Great info./tips.
Thanks.
Hello Bruce in Phily.
I am a Jriver and Audirvana 3.5 user.
I once used āfoobarā but abandoned it. I would like to reset it using your configuration files to use iton windows 10.
Thank you very much.
JosƩ Antonio Oyola
Badajoz. Spain
Hi Bruce,
I am interested in your foobar2000 configuration files.
I never tried to get a beautiful design but I am still interested to (re)discover how to get one. I have used during years foobar2000 before buying jRiver MC 26 to 30 (now on Windows 10).
Mostly I use JMC for movies and Hi-Res music. As I have a megaton of music - including thousands of Hi-Res albums - I would like to use a more simple player when it come to very high resolution music. I am connected to a USB/Coax/SPDIF DAC max 384 MHz, DSD 256, model 9038 from Thivan Labs, a high-end vietnamese audio brand). With JMC - my PC is an ASUS ROG powerful machine - I got long buffering issues very often with very high definition tracks (DSD 512+), I hope that a lighter audio player could resolve the problem. I partially solve the problem, just closing as often as possible others applications.
Could you PM me please ? Thanks
Philippe (I live in Vietnam)
Welcome @PhilippeCVN !
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Thank you Elk 
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Thank you to Bruce who sent me his foobar2000 help setup.
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Just some points about Foobarā¦ It is a FREE player that can play anything and pass bit-for-bit. It can play DVD ISOs directly (although I would break it up into its tracks using SONORE ISO2DSD) for example. It has a library of plugins like equalizers and eye-candy stuff. Plug in tools such as file converters etc. You can make it look like however you want it. For example, I configured the interface to have a little drop down box to select output to either my Woo headphone amp/dac or my directstreamā¦ no need to restart the thing or dive into a deep menuā¦ butā¦ you have to configure the interface to present this feature.
For me, the most important feature of foobar is the library management. It is fast, light, and has an instantaneous search feature. and you can view your library in different ways. I display my simple Windows folder tree structure. This is important when you have a really large library and that the library may span different sources like a NAS and local drives.
The bad, is that it is a geekās tool. Out of the box, it is bland and simple so you may need to start configuring it and adding plug ins to pass through DSD for example. Also, you need to ensure that your Windows volume control is always at 100 percent for your DACās driver. That is why I am offering my setup.
When it comes to soundā¦ well here I am going to throw the bits-is-bits flagā¦ it passes bit-perfect. What more do you want?
Peace
Bruce in Philly
3 Likes
This is what my Foobar interface looks like at this moment:
It has it own monitor on my computer system.
I stopped using JRiver a while back. Their insistence in ignoring Qobuz was their undoing for me. Want to live in the past? Enjoy being part of the past.
I tried Audirvana Studio last year and found that it has a limitation on how many DSF files it can catalog. I have too many for it and it could not catalog my library. It doesnāt really matter how it sounds if it canāt catalog and allow me to play my entire library.
I use Foobar on my computer system. I can also use Roon but Roon is for other rooms.
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What a cool interface you designed. I love it. That is part of the power of foobarā¦ to be able to do this. The bad, as I already noted, is how difficult it can be to do that. I have no idea how you made it look that way! LOL!
Peace
Bruce in Philly
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I didnāt design it, I selected it. Its called DarkOne v3.1. (See upper left corner)
It takes a bit to install it but I really like it!
Hello Bruce:
Can you send me your Foobar configuration?
Thanks,
Francisco
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Check your private messages.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
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A post was split to a new topic: How to configurate Foobar with Windows?
Iāve been using Jriver on my Mac ever since ELyric stopped being a thing. I am several versions of Jriver behind. Is there any reason to think that another OS X music server program could sound better?
Hi Bruce-in-Philly,
Please send your Foobarf config- Thanks!
I am using Audirvana right now (and have Fidelizer on my computer) too much?
Thanks, Frank fjm@taconic.net
Hi Bruce, from another Bruce in NZ. Would love to see your foobar configuration too. New member to this forum. I cannot work out how to send a PM at this time. Many thanks
The choice of a music server program on your Mac can impact your listening experience, but the extent to which it affects sound quality is subjective and can depend on various factors. JRiver is a robust media center with a focus on features, organization, and playback options.
Exploring other macOS music server programs like Audirvana or Roon might offer different user interfaces, organization features, and additional functionalities. Some users report subjective improvements in sound quality with these alternatives. However, personal preferences and system configurations play a crucial role.
Consider trying different software to identify what aligns with your preferences. Keep in mind that perceived sound quality can be influenced by factors like DACs, headphones, speakers, and your listening environment. Itās worth experimenting to find the software that complements your setup and provides an enjoyable listening experience.
What a great evangelist you are Bruce - thanks for all of the info offered and encouragement 
.
I have been using MediaMonkeyPro https://www.mediamonkey.com happily for a decade or more but they havenāt quite finished their development of handling DVD/DSF files . . . They play but they donāt yet arrive at the DirectStream PerfectWave Mk2 in raw format. So from comments here I need to try Foobar and JRiver Media Centre as a short list, at least until they get it properly sorted out.
Auto-playlists are a core feature of MMP that I enjoy using. Users can easily write scripts (using drop down boxes, etc) to list rules of choosing music to suit a particular mood or occasion, etc. Because the playlist is generated by a rule, it adapts to new tracks promptly, and to changes in the values you have set for the metadata.
EG: If I have an Auto-playlist called āMusic for Dinnerā and itās working well but one track is too intrusive, I just take the variable ādinnerā off the fileās āOccasionā field. Too easy! Same with dropping the rating for a track that is deemed to be āboringā!
Does anyone know if this feature is available in either of my shortlist programs?
Hopefully you are still āon the airā Bruce, and that you can see my email address to send me your treasures - Thanks!
I am still hereā¦ I pop in at least once a weekā¦
Foobar does not have this auto-sophisticated playlist capability. You can create playlists however by dragging and dropping tunes or folders into a list of your naming. I donāt use this feature much because that is not how I listen to music. I only use one list called Xmas Music but that is it. My listening is very activeā¦ active in that I donāt generally use music as wallpaper. When and if I do, I may play my entire folder of say Schubert or Debussy.
The most used feature of foobar I use is the quick, drop-down select of output drivers. I modded my interface to put this drop-down in the upper right of my interface. I can quickly select either my DirectStream DAC, WooAudio headphone amp/dac, or my computerās desktop speakers.
Another feature I use is foobarās tools for format conversion. I quickly select DSF, FLAC or whatever files, and convert them to 44.1 into a new folder. I then burn those to CD for Her car. All built in to foobar.
I would be interested in where Media Monkey stores the meta-data to decide on files to play. Does it create a āside carā file or record for each say DSF music file? I hope it does not amend a music file with its own stuff.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
2 Likes
Hi Bruce,
MediaMonkeyPro uses a single conventional database file (and no sidecars) where it stores those fields that canāt be stored in the particular file format limitations. It can also include the metadata from the files and the default is to use the database to store changes rather than the file . . . but a useful option is to keep the two places in sync whenever possible.
Great idea that you could make the dialog to easily change the output settings - that area is a muddy mess in my head at the moment - so many places to make adjustments - and I havenāt been able to get DSD256 files to avoid the Windows audio conversion yet (they āplayā ok but show a PCM stat on the Mk2ā display).
Which Windows driver are you using from the PS Audio website? There are none at the Mk2 product > download webpage DirectStream DAC MK2 ā PS Audio . But somehow I ended up with āPS Audio Extended Resolution USBā installed (as seen when hovering over the speaker icon in the Windows ātrayā.
Thanks!