How to: Improve audio quality for MP (inc. using .ape files)

Confusedpenguin · 2006-08-03, 21:53

Don't know whether anyone is interested in this, but thought I'd post it to give anyone who is as picky as me about audio quality a heads up.

The audio output from windows media player through an analog sound card is average at the best of times (when you're an audiophile anyway), especially when your media pc is fed into decent hi-fi equipment (I run Monkey's audio lossless files into a Cyrus 8vs amp through Monitor Audio RS6 speakers).

To improve audio quality in a kind of round about way and enable .ape lossless file support:

1. Install winamp
2. Install kernel streaming plugin for winamp (see: http://www.stevemonks.com/ksplugin/ (kernel streaming bypasses the windows Kmixer etc.)
3. Go to winamp config>output> make sure the kernel streaming plugin is enabled and highlighted
4. Enable the winamp plugin in media portal
5. Check it works.
6. Get either an M-Audio USB transit or a Chaintech Av-710 soundcard (both are capable of bit-perfect outputs when setup correctly - see http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/h.../459396-1.html for more info on bit-perfect and how to get it.
7. Use the digital output on either of those and send it to an external DAC (can be purchased for anything from Â£20 on ebay to Â£2k and up for high-end ones) which then connects to your amplifier.

Alternatively you can buy a USB DAC such as the Silverstone EB01 (about Â£60) which will also greatly improve the audio quality over a medium-quality soundcard, and doesn't need any extra bits to work.

ADDING APE SUPPORT TO MEDIAPORTAL

If you're using winamp - search for the Monkey's Audio plugin for winamp, then add '.ape' to the MyMusic file types config in mediaportal, plus the winamp MP plugin config.

1. Using windows media player, download & install the Ape radlight filter (http://www.radlight.org/products/fil...r.php?filter=8)
2. Download & install the Windows media player .ape tag support app from http://www.softpointer.com/WMPTagSupport.htm
3. Add '.ape' to the MyMusic file types config in mediaportal.

As far as I can remember, that should work. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll re-write it.

Confusedpenguin · 2006-08-24, 15:02

As a side note - APE files aren't entirely supported in MP yet, so when browsing My Music, the track time doesn't display correctly on each line (either says 0:00 or some other random time which will be the same for all tracks - mine says 3:42 a lot) - however it does display correctly when playing a track. Odd!

2006-08-03, 21:53	#1 (permalink)
Confusedpenguin Portal Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK Posts: 40 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts My System	How to: Improve audio quality for MP (inc. using .ape files) Don't know whether anyone is interested in this, but thought I'd post it to give anyone who is as picky as me about audio quality a heads up. The audio output from windows media player through an analog sound card is average at the best of times (when you're an audiophile anyway), especially when your media pc is fed into decent hi-fi equipment (I run Monkey's audio lossless files into a Cyrus 8vs amp through Monitor Audio RS6 speakers). To improve audio quality in a kind of round about way and enable .ape lossless file support: 1. Install winamp 2. Install kernel streaming plugin for winamp (see: http://www.stevemonks.com/ksplugin/ (kernel streaming bypasses the windows Kmixer etc.) 3. Go to winamp config>output> make sure the kernel streaming plugin is enabled and highlighted 4. Enable the winamp plugin in media portal 5. Check it works. 6. Get either an M-Audio USB transit or a Chaintech Av-710 soundcard (both are capable of bit-perfect outputs when setup correctly - see http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/h.../459396-1.html for more info on bit-perfect and how to get it. 7. Use the digital output on either of those and send it to an external DAC (can be purchased for anything from Â£20 on ebay to Â£2k and up for high-end ones) which then connects to your amplifier. Alternatively you can buy a USB DAC such as the Silverstone EB01 (about Â£60) which will also greatly improve the audio quality over a medium-quality soundcard, and doesn't need any extra bits to work. ADDING APE SUPPORT TO MEDIAPORTAL If you're using winamp - search for the Monkey's Audio plugin for winamp, then add '.ape' to the MyMusic file types config in mediaportal, plus the winamp MP plugin config. 1. Using windows media player, download & install the Ape radlight filter (http://www.radlight.org/products/fil...r.php?filter=8) 2. Download & install the Windows media player .ape tag support app from http://www.softpointer.com/WMPTagSupport.htm 3. Add '.ape' to the MyMusic file types config in mediaportal. As far as I can remember, that should work. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll re-write it.

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2006-08-24, 15:02	#2 (permalink)
Confusedpenguin Portal Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK Posts: 40 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts My System	As a side note - APE files aren't entirely supported in MP yet, so when browsing My Music, the track time doesn't display correctly on each line (either says 0:00 or some other random time which will be the same for all tracks - mine says 3:42 a lot) - however it does display correctly when playing a track. Odd!