This is a very popular question from PC-Audio users. Why Foobar2000? It’s a strange name. Why not WinAmp? Windows Media Player? MusicMatch Jukebox? Apple iTunes? or what-so-ever more popular other players?
Simply because Foobar2000 offers better sound quality. And it’s also very simple and lightweight player. It doesn’t offer many colorful or skins option (though it’s possible to do so).
Foobar2000 was developed by Peter Pawlowski, former Nullsoft (WinAmp) freelance programmer. On some thread I’ve ever read (forgot where), Peter himself admits that this Foobar2000 should produces sound in the same quality with others player. “Foobar2000 is no better than any other players”, claimed Peter (despite the fact that in Western community like hydrogenaudio, any black is black – period. If you hear the different, then it’s a placebo 😉 So no use of debating what your hear “good” or “better” here).
But the fact is, Foobar2000 is absolutely better than any others standard player (WinAmp, WMP, iTunes, etc are no match for Foobar2000).
I have been using Foobar since quite long time ago. Well, if I remember correctly, that time was when 3dsoundsurge was a popular audio forum on the Net. I think it was version 0.3 or 0.4x something. It was a fantastic moment (I was a WinAmp user to). Foobar offered clean interface, simple, but sounded fantastic.
Also I have traveled from many sound card to sound card. From SB Live 16, to AWE32, AWE64, Live!, Audigy, Audigy2, X-Fi, Terratec Aureon, Audiotrak Prodigy, M-Audio Revolution (what a nice battle between VIA Envy and Creative). Finally, I moved to pro class sound card like ESI Juli@, EMU1820M, ECHO, and Lynx. I sticked with ESI Juli@ and EMU1820M until now.
From my own opinion (and some of my fellows – most of them are audiophile or sound engineers), Foobar offers the same playback quality offered by professional class audio software (we are talking about WaveLab, Nuendo, or Cubase here).
One of my friend, he is a professional sound engineer. Never able to hear the sound produce from standard player like WinAmp or Windows Media Player. Once a time, I ask him to try Foobar. Though a little bit pessimistic at first, he still tries my suggestion to try. It doesn’t take a long time for him to admit that this player is better than the standard player that he ever tried before. He says that Foobar could deliver sound similiar with professional WaveLab that cost a lot of money (Foobar is free).
Don’t believe? Just download and give yourself a try. If you don’t like it, just delete it! Easy as a-b-c!
I’m not pulling an argument here… If you like it, just use it… If you still prefer your old WinAmp or Windows Media Player, so stick with it… I’ve been in audio for over 12 years and over 8 years in PC-based, I will completely sure to recommend this Foobar as a serious (but free) listening software. This is my recommendation. Feel free to have your own recommendation 😉
Add ASIO support from your sound card to bypass Windows KMixer then this Foobar really will rock! 🙂 Make sure your sound card will support ASIO to. Most likely are professional based. Most consumer grade sound card doesn’t support ASIO. Check the technical specification if you are not sure.
Also, for a serious listening session, I still prefer WaveLab below (click below to enlarge).
r3dx
March 4, 2008 09:31he3x.. another foobar fanboy huh? :p
me too (after trying with the ASIO support.. :D, without it. IMO is the same as Winamp or etc..)
Jimmy Auw
March 4, 2008 20:37With a good sound card (I use Lynx L22), Foobar with WaveOut is still better than WinAmp or Windows Media Player.
David Winarso
March 4, 2008 20:55Mr. Auw,
have you ever try Audacity? Another excellent free s/w… this one is intended for editing actually…
I think it is even better then Foobar… The cons is… it has it’s own file format… though can import from WAV or MP3. Another cons.. can only one file at a time.
Mike Madison
March 4, 2008 23:55Hi there,
I completely agree with you. This Foobar is absolutely outperforms most player.
Greetings from old fellas at 3dss…
coolkwc
April 14, 2008 00:56i had download the foobar and tried but hardly to find any different from my Winamp 5.53….I am using X-FI XtremeMusic and MX5021…maybe you can explain whats the foobar difference from other media player, I really wish to know….thanks
Jimmy Auw
April 14, 2008 06:57The way it decodes the file…
vicong
April 17, 2008 00:55Yes in Windows I love Foobar too even without ASIO support, simplicity is the best 🙂
wilco_sg
June 11, 2008 23:34have you tried winamp with MAD decoder, SSRC directsound output with izotope dsp? juz want to know your opinion about MAD and SSRC. thanks!
olo
August 22, 2008 02:19I have tried many and to my ears Foobar2000 IS THE BEST free player.
Tasos
November 2, 2008 15:22I used winamp 2.95 for a long time, after trying newer versions of winamp with FLAC files and found that the OLD winamp with the older FLAC decoder sounds BETTER… dunno why and how!
