A free, light, fast audio player that focuses on functionality
Audio players usually feature a sophisticated multimedia interface full of buttons, lights and other types of eye-candy. But there's always an exception to the rule; in this case, it's foobar2000.
foobar2000 is exactly the opposite of what you would expect in an audio player. It features the simplest, most minimalistic interface you'll ever see in this kind of program. But don't get me wrong, because this doesn't mean you don't get any interesting functionality.
To begin with, foobar2000 is extraordinarily fast – it hardly took half a minute to index my huge music library – and extremely light on resources. You simply won't notice it's running. Also, as foobar2000 can be controlled with customizable keyboard hotkeys (or media keys, if your keyboard has them) you don't really to open the program's window.
Like I said, foobar2000 hides a bunch of interesting features under its simple appearance. It plays a dozen formats (the list of which can be easily expanded with additional components), features gapless playback, supports full Unicode, includes advanced tagging functionality and even lets you rip audio CDs and convert files from one format to another, provided you install the necessary plug-ins.
In all, foobar2000 would never win a design contest, but it's undoubtedly one of the lightest, fastest and most functional audio players you'll find. However, if you are still not convinced you can also try other alternatives such as AIMP or Winamp.
If you value lightness and functionality over appearance in an audio player, don't hesitate: foobar2000 is the program you're looking for.
Added support for the IETF Opus codec.Improved compliance of ReplayGain tagging for Opus files (beta 2).More robust handling of ID3v2.3 TDAT frames (beta 2).Added Opus encoding support in Converter (requires external opusenc.exe binary) (beta 3).Fixed a deadlock when reading strange/corrupted zip files (final).Fixed a rare deadlock related to updating tags on the file being currently played.Fixed a rare deadlock related to starting/stopping playback.
Changes
Added support for the IETF Opus codec.Improved compliance of ReplayGain tagging for Opus files (beta 2).More robust handling of ID3v2.3 TDAT frames (beta 2).Added Opus encoding support in Converter (requires external opusenc.exe binary) (beta 3).Fixed a deadlock when reading strange/corrupted zip files (final).Fixed a rare deadlock related to updating tags on the file being currently played.Fixed a rare deadlock related to starting/stopping playback.
User reviews about foobar2000
by Anonymous
Pity it ain't for mac, but works on windows and android pretty well.
I wish I could find skins for it. it's a bit old fashioned since spotify though.
Pros:
free
for android too
Cons:
where are the skins? More
by Anonymous
Great Sounding Audio Player But Too Basic For Most.
foobar2000 is the Miranda of audio players. Out of the package it's very bare bones and can take a long time to customize it to your needs. For those with a lot of time and want full control of how they want their audio player to look at sound, foobar2000 is perfect for them. However if you want a audio player that automatically comes with things like a playlist and synthesizer then foobar2000 is not for you.The only downside to foobar2000 is how stripped down it is and is meant more for advanced users or people with enough time to play around with the different features and plugins you can add to it.So if your one like me who wants everything pre-installed you might want to stick to Winamp, MediaMonkey, or Spider Player. However if you like full control of how you wish your audio player looks and sounds then try foobar2000 if you haven't already.
Pros:
Low On Resources
Very Small File Size
Customizable To User's Taste
Free
Cons:
Too Stripped Down For Most
Takes A Long Time To Customize It
More
by Anonymous
Best audio player.
foobar2000 is light, but powerful audio player, simple to use, but kinda hard to configure. Average users who got used to Winamp-like players mostly will dislike foobar2000's simple default UI. There is tons of skins available online, so that default look should not be the problem. If not, "ugly" look is small price for foobar2000's capabilities provided by hundreds of plug-ins available.
Pros:
Many available useful plug-ins
Configurability
Sound quality and great equalizer
Low CPU and RAM usage
Stability
Easy installation, ability to install in portable mode Cons:
Nothing special except configuring
More
by Anonymous
Best of the best .
This player means business: quality over flashy buttons, performance over eye candy.
A must have for all hardcore music lovers.
I'm currently using version 0.9.6.4. beta, and i have to say that the sound quality dominates any other players i've used in the recent past, INCLUDING AIMP2 !
The 0.9.6.4 version includes a dsp plugin called "Resampler" , which re-samples the output frequency up to 192000 mhz !
Using this plugin with the highly efficient 18 band EQ will produce an unsurpassed music listening experience never heard before on any music player out there!Whoever gives this product a low rating, it means that he didn't even bother to explore its highly customizable appearance interface and GUI.And by the way, you can easily make its appearance look like Winamp: there a website especially made for info on how to make foobar appearance interface look exactly like winamp!Your imagination is the limit.... Pros:
Crystal clear sound, best i ever heard on any music player.
18 band EQ.
Highly customizable appearance interface.
Top of the line available plugins.
Low memory footprint.
Amazing converter with tons of output formats.
Replay gain.
Cons:
Visualization effects are fairly simple. More
by Anonymous
Disappointingly bare.
foobar2000 appeared like a viable alternative to other more famous players like iTunes or Winamp, but I found it a complete turnoff. The interface is bare and you have to import every one of your files, almost one by one. You can't command it using your keyboard, something other players incorporate well. The equalizer has no explanations as to what configuration is best for what music style. The program is riddled with error messages that seem to pop up all the time.On a positive note, the program offers quick click and play and a good selection of different playback orders. You can also easily drag and drop songs from playlists.
Pros:
easily click to play
drag and drop to playlist
Cons:
dull interface
have to search for your music files
can't use keyboard to command
complex equalizer
many error messages More