads when the music I want to own is available on SACD. At any rate, yeah, the OPPO 205 is pretty much my means to music these days, as well as movies. I hear some say there are better sounding stereo SACD Players out there but I'm not in the market for one since the OPPO satisfies.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

If you use a USB drive or network share to play from then sure you have to navigate a bit. I'm running Foobar and Tidal MQA into my Oppo along with serving FLAC and SACD rips over Samba. I'm very happy with this combo.

 

[xeizo]

I play mostly Tidal Masters in Exclusive Mode, Spotify the second most(exclusive mode can be selected in Windows 10s new control panel per app, not from inside Spotify). When I want to play some files I mostly use Potplayer, which can also use Exclusive Mode(but it's deep down in the settings, worthwhile though as the sound difference is quite big vs if you forget turning it on)

 

[roadcykler]

In another thread, someone mentioned https://winyl-player.github.io/ and said it is audibly better than Foobar. IDK about that, but it's another free option.