I like what I hear with Foobar2000

[coxhaus]

How many of you are running Foobar2000? I loaded Foobar2000 1.1.6 a couple of days ago and like the sound quality with wave files. The software is not elegant like JRiver 16.87 but it seems to have a better tonality with wave files than JRiver 16.87 which I have been running with red book CDs. I do not have the higher sample rates working with Foobar2000 so I have not compared them. I think I am going to run Foobar2000 for a while now in spite of the difficulties running remote control.

I am using an Audio Research DAC8 with an Audioquest Diamond USB cable. I have a home built music server running Windows 7 x64 bit.

The 2 main songs I have compared are

Stan Getz – The girl from Ipanema Getz-Giberto MOFI gold version

Neil Young- Old Man Live at Massey Hall 1971

 

Do you have any suggestions on other songs to compare and what to listen for?

 

 

[coxhaus]

I just figured there may be a driver issue with the Audio Research DAC8 driver and JRiver and my motherboard. I have the DAC8 driver loaded and selected in JRiver as an ASIO driver but when I adjust the Microsoft speaker volume control on the tool bar it changes the sound volume going through the DAC8. I think the sound is degraded going through JRiver. If anybody knows why this would be happening I would appreciate any input.

 

[Old Listener]

> I just figured there may be a driver issue with the Audio Research

> DAC8 driver and JRiver.

 

Or maybe not. Were you specifying ASIO for output in Foobar2000?

 

If you were specifying ASIO for output in Foobar, I'd expect that the same audio path would be used for either player.

 

> I have the DAC8 driver loaded and selected in JRiver as an ASIO

> driver but when I adjust the Microsoft speaker volume control

> on the tool bar it changes the sound volume going through the DAC8

 

People often use this test to determine whether the data path is going through the Windows audio stack. It is an attractive idea but it may not prove anything.

 

- Some ASIO drivers monitor the state of the Windows volume control and may even change it when the volume control is change din the console for the ASIO driver.

 

- Some ASIO drivers are integrated with a WDM driver so that the device is controlled by the same driver software whether the data comes in through the ASIO interface or through DirectSound, WaveOut, KernelSound or WASAPI. In this case, the driver can tightly integrate the Windows volume control,setting with its own.

 

Before you get too worked up about sound differences between Foobar and JRMC, check the settings you are using in JRMC and Foobar. If the settings aren't comparable, then you may get differences in sound.

 

Bill

 

 

[coxhaus]

I guess there are differences in settings between JRiver and Foobar2000. JRiver output option is set to ASIO. The Foobar2000 option with the Foobar2000 ASIO 1.2.7 component loaded only shows DS: DAC8 Out ½(DAC8 Device) as an option. There is no ASIO option in my Foobar2000. I have a friend with Foobar2000 and the same Audio Research 1.25 driver and the same Foobar2000 ASIO 1.2.7 component loaded with an ASIO DAC8 option which I do not have. When my friend uses the Microsoft volume control it does not affect his sound volume to his DAC8, so there is a difference but I am not sure what it is.

The one thing I don’t have is a sound card to assign the default Microsoft sound to. I don’t know if this is related.

 

I have thought about maybe loading Windows XP to by pass this Windows 7 issue. With XP you can remove the K-mixer to by pass Microsoft sounds. XP would be harder to install as I would need to find a version slipped streamed with SP3 to see the large disk drive I have installed. I would need to find all the drivers as well so it is a last resort.

I would rather fix my Windows 7 problem.

 

 

[Old Listener]

> I have thought about maybe loading Windows XP to by pass this

> Windows 7 issue.

 

You don't have a Windows 7 problem. You simply don't know enough about PC audio yet. Forget about Win XP.

 

> There is no ASIO option in my Foobar2000.

 

You probably don't have the Foobar ASIO component installed correctly.

 

 

I mentioned system sounds in another thread. It isn't relevant to your current problem.

 

> When my friend uses the Microsoft volume control it does not affect

> his sound volume to his DAC8, so there is a difference but I am not

> sure what it is.

 

The JRMC "Player" menu has a Volume command. Try the "System" and "Internal" and see whether there is a difference in the behavior with respect to the Windows volume control.

 

---

You spent a lot of money on a DAC before you understood much about PC audio. You then followed audiophile advice about choosing an advanced output method. Now you are jumping to all sorts of conclusions that are just fantasy. Slow down.

 

Start with DirectSound as an output method. Explore different settings for the system wide sample rate and bitdepth that Windows 7 uses for output. See how much difference in sound it makes. Then try out other interface methods such as ASIO and WASAPI Exclusive. I think you will find a gradual approach based on learning as you go to be more fun and more effective.

 

Bill

 

 

[coxhaus]

The way you install ASIO in Foorbar2000. You do not have an ASIO option with your Foobar2000. It is not included with the standard install. It is an extra download component. If you go to file>preferences>components you will see a list of components Foobar2000 is using. Download the ASIO 1.2.7 component and drop it in the components folder under Programs86>Foobar2000>components in Windows 7. Once you drop ASIO file in components folder you will be able to install the ASIO component under Foobar2000. Go to file>preferences>components inside Foobar2000. Select ASIO and there will be an option to install ASIO. You then need to stop and start Foobar2000. After restarting Foobar2000 go to file>preferences>playback>output. Under device there will now be an option to install an ASIO device.

 

I have tried the volume control for JRiver. It is set to disable which has no affect on Microsoft's volume control on my system.

The way JRiver sounds on my system right now I would rather listen using Foobar2000. JRiver is too hot on my system.

 

[coxhaus]

I have installed the Foobar2000 version 1.1.7 beta 3. It now shows the ASIO driver. I am not sure the sound is different but I now see the correct driver.

 

[drlung]

The version of windows you are using, is the best sounding player for the pc. It is otherwise not simple to use , but if your are interested in sq above all then foobar2000 is very hard to beat.

 

[esldude]

It too is an extra component you download for Foobar, then have the option to choose it for "OUTPUT" on Foobar.

 

Another comment, if you are using one PC to remotely control the one running Foobar, TeamViewer 6 is a pretty nice piece of software. Lets you simply do a remote desktop from another machine. Is safe, and secure and very easy to setup and work with.

 

[blaine78]

Have you tried these settings using J River.

 

Under Audio options, Set Output Mode to 'WASAPI event style' and under Output Mode Setting, set it to (100ms).

Next thing, still under Audio Options, make sure 'Play Files From Memory' is enabled, and change the Prebuffering to 20 (twenty) seconds! Anything other than 20seconds sounds 'too hot' aswell on my system.

i used to like foobar, had done for 5 years, now i can't go back after using J river with these settings.

 

[coxhaus]

I have not tried WASAPI event style. Audio Research supplies a ASIO driver which I am using for both JRiver and Foobar2000 with the extra Foobar2000 ASIO component. If I want to try WASAPI event style do I need to uninstall the ASIO Audio Research driver? Is WASAPI event style going to work with the Audio Research DAC8? I don't mind giving it a try. I don't want to blow any speakers with my big amps.

 

[blaine78]

Why not see if your device is in the list under wasapi J River Audio options settings? it will either work or not. I don't think you need to uninstall the asio drivers for the dac8. remember 20sec prebuffer and enable memory playback. If you can't use WASAPI, try ASIO again and do the 20sec prebuffer and enable memory playback.

 

[coxhaus]

I tried WASAPI event style with 20 sec prebuffer and memory playback. I already had memory playback set. My system will not play a song all the way to the end. It plays a little bit and breaks up, plays a little bit and breaks up.