Most transparent audio player?

[schismatic]

Currently use iTunes for my music collection as it organises it pretty easily for me, but I was wondering which audio software gives the most transparent representation of audio without colouring it somehow? I often find mixes in my DAW sound different when played through something like iTunes.

 

[NickL]

Definitely not Itunes haha. In my experience winamp is pretty clean, although not as streamlined as itunes and simply does not exist for mac. VLC media player is about as transparent as it gets, but even more of a bummer to use than winamp. I guess it all comes down to compromises really.

 

[Torniojaws]

Foobar2000 when you have the program volume at 0.00 dB.

 

[Machinated]

I have no problem with iTunes, and notice no difference with any other program when all EQ's, "sound checkers" and enhancers and stuff like that are switched off.

 

[sparkyness]

The itunes sound enhancer is nasty, but that app is ok without it.....I use Foobar most of the time.

 

[Ermz]

I always used to get the impression that the music playback software was coloring the music. Whenever I played back in Cubase everything seemed clearer. Who knows.

Anyway I just did an A/B with VLC and iTunes at equal volumes and noticed no immediately audible difference.

 

[Soundlurker]

When all the player is doing is reproducing the sound there shoudn't be a difference. Even if there is it will probably be minutes. Your room, however, is most probably affecting your sound with up to 20dbs of nulls and peakes.

 

[SoundSpiral]

Winamp definately makes everything sound worse

 

[ahjteam]

Winamp definately makes everything sound worse

...prove it

 

[James Murphy]

Definitely not Itunes haha. In my experience winamp is pretty clean, although not as streamlined as itunes and simply does not exist for mac. VLC media player is about as transparent as it gets, but even more of a bummer to use than winamp. I guess it all comes down to compromises really.

nope.... iTunes and VLC sound no different whatsoever as long as you turn off EQ, Sound Check, and Sound Enhancer. period. as with Moonlapse, i have A/B'ed them. also watch your iTunes volume slider.. leave it at unity, fully up.

 

[siegfried]

Foobar2000.

Maybe there are slight differencies between different decompress algorithms for mp3 playback? But I think that slight differencies between apps (DAWs especially) are most probably due to different looks. You look to a different GUI and your brain is fooling you so you become thinking that you hear sommething slightly different. But this is just IMHO.

 

[SoundSpiral]

I had a talk with my brother about this (he is a software programmer). He said that the differences in audio quality happen due to some differences between audio drivers.
So my previous statement about winamp was incorrect. On MY computer, with the audio drivers MY home computer uses, Winamp sounds worse than for example Media Player.
But my brother agreed that there might be really small differences with players if you listen to mp3's

Sorry for typing before checking the facts.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that on my home computer media player and Winamp use differend audio drivers

 

[Notuern]

Foobar2000 when you have the program volume at 0.00 dB.

+1

I used Winamp because it was faster, and better sounding then Windows Mediaplayer.
Then I read on this forum about Foobar2000, and tryed it out, and alot of my MP3's that sounded "Meh" in Winamp, sounds like a real record in Foobar.

 

[Notuern]

I had a talk with my brother about this (he is a software programmer). He said that the differences in audio quality.. .. home computer media player and Winamp use differend audio drivers

Id like to correct that a bit, because its possible to decompress a file in multiple ways, and to my knowledge that would mean that some "decompressors" are better sounding then others(JBroll: Feel free to correct this/expand it. ;D).

And as you said in your edit: Different software support different drivers. That being said, you can use ASIO in some players.

Also, Foobar can apperantly bypass the windows mixer, thus improving the sound even more.

Edit:

To answer everybodys question: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=17728&hl=