The lightest player. Best Music Players for Windows

For many of us, music is life, and that is why you can find a large number of different players on the Internet. We have selected the best audio players based on parameters such as: ease of use, ease of setup and speed. There is hardly a single user who does not have a music and video player on their computer. This program is installed by the PC owner, almost in the first place, or is already present - built into the OS.

Artem Izmaylov Media Player (AIMP) is one of the most popular media players. The author created its first version, then still local, while still at school. The success of the program for listening to music and watching video files is explained by its stable operation and support for a huge number (30) of formats.

What the Aimp program can do:

• Support all kinds of music and video formats: from MP3, OGG and APE to MOD, TTA and XM.
• Support four sound modes.
• Support multiple playlists.
• Support hotkeys.
• Work quickly and stably.
• Create bookmarks.
• Support 41 languages.
• Search for music in open lists.
• Support various sound effects.

And this is not all that the media content player is capable of.

It is a legend among media players. The program developed by Nullsoft is universal and almost every computer user knows about it.

What the player can do:

• Support various audio/video content formats.
• Save all files on your PC in your library.
• Support a range of modules.
• Support hotkeys.
• Create, organize playlists and search among files.

And this list can still be supplemented.

But the release of the latest versions disappointed users. The program works on computers with freezes and lags. However, if it is not overloaded with additional interface elements, there are no slowdowns. Stable operation is affected by a large number of covers and various modules that affect the performance of the operating system.

A software audio player that supports modern and legacy versions of Windows, developed by Peter Pawlowski, one of the creators of WinAmp. Users are captivated by the minimalist interface, huge functionality and saving PC resources. That's why the program is so common on home computers.

What the player can do:

• Works effectively with huge playlists.
• At the same time, it consumes a minimum of computer resources.
• Supports popular formats and official plugins.
• Processes files and tags in an advanced mode, providing comprehensive information about them.

If you are tired of WinAmp constantly freezing, go to Foobar 2000. The player is not inferior in power, but works much better than the legendary player.

It is also worth installing this program on your computer if you need to reproduce high-quality audio information - the DVD-Audio format.

A small audio player (only 397 Kb) supports a diverse number of formats, skins and add-ons. Although the program is small, it can boast of its functionality. Everything you need for high-quality playback of audio content is here. You can also listen to playlists created by other applications.

The player is not installed, but embedded, so any music track can be played immediately. Although the program, which has an ancient interface, is simple in appearance, it requires certain knowledge and is more suitable for experienced users who know how to customize the software. To fully use all the functionality, you need to download additional modules from the official resource.

If you use full functionality, be prepared for the fact that the program is demanding on PC resources.

Almost 40 Mb is not 397 Kb, as in XMPlay, but its capabilities are just as many times greater. jetAudio Basic is not just an ordinary player, it is a whole set of tools for working with media content. This is a player, a converter, a ripper, an editor, an encoder, etc. in one package. And at the same time, while performing such a wide range of tasks, the program does not consume a large amount of system resources and quickly performs certain tasks.

What the program can do:

• Support all known music formats.
• High-quality playback of multimedia files.
• Burn and copy discs.
• Convert files.
• Edit tags.
• Apply effects.

This program is not so widespread among users, although it has some features. Lightness, functionality, integration with VK, Last.fm and the operating system are the main advantages of Foobnix.

The media player plays all common and rare formats, as well as programs from more than five thousand online radio stations in the world. Works with tags and accurately recognizes Russian encoding. Can convert formats, supports hotkeys and music storage.

Windows Media

There is no need to download it to your computer; this program is pre-installed on the system.

Media Player is available for all versions of Microsoft OS. Real music lovers usually download other players onto their computer, which are more convenient and functional. But ordinary users who don’t often listen to music files are quite happy with the standard player. Players that need to be installed have gone far ahead in their capabilities from Media Player. But, nevertheless, the built-in player performs standard tasks. And if you only occasionally listen to music or burn discs, its functionality will be enough for you.

STP MP3 player weighs only 209 Kb, and it is the lightest player. But, despite such a modest weight, the program is characterized by good operating speed and is convenient in that it can be used while playing computer games or when working with programs and documents. To play a music file, change track, etc. You just need to press a couple of hot keys without minimizing the application, game, or document.

The program will be an excellent option for those users who prefer software functionality without fancy and cumbersome interfaces.

