I've been using WInamp 2 in some form or another since 1999. Winamp 3 was such a dissapointment that I kept it about a week and went back to 2. When I heard 5.0 was out, I was only mildly enthoused. The only reason I tried it at all was due to an article I read that described 5.0 as a mix between what made Winamp 2 so stable and what made Winamp 3 so much more advanced than 2--in other words, it was the best of both worlds.
Well, I downloaded 5, I've tried it, and I'll never go back to version 2. Once I got the EQ set and downloaded my favorite DSP plugin, I noticed that, for the first time, I could hear deep bass AND clear trebble on my computer. NEVER have I heard this before (the closest I've come is by using Windows Media Player 9, and the EQ on it is so touchy I never bothered to fine tune it to a listable sound quality). I'm also noticing that all the pops, clicks, and hisses that I'd always attributed to file fragmentation when using Winamp 2 are a thing of the past. Using a DSP called "The Enhancer" (availble from the winamp website under the plugins > DSP catagory) and an mp3 decoding plug-in called MAD (avilible from a webpage you can find easily using google and searching for "MAD Plugin Winamp"), my mp3s now sound every bit as good as the CDs I ripped them from (since I spent most of my time working on a computer, this is where I listen to most of my music).
I'd highly recommend the full free version of Winamp 5 (the pay version lets you rip CDs and burn CDs). For ripping your music, there's a handy free program called CDEX that uses the LAME encoder. With the proper settings, you can rip a near perfect copy of any CD to your hard drive in high-quality 320 max variable bitrate mp3 format. Since CD burning software usually comes with a computer/burner or is availble via the net, I don't see any need in buying the full version unless you just have to have it.
Guys, I'm loving Winamp 5 and I just had to share.
Well, I downloaded 5, I've tried it, and I'll never go back to version 2. Once I got the EQ set and downloaded my favorite DSP plugin, I noticed that, for the first time, I could hear deep bass AND clear trebble on my computer. NEVER have I heard this before (the closest I've come is by using Windows Media Player 9, and the EQ on it is so touchy I never bothered to fine tune it to a listable sound quality). I'm also noticing that all the pops, clicks, and hisses that I'd always attributed to file fragmentation when using Winamp 2 are a thing of the past. Using a DSP called "The Enhancer" (availble from the winamp website under the plugins > DSP catagory) and an mp3 decoding plug-in called MAD (avilible from a webpage you can find easily using google and searching for "MAD Plugin Winamp"), my mp3s now sound every bit as good as the CDs I ripped them from (since I spent most of my time working on a computer, this is where I listen to most of my music).
I'd highly recommend the full free version of Winamp 5 (the pay version lets you rip CDs and burn CDs). For ripping your music, there's a handy free program called CDEX that uses the LAME encoder. With the proper settings, you can rip a near perfect copy of any CD to your hard drive in high-quality 320 max variable bitrate mp3 format. Since CD burning software usually comes with a computer/burner or is availble via the net, I don't see any need in buying the full version unless you just have to have it.
Guys, I'm loving Winamp 5 and I just had to share.
