QUOTE(deeswift @ Nov 12 2003, 02:23 AM)
Not prepared to follow the crowd...
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3: foobar2000 -- great player, just a little too over-complex in the wrong hands for it's own good.
But that IS what the "crowd" uses (around here, anyway).
Not following the crowd would be to use Winamp.
BTW...I voted (long ago) for Winamp2, but with the release of Winamp5beta2 my preference has changed to that. My favorite features are:
-1- Comfort. Yes, I know...not a seemingly valid argument for an audio player, but once you're thoroughly used to something, it's hard to let go. I use a system-level hot-key plug-in to control it, so I hardly see the interface, and therefore operation is blindingly fast and second nature. (I know foobar2000 is controllable via hot-keys too, but I can't pry myself away from Winamp...yet.)
-2- Milkdrop. I assume this could work with any player, but it comes pre-packaged with Winamp5, and is by far the best visualization I've seen. (Not a priority for personal use, but for parties it gets raves.)
-3- A butt-ugly interface (BUI). I don't care for most skins I've seen. foobar2000 may be called minimalist, but it's still nicer to look at than Winamp's classic skin. And I won't use another skin because one of my critical plug-ins (MuchFX2) doesn't match other skins. Sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm actually fond of Winamp's "BUI", because as said before,
I'm used to it. The few times I ever see it, it's strangely comforting...I can't explain it. Mmmm...black and green...so soothing.
As for any other feature/benefit...all these players are just too similar to really compare. The ones I've tried the most (Winamp, QCD, fb2k) all play any format I use, all do playlist management, all have the other features I need, and all have the same sound quality. So all that's left to compare is the menial stuff I guess.