If the standard Windows player does not have enough functionality for you, then you can install a third-party video program with more extensive capabilities and features. Changing brightness, contrast, image size, picture proportions, automatically turning off the computer at a certain time, watching streaming video - this is only a small part of the capabilities of foreign video players. In this article I have collected list of the best video players on PC 2017, which are used by thousands of users and have positive reviews.

All of the video players listed below will work on computers with Windows XP, 7, 8 or 10 installed. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that almost all of them are free, Russified, have their own skins, support many different formats, play streaming videos, and much more.

TOP best video players for Windows

KMPlayer
In first place in our video player rating is KMPlayer. This player does not need additional codecs; after installation, it starts playing any video file formats. The program contains a lot of tools designed for comfortable viewing and listening to videos.

The main features of this player include support for subtitles, the presence of special functions designed to adjust the video image (blur, sharpen, zoom, increase or brightness, etc.), connect all kinds of filters, plugins, themes, the ability to save a certain part of the video, sound or screenshot , minimal requirements for PC equipment. If you want a fast and reliable player with a lot of various tools, then KMPlayer is the ideal option. You can download from the link: https://kmplayer.ru.uptodown.com/windows/download

Media Player Classic
Second place is occupied by the famous Windows Media Player Classic. It, like KMPlayer, has its own codecs, as well as support for 2 displays. This is one of the players that has been in demand for a long time, to this day. MPC can easily display TV shows from any TV tuner on a computer monitor, show subtitles in ASS/SSA formats, play almost any video or audio format, etc.

Among the features of Media Player Classic, we can highlight: the presence of its own codecs, thanks to which you can watch films of any format; the ability to decode H.264 thanks to new video cards; the ability to watch videos in a different resolution; ability to play damaged video files. In general, the player is not bad at all, and should be installed by every user. Download page: http://mediaplayerclassic.ru/download_Media-Player-Classic.html

VLC Media Player
The third position in our ranking of the best video players is occupied by the not-so-little-known VLC Media Player. You can install this player not only on computers with Windows, but also on Mac. The free video player VLC Media Player can show video directly on the desktop, as if you had live wallpaper installed, can play streaming video, for example from YouTube or Rutuba, supports remote control and much more.

This player is very similar to the KMPlayer described above in its stability and low hardware requirements. It has a standard set of tools, as in analog programs (creating and editing playlists, support for equalizer, subtitles, various picture settings), viewing streaming video, playing part of video files, etc. You can download it here: http://www.videolan.org/ vlc/

ALLPlayer
If you often watch video files with subtitles, then this player is created just for you. The smart subtitles feature sets this player apart from other analogues. You will manage the subtitles yourself (change the disappearance time, their size, etc.). For fans of anime films and those users who want to learn a foreign language, ALLPlayer will be a great find.

In addition to having all the standard functions, the ALLPlayer player can easily open videos directly from the archive, display the picture on two or more monitors, and it is possible to add any necessary codecs to play a particular video. In this player, as for me, there is only one drawback - the Russian language is poorly localized, but I believe that for a confident user this is not a problem. Official download page: http://www.allplayer.org/ru/

Light Alloy
Light Alloy is a very lightweight video player for Windows that requires minimal computer resources. Back in the 2000s, many users knew about it and used it. Around the same time, I personally encountered the Light Alloy player, when I still had one of the first calculators with Windows 98 installed. The standard Windows media player played videos with significant stutters, but Light Alloy played the same videos perfectly without any strain.

Today this player is also in demand. The most necessary functions are present, despite its small size (about one megabyte). Watch any video via the Internet, use any compatible remote control to control it, scale the video image as you like, open any format in the Light Alloy video player. Download page: http://www.light-alloy.ru/download/

GOM Player
GOM Player will easily open any video format, just like the players described above. But this player has its own peculiarities: third-party codecs are not needed for playback and it is possible to open underloaded or damaged video files. If suddenly, when opening a file, there is no codec, then the player can independently download the required one on the global network, you see, it’s pretty good.

When watching a video, you can change the display of the video image (brightness, contrast, scaling), connect captions, manage bookmarks in the program, create your own playlists, open DVD images and videos directly from the Internet, etc. I especially recommend using GOM Player for users who have old computers. Official page: http://player.gomlab.com/download.gom?language=ru

Zoom Player Free
Zoom Player Free is a multifunctional audio-video player that plays most known formats. Many users use this program to watch videos because of its good stability and high-quality performance.

