[hubsand]

In Windows, I was finding that iTunes proved to be one of the poorer sounding media players available. Now I'm all Mac'd up, is anyone finding that any of the non-iTunes alternatives provide sonic benefits? The interface is nice, but before downloading and trialling all options, I thought I'd field your input . . .

 

[krmathis]

I have tried them all (or at least most), and can't say I have heard any audible difference between them. I always return to iTunes for its user interface, compatibility, stability, and more.

But why not give them a try on your own? Cause only you have your set of ears and the exact audio gear.

 

[EnOYiN]

There shouldn't be any differences between the several media players when set up the right way. If you like the user interface I wouldn't change if I were you. However, like krmathis mentioned, there is no harm in trying.

 

[[L]es]

cog sounds best..

 

[Zanth]

Cog is light weight and plays FLAC and OGG! That alone makes it better than iTunes for me in most cases.

However, for managing my music, iTunes + Applescript = bliss.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by [L]es /img/forum/go_quote.gif cog sounds best..

Questionable, since iTunes is bit-perfect as well.
But to each their own.

 

[Shoreman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Questionable, since iTunes is bit-perfect as well. But to each their own.

You're being kind...

 

[Currawong]

Whatever you use, it has to be piped through Core Audio in Mac OS X, so I doubt there'd be a difference. I'll have a listen tomorrow if I remember as I'll be playing with STAX gear.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoreman /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're being kind...

As always!

 

[Zanth]

I've listened, if one has a dac, no difference, perhaps there is a very very very very very very small difference between various players if one uses the regular audio out... but to me anyway, the differences are so minor that sound quality doesn't need to be the top priority. For me, flexibility in playback is tops - if I can't play my music, it doesn't matter how good a player is in all other categories! So Cog or Play wins out. I prefer Cog because it is more stable and has a better update schedule. Seriously, for me, if iTunes could do FLAC without the hacking I've had to do to get them to work, I'd use it exclusively on my Mac. Under windows... foobar and no other. Under linux, sadly there isn't much out there that really compares. Quod Libet is a decent player if it was stable, but it's file tree view doesn't work all the time. Amarok is far too bloated and looks terrible, Songbird is unstable (though getting there) and most other versions fall short from the above three, leaving only a Wine'd version of Foobar to get one tapping their toes.

 

[hubsand]

My PC audio experience was extremely cursory: iTunes immediately sounded wrong. As soon as my amp returns from surgery, I'll be able to audition them all: interesting that one response strongly favoured Cog . . .

 

[krmathis]

^ Yeah, you should really give them a try on your own.
Cause in the end its your own opinion that matters.

 

[SinnerG]

The new songbird release is still buggy. Just downloaded it and soon after it start to fail on track seeks and eventually just wound up throwing failed playback errors.

I want a media player, not a browser that can play mp3s.

It will always be a resource hog when you take its foundation into account.

Also, no ASIO support yet. Although "yet" is irrelevant since I'm not firing it up again anyway.

 

[krmathis]

SinnerG. Since you mention ASIO I guess you're on MS Windows, while the rest of us talk about audio players on Mac OS X.

 

[SinnerG]

Sorry, my bad.

I was looking here to see if anyone had tried the latest songbird. Kind of overlooked the mac thing.

Mac = large $$$ spending over here.