In a previous post I mentioned that I am ready for a new audio player application. This all came to fruition because Apple pissed me off with their last iTunes update. It includes unnecessary software for the iPhone. Sure I could choose not to update ... but that's counter productive. Software updates should enhance the end user experience, not degrade it.

I went through several players trying to find the perfect one. Since releasing my music collection from the chains of Apple, I realized a more vast and broad landscape of choice. I no longer have to settle for installing unwanted software like QuickTime which I never use anyway. I no longer have to settle for Apple's proprietary AAC or Lossless encoding compression.

To make a long opinionated story short, I am now a proud user and supporter of Foobar2000. This application is simple, light on resources, sounds incredible, and plays every audio compression method I need. Foobar2000 is only a 1.6 MB download but don't let that fool you. This application packs a lot of power. You can play FLAC, MP3, Ogg, WAV, WMA, AIFF, and several others.

Another unique component is Replay Gain which is a new technology for volume management. Also, there is a large number of third party developers creating plug-ins for this player. If you want a bunch of needless ripping gadgets, skins, stores, and other pretty fluff then this is not your media player. Foobar2000 is a solid no nonsense audio player packed full of features for hardcore audio enthusiasts.

Mysicgeek's Tech Lingo: FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) This is an open source audio compression format with no loss of audio quality.