The player's many settings make it possible to customize it, as they say, to suit you. Creating and editing playlists, support for all known formats, stable operation even on weak PCs, the use of an equalizer, excellent operating speed, flexible settings - all this makes this player stand out from the mass of analogues. Download page: http://www.inmatrix.com/files/zoomplayer_download.shtml

TV Player Classic
At the end of our rating, I would like to recommend one more player - TV Player Classic. Based on the set-top box, you can intuitively guess that this program is associated with TV programs. That is, you can use your computer as a TV and watch your favorite TV channels without any additional devices (TV tuners, remote controls, etc.), using only access to the global network.

Just select the one you need from the list of all channels and watch to your heart's content. In addition to watching channels, it is possible to record online broadcasts on a hard drive or any other medium in avi format. If you are tired of channels, you can listen to online radio on any topic of interest. For free viewing of online TV shows, this player is simply irreplaceable. Official page: http://tvplayerclassic.com/ru/

Here's a small list: best video players for computer. Choose, download and try! If you have any questions or know other good video players, write in the comments! That's all and all the best!

Good day everyone!

Almost every user, whether on a work computer or at home, plays music on it from time to time. But you can listen to music in different ways - and in many ways the convenience and sound quality depend on the player you choose. This is probably why there is now such a wide variety of audio players, and debates often flare up about which one is the best...

In this article I will present my TOP 10 music players, which I considered the best (but I will not choose the best one among them).

Note: 1. I am not taking Windows Meadia Player, which is enabled by default in Windows, into account in this article (although the player, in my opinion, is not bad at all).2. By the way, I am in no way associated with any of the authors of the above programs...

Aimp

An excellent "omnivorous" free audio player. It is rightfully considered one of the leaders in the niche and enjoys enormous popularity.

Screenshot of the main window

Main advantages:

• support for a huge number of formats (almost all audio files: .CDA, .AAC, .AC3, .APE, .DTS, .FLAC, .IT, .MIDI, .MO3, .MOD, .M4A, .M4B, etc. .;
• sound output: DirectSound / ASIO / WASAPI / WASAPI Exclusive;
• 32-bit audio processing allows you to achieve the best sound quality;
• built-in Internet radio (moreover, there is a function for recording radio in various formats);
• automatic rating of the compositions you listen to (you can then independently collect your TOP of the best compositions based on them);
• convenient equalizer + built-in sound effects: reverb, flanger, chorus, etc. Ability to normalize the volume level;
• ability to copy CDs;
• a bunch of different modules, “skins” and plugins: they will allow you to change your player and increase its capabilities;
• ability to configure hot keys;
• Russian language support in full! And much more...

In general, the player deserves attention and is recommended for review by absolutely everyone who is looking for an audio player.

Media player for playing music and movies from Apple. Distributed free of charge for OS X and Windows platforms.

The player, in addition to its main task, allows you to create your own library of media files. The player ensures file synchronization with Apple devices. The player, I want to note, supports all popular audio formats, and also allows you to watch streaming video (broadcasts).

In addition, iTunes contains a built-in store that gives access to a variety of music tracks (you will always be up to date with new releases). iTunes can analyze your tastes and then suggest similar music based on your interests. Comfortable!

One of the most popular (more than 100 million users around the world!) and oldest (more than 15 years) music players. Many of the innovations in Winamp have become mandatory attributes in audio players. A lot of “skins” (covers), plugins and add-ons have been released for the player - so the player can be adjusted to a variety of tasks!

Main advantages:

• creating your own library of music files;
• support for most audio formats (including flac);
• a wide variety of covers (from the simplest ones that do not load the system to quite resource-intensive ones);
• a huge number of settings and parameters - each user will be able to customize the program for themselves;
• Russian language support in full;
• the ability to create your own playlists;
• fine-tuning the sound: equalizer, different sound shades, etc.;
• and many many others.

Foobar 2000

A powerful media player that was created by one of the developers of WinAmp itself! The main feature of this player: its low system requirements with high functionality (in no way inferior to other popular players).

Main features:

• support for all popular music formats: MP3, WAV, AIFF, VOC, AU, SND, Ogg Vorbis, MPEG-4 AAC, FLAC, OggFLAC, Monkey's Audio, and many others;
• support for RAR, ZIP archives - they can also be unpacked on the fly (during playback);
• very low system requirements;
• very high-quality sound (provided thanks to special audio encoders + 64-bit audio processing);
• ReplayGain technology (if you have files with different volume levels, they will be played back at the same level);
• database of audio files (plugins for working with the database - Album List, dbSearch, etc.);
• and much more.

