so i installed vista sp1 32-bit yesterday, got a bunch of stuff setup and finally got foobar2000 running and started up some music while other stuff is happening.

im sure this sounds absurd, and im almost embarrassed to post this, but it seems as though my music is playing back faster than it was with xp. ive used a few files, and something doesnt seem right. i even tried converting a flac file to wav and plaing in wmp, i tried playing them back at the same time but couldnt notice the slight echo separate. using the newest version of foobar and a realtec ac'97 onboard audio. am i crazy?? i want to try a blind listening test, but i'll have to wait until someone bored enough is willing to help me..

I run fb2k and WMP on Vista and have never experienced what you're talking about ...

Just take an audio CD, rip it, then play it back simultaneously on the PC and a normal CD player.

I know this is a bit old but the Realtek AC'97 software that comes with the drivers for your sound device has a bunch of weird karaoke features. One of those includes changing the pitch of the audio. In the extremes it can sound like a chipmunk, but if it's just gone up a single notch it might just seem as though it's playing faster.