Winamp3 PCM EQ

bjay125 · 13th December 2001, 09:50

I have always loved Winamp, and Winamp3 looks like its going to be a good program once all the bugs have been zapped. I didn't look through all the posts in the forum, but I wanted to make my suggestion...

Winamp2 and Winamp3 both sound really good with the "fast layer 3 eq" option, but when you go to play other formats, such as wav, wma, ogg, etc., the PCM EQ is horrible. With all EQ bands at 0, there should be no sound difference when I turn the EQ on and off; yet there is a huge difference. The PCM EQ dramatically attenuates high frequencies, and who knows what else it does poorly.

I REALLY hope some work will be done on the PCM EQ algorithm. I recently reripped all my music to OGG format, and although winamp2/3 is capable of playing them (with appropriate plugins), the EQ sounds so bad that I am forced to use other programs. Two programs I have found which have a really nice PCM EQ and can play oggs are Media Jukebox and Windows Media Player. Both of these programs have very good 10-band PCM EQs. Sonique has a really nice 20-band PCM EQ, but I only use it when I have to (LOL). If it takes a few more CPU cycles to apply a nice PCM EQ, then I am willing to pay that price.

Thanks for your consideration of this very important request....

Rocker · 13th December 2001, 10:52

Quote:

Winamp2 and Winamp3 both sound really good with the "fast layer 3 eq" option, but when you go to play other formats, such as wav, wma, ogg, etc., the PCM EQ is horrible. With all EQ bands at 0, there should be no sound difference when I turn the EQ on and off; yet there is a huge difference. The PCM EQ dramatically attenuates high frequencies, and who knows what else it does poorly.

no changes for me when the bars are all at 0
both winamp 2 and 3 running ogg and wave files and MP3 for that matter.

[EDIT]after checking again the winamp 3 EQ had a slight change in quality but winamp 2 stayed the same[EDIT]

bjay125 · 15th December 2001, 01:54

Quote:

[EDIT]after checking again the winamp 3 EQ had a slight change in quality but winamp 2 stayed the same[EDIT] [/B]

Doh! Let me rephrase that. If the preamp is at 0, and all bands are at 0, then winamp seems smart enough not to apply the EQ even though it may be "on". But the minute one of these bands (10 bands or preamp) is not 0, you will hear what I mean. For example, make sure the eq is on, and turn the preamp up or down one notch, and listen to how bad oggs suddenly sound. Of course if you are using a cheap set of multimedia speakers, you probably won't notice much difference, but I have a 500 watt home stereo hooked up digitally, and you can definitely tell the difference. Trust me, their PCM EQ is really bad and I hope they work on it for the final release of WA3. Until this gets fixed, I'm very sad to say that I must use other players. If it never gets fixed, I'll just have to abandon winamp forever, and I would really hate to do that! :-(

noodge · 15th December 2001, 06:26

Oh god, please don't use another player!! I beg you! It's very, very important to everyone here that you use Winamp exclusively.

Back to reality... If a program doesn't meet your needs, don't feel obligated to use it. Thanks for pointing out a bug in the program, but threatening to not use the program isn't gonna get it fixed any faster.

bjay125 · 16th December 2001, 02:10

I wasn't threatening to use another player in order to get it fixed, I already do use another player. Obviously I realize the wishes of one person don't mean much for a player of this popularity. If 99.9% of the people are happy with the current functionality, it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of time on a problem which only one (or a few) people want. I was just trying to point out that I have been very happy with Winamp ever since the fast layer 3 eq option was included (quite some time now), and I would hate to give up such a great program. But if the problem is relatively easy to fix, I figured it was worth a chance to voice my opinion on the off-chance something would be done about it while the program is still in beta. If not, I'm not gonna lose any sleep, I'll just continue using other players, thats all, just like you said.. Isn't that the purpose of releasing betas - for feedback? Yes. And that is what I gave.

13th December 2001, 09:50	#1
bjay125 Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Posts: 82	Winamp3 PCM EQ I have always loved Winamp, and Winamp3 looks like its going to be a good program once all the bugs have been zapped. I didn't look through all the posts in the forum, but I wanted to make my suggestion... Winamp2 and Winamp3 both sound really good with the "fast layer 3 eq" option, but when you go to play other formats, such as wav, wma, ogg, etc., the PCM EQ is horrible. With all EQ bands at 0, there should be no sound difference when I turn the EQ on and off; yet there is a huge difference. The PCM EQ dramatically attenuates high frequencies, and who knows what else it does poorly. I REALLY hope some work will be done on the PCM EQ algorithm. I recently reripped all my music to OGG format, and although winamp2/3 is capable of playing them (with appropriate plugins), the EQ sounds so bad that I am forced to use other programs. Two programs I have found which have a really nice PCM EQ and can play oggs are Media Jukebox and Windows Media Player. Both of these programs have very good 10-band PCM EQs. Sonique has a really nice 20-band PCM EQ, but I only use it when I have to (LOL). If it takes a few more CPU cycles to apply a nice PCM EQ, then I am willing to pay that price. Thanks for your consideration of this very important request....

15th December 2001, 06:26	#4
noodge Junior Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: boise Posts: 7	Oh are you serious? Oh god, please don't use another player!! I beg you! It's very, very important to everyone here that you use Winamp exclusively. Back to reality... If a program doesn't meet your needs, don't feel obligated to use it. Thanks for pointing out a bug in the program, but threatening to not use the program isn't gonna get it fixed any faster.

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16th December 2001, 02:10	#5
bjay125 Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Posts: 82	I wasn't threatening to use another player in order to get it fixed, I already do use another player. Obviously I realize the wishes of one person don't mean much for a player of this popularity. If 99.9% of the people are happy with the current functionality, it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of time on a problem which only one (or a few) people want. I was just trying to point out that I have been very happy with Winamp ever since the fast layer 3 eq option was included (quite some time now), and I would hate to give up such a great program. But if the problem is relatively easy to fix, I figured it was worth a chance to voice my opinion on the off-chance something would be done about it while the program is still in beta. If not, I'm not gonna lose any sleep, I'll just continue using other players, thats all, just like you said.. Isn't that the purpose of releasing betas - for feedback? Yes. And that is what I gave.