JetAudio

Website: http://www.jetaudio.com/

Multifunctional audio and video file player. It differs, first of all, from many other players in its fine-tuned sound settings, which allows you to achieve excellent sound on almost any sound card. (note: the highest quality for this hardware).

Main advantages:

• support for all popular audio formats: .wav, .mp3, .ogg, .flac, .m4a, .mpc, .tta, .wv, .ape, .mod, .spx, etc.;
• very high quality sound: there are “improvements” in the form of: BBE, BBE ViVA, Wide, Reverb, X-Bass. Also, the player (unlike many others) reproduces 32-bit sound;
• 10-band equalizer (+32 preset settings for it);
• the ability to encode music from one format to another (the ability to copy CDs);
• the ability to search and listen to radio stations on the Internet, etc.

In general, the player can be recommended, first of all, to those who are not satisfied with the sound quality. For novice users may be somewhat confused by the lack of a wide variety of covers, the lack of Russian language (*not in all versions), and the small number of visual effects. Although, is this all you need when listening to music?!

Winyl Player

Website: http://ru.vinylsoft.com/

A simple, free and easy-to-use player that plays all popular audio formats: MP3, OGG, WMA, AAC, M4A, MPC, APE, FLAC, etc. The program is distinguished, first of all, by low system requirements and high quality playback. You can also add the presence of “smart” automatic lists: top 50 (based on your interests), playing random tracks, selecting tracks with high ratings, etc.

I will also note the super-convenient operation with hotkeys: they will work even when the program is minimized to tray (i.e. you can switch tracks while in a game or working with documents).

Main advantages:

• a convenient library formed from your tracks on the PC’s hard drive (by the way, the library is formed automatically when you first start the player);
• availability of “smart” lists: random 50 tracks, top 50, random albums, etc.;
• the ability to work with playlists with a huge number of files (up to 100 thousand - other players will simply freeze);
• extremely convenient and laconic design: everything you need is located on the left in the column and you can quickly switch program sections with the mouse (radio, genres, playlists);
• convenient equalizer: there are preset settings for listening to different genres of music;
• high-quality sound (there are special parameters for adjusting the sound for almost any hardware);
• extremely low system requirements (can be compared to Foobar 2000!);
• convenient hotkeys that work even if the program is minimized;
• Russian language support, Windows 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits) and much more!

In general, despite the fact that the player is not yet as famous as the previous ones, it leaves an extremely positive impression. I definitely recommend getting to know it and using it!

Albumplayer

Unlike the previous one, this is a very simple player, you don't even need to install it (just download the selected archive and extract it, then run the APlayer.exe file).

It has a very simple design (I would even say outdated) and low system requirements. Allows you to open and listen to formats: WAV, FLAC, APE, WavPack, ALAC, AIFF, TAK, MP3, MP4, OGG, MPC, OPUS, Audio-CD, SACD, DVD-A.

It is also worth noting the most important thing that the player has is fairly high-quality sound: the program implements direct output of the audio stream from the audio format decoder to the output device. Thanks to this, there is no intermediate processing or mixing, which ensures accurate sound reproduction. The following output modes are supported: ASIO, Kernel Streaming, WASAPI.

The player works on Windows: XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10.

Foobnix

A player that was originally developed for Liniux. Now it is available for Windows OS. It is a multifunctional player that supports all major audio formats, as well as: flac, lossless, CUE, 5000+ radio stations, online music. By the way, the player has integration with Last.fm and VKontakte!

Main advantages:

1. support for a huge number of audio formats: MP3, MP4, AAC, OGG, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC, WavPack, WAV, AIFF, etc.;
2. convenient equalizer for sound adjustment;
3. the ability to convert from one audio format to another. Supported formats: mp3, ogg, mp2, ac3, m4a, wav;
4. music library support: allows you to conveniently and quickly manage your music tracks;
5. built-in Internet radio (two clicks of the mouse - and you can listen!);
6. the ability to create your own playlists;
7. integration with VK and Last.FM;
8. hotkey support;
9. fairly low system requirements;
10. convenient and easy interface that can be changed beyond recognition!