Now I use foobar2000 and I will try to get ASIO working 😉
My system:
X-Fi Music->NAD C325BEE->B&W 685 speakers
Tasos
November 23, 2008 03:54when you listen to music with X-Fi sound card, which is the best MODE option, audio creation mode or entertainment mode?
easy answer is entertainment mode BUT audio creation mode supports bit-matched playback and advanced asio drivers…
dunno what the last does, cause I already have foobar2000+asio4all v2
A Non Name
March 2, 2009 08:07The “better sound” you hear is just a placebo effect. To say that foobar2000 sounds better than Winamp or vice versa is just ignorant. If you still believe that then you should just stay off of computers entirely.
Bunch of noobs.
Michael
March 2, 2009 09:25If you can’t hear, it doesn’t mean other can’t.
It has been proven by many user, not just one or two, even some of them are sound engineer who never use other except WaveLab or Cubase for monitoring, just like Jimmy has mentioned before. They can’t accept WinAmp or poor Windows Media Player, but Foobar.
So, I don’t think it’s a placebo, but feel free if you feel it’s a placebo… Perhaps it’s just “ears limitation”?
Thx a bunch.
moot2000
June 13, 2009 14:06For it to be placebo effect, one has to be predisposed to believe Foobar was better. I disliked Foobar, for its UI, and never was able to figure out its attraction. It wasn’t until recently, when forced to use Foobar again to convert Flac to ALAC, but now with better speakers, noticed now nice Foobar sounds. Upon further investigation, Foobar sounds like it was “wired right”, whereas wmp and iTunes sound like something went terribly wrong in there somewhere. Don’t know about WinAmp, last time I used it was a decade ago and hated it for its UI. iTunes still has the best UI, just unlistenable. Foobar, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of iTunes.
You need some decent speakers to appreciate Foobar’s sound. I now have JBL LSR32’s, and the difference is clear.
Hendra
June 29, 2009 23:33Mentioning ASIO above…
Despite the standard foo_out dll, is there any difference in sound reproduction among ASIO drivers?
As we might known there lots of ASIO driver, and not being a fan of bass/treble/loudness, what ASIO driver outweighs in its natural repro and how does it handle soundstage?
Thank you.
moot2000
May 28, 2010 18:45Follow up from a year (!!!) ago. Listening to iTunes or WMP will make my ears bleed in 1 min, now that I’ve gotten so spoiled by Fb2k. It just sounds soooo good! I can’t tell you the satisfaction of being able to hear that clarinet or soprano clearly, as a solid, almost tangible audio image, you must experience this if you haven’t. And correction, you don’t need high end stuff to hear this difference, I hear it in headphones and “multimedia” speakers too, now, in just 10 seconds of listening. So, again tried to research out what makes foobar sound so good, and again all I see is those negative types that need to rain on parades for the convenience of being able to remain in ignorant bliss. How dare we find a better solution and actually be happier than they! How dare we hear something they can’t? We must be brought down! We must believe we are wrong, or oh actually, they must believe we are wrong, for their own sanity. Because, you know, the other possibility is they are wrong, and that’ll never fly. So it’s gotta be placebo lol. Or maybe it’s placebo that they can’t hear a difference, since their minds are made up? Ooops! Rule #8! Maybe they should apply their precious “rule #8” to their placebo claim? You know, goose and ganders thing. Or maybe they just have bad ears? Ooops did I question their hearing abilities? Yah, “I’ll take my chances”. ABX tests are obviously not applicable here, as wonderful as they are for pharmaceutical processes. Can you guess why? How about… there’s big stakes in pharmacy? Foobar in case you didn’t know is free, there’s no cost justification. Anyway I’m not one for irrelevant “science”-backed negativity, that’s like those scientific racists that apply science in the whole wrong way. A little knowledge is a very dangerous thing indeed. And here I thought “over thinking, over analyzing, separates the body from the mind”? What’s this obsession with ABX. If I claim that I can see myself in the mirror, oh I must follow rule #8 and conduct ABX to prove it. So when I asked 100 people to stand in front of the mirror none of them see me in it so it must be placebo lolol. I’m so tired of all the dumb negative people around me needing to sap the blood out of my happiness and success. Seriously there are so many emotional vampires in the world. Foobar was one of the best finds of my audio listening life, and it’s free, and I’m so happy! Placebo this, rule #h8rs. Good article, James.
kenP
January 14, 2011 13:24very-very good sound processing, i only use common spec. of PC with common headphone, and the foobar2000 produces nice sound into my ear, very clear with goog staging. i already proof it , personally foobar2000 better than other common player
Hanzales
May 3, 2011 17:35I used Winamp from begining and about year ago I swithed to Foobar. Mainly because I can do following ;o)
Together with DTS processing and good speakers it sounds the best for me:
http://img10.imageshack.us/f/asiofoobardts.png/
Also for example G19 support is very useful.