XMplay

XMPlay is a very simple audio player, the size of which is less than 1 MB (the program does not even require installation to work)!

The player provides good sound quality and has many settings (for example, a 9-band equalizer, 32/64 bit audio output, a bunch of additional covers, plugins, etc.).

Many users criticize this program for its interface. I agree that the program’s interface leaves much to be desired, and throughout its existence, it seems to have never changed! However, it is worth making a reservation right away that many additional “skins” and covers have been created - which means you can always change it to a more attractive and modern one (perhaps not very convenient for a novice user!).

The player works great in the basic configuration, but if you need additional. function - you will need to download plugins (by the way, there are quite a lot of them and you can significantly expand the capabilities of the player). Supports all major audio formats: MP3; OGG; MP2; MP1; WMA; WAV; CDA; MO3; IT; XM; S3M; MTM; MOD; UMX, and also works with PLS / M3U / ASX playlists. In general, if you are looking for a simple and lightweight player, I recommend checking out XMplay!

Bug head Emperor

Most players are similar to each other, and only a few of them are clearly different from the rest... One of such applications is a music player Bug head Emperor from Japanese programmer Hiroyuki Yokota.

The design of the program may shock you, but you shouldn’t immediately give up on the program without trying it! Despite the unusual design, the program is distinguished by excellent and high-quality sound, and the possibility of portable installation (i.e., you can, for example, carry the program on a flash drive...).

High sound quality is achieved thanks to the original Bug head technology (this is not found in any other program!). Its essence is roughly as follows: the audio file is converted into raw RAW format, followed by special processing. sound optimization algorithm, among which there are such as Green, Galax and Star.

Since all these transformations occur “on the fly,” all this requires a fairly powerful computer, at least Intel Core i3 and 4 GB of RAM.

The player supports all popular audio formats, including mp3, aac, ogg, wav, flac and wma.

Brief summary: if you have a powerful modern computer and are unhappy with the sound quality, I recommend trying Bug head Emperor.

That's all for me.

For additions on the topic - a separate merci.

Although streaming services are becoming one of the most popular ways to play music, they are not for everyone. If you have a collection of your favorite tracks, then you need a decent music player.

If you're still using Windows Media Player or Winamp, you're missing out on many of the features offered by more advanced programs. They make it easier to group tracks, search for them, and play them. That's why we present our guide to the best players for Windows computers. Blow away the dust from the songs accumulated on your hard drive!

The Plex suite of tools has long been capable of streaming a collection of tracks to mobile apps and desktop browsers, but it recently added new software to its roster.

With an obvious nod to Winamp in its name, Plexamp focuses on making it as easy as possible to access tracks, visualizing playlists and albums through attractive artwork and lots of nice features.

It's still a bit buggy, and you'll need Plex Media Server to access songs, but if you value simplicity above all else, it's worth seeing how the app uses search queries and auto-discovery tools instead of the standard track grid.

Includes just about every feature you need, from volume normalization and CD ripping to Last.fm scrobbling and a built-in equalizer so you can tweak the sound to your liking.

The program will quickly do the job of scanning files stored on your computer, if necessary, can import tracks from iTunes, and also provide many ways to process files. If you find the default interface a bit overwhelming, use Smart Theater Mode, a useful alternative layout.

With support for smart playlists, compatibility with multiple Winamp plugins, syncing with a range of devices, a selection of skins, and a community of users, MusicBee is ideal for those who are tired of iTunes.

Kodi

Kodi is another one of those apps that you've probably heard of (or even used) but never considered as a music player. The program is closely related to video rather than audio, but has very cool music management features and works on almost every mobile and computer platform.

If you trust Kodi with your collection, you'll find that you'll be able to handle most popular formats, as well as browse songs by album, artist, genre, and recently played tracks. Kodi allows you to create your own smart playlists based on user criteria, just like iTunes does.

And although the program is primarily designed for use on a large screen, it works great on a desktop or laptop.

VLC Media Player

You may have heard of or used VLC Media Player to play individual files in almost any video or audio format imaginable. Yes this is true!

For example, you can use it to manage your music library, as well as create simple (not smart) playlists. VLC comes with some great visualizations that you can try. There are many filters for changing the sound.

VLC isn't going to win any interface design awards, but it includes everything you need. If you want more advanced features (for example, sharing files over a local network), the player can offer them too.

For many years it has been a quality alternative to Windows Media Player. It has almost everything you need to manage music: support for podcasts, CD copying, file conversion, volume normalization, searching the Internet for information about tracks and albums, synchronization with mobile devices.

The interface isn't the most modern, but for those who like full control over their track collection and the ability to interact with it in multiple ways, it's ideal. A premium version is available for $25, which provides faster conversions, advanced search, playlist creation, and more.

is a great open source alternative to Windows Media. The app appears to be built on the Universal UWP platform. Here, all the settings are placed in such a way that users do not have to strain their eyes to find them. The application interface can be changed using special settings.

Dopamine supports a huge number of formats, including MP4, WMA, OGG, FLAC, M4A, AAC, WAV, APE and OPUS. This app may seem weak in its feature set to some users. But there is still a lot of scope for activity here. You can use real-time text display, automatic meta tags, and many other features.

Maybe not as good as MusicBee, but it has some serious features. There is a built-in file manager. The player easily finds music on many online services, such as SoundCloud, RockRadio, RadioTunes. You can also configure Clementine to access music stored in cloud storage: Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive.

The player comes with all the standard features, including an equalizer and support for various formats. This is an open source application that is a fork of another player called Amarok. You can use your Android smartphone as a remote control.

Existing since 2002, it is well known to many music lovers. The modular design makes it easy to add new features and components. The player is available for all versions of Windows OS, and there is also an application for Android and iOS. Portable version available.

When reviewing the interface, it is worth noting its minimalism in comparison with other programs. Some users may not like this, since in the 21st century not everyone wants to see a player stylized as Windows 98. But don't judge a book by its cover. Moreover, advanced users can change the appearance as soon as their heart desires.

The user can configure different key combinations for commands. Can play various formats, including MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV, Opus, Speex and others. Supports automatic import of metadata, copying CDs, unpacking ZIP, GZIP, 7z archives.

AIMP

The first version of AIMP was introduced in 2006. The first two letters of the name are the initials of its creator, Russian programmer Artem Izmailov. Supports almost all popular formats. There is a built-in converter, alarm clock and sleep timer.

A player can do much more than play songs stored on your hard drive. The program has a nice and user-friendly interface that helps in organizing your library. It supports creating custom and smart playlists, ripping CDs, managing meta tags, and changing skins.

If you're looking for a player with an equalizer, AIMP is definitely worth a look. It has a built-in 18-band equalizer with a variety of sound effects. And here you can change the theme with one click. The playlist panel is “removable” - it can be separated from the playback control window.

Is it worth talking about? You've probably already heard about him. It's not just a program that connects your iPhone to your computer. It is also one of the best music players.

iTunes can play tracks saved on your computer or purchased from the iTunes Store. If you subscribe to Apple Music, the player turns into a streaming app.

Popular formats are supported including MP3, WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless and AAC. It also provides easy management of tracks from your library. In addition to playing files on a PC, it is possible to transfer them over a local network. This will allow you to quickly copy tracks to other devices in the house. There is metadata import, an equalizer and a number of other functions.

The interface is very simple, but at the same time it is functional. Manage music and videos, create playlists. Then sync it with your portable player or phone. You can choose to play to certain wireless devices, such as a speaker in the kitchen, or use the program as a media server, which will allow you to access your media library from your phone in the next room.

Currently, even those users who do not consider themselves music lovers have a fairly large volume of audio files. They need more than just a comfortable audio player, but also additional functionality for listening to music on a computer, cataloging it and all kinds of processing. Therefore, I decided to add an article to the site with review of music players for PC.

A player implemented by default by operating system developers, which was completely suitable for me in terms of functionality and not only that I had not encountered. Moreover, such a player cannot be called a media center. Not to mention, of course, but this is not the case. Windows has a good audio player, but the sound quality, ease of use and functionality leave much to be desired. You can find an excellent multimedia player from third-party developers. True, there are a huge number of them and the choice is not easy. I think that I have selected the optimal solutions with excellent sound quality and a wide range of possibilities. So, select an audio player.

Winamp - “the permanent old man”

Website http://www.winamp.com/

The multimedia player Everyone knows it and has a huge army of users. At first, Winamp only supported playback of music files, but now you can play a variety of videos, convert multimedia content, and also use the player to listen to Internet radio. Currently, the fate of Winamp has not been decided and the company Radionomy is going to buy it; previously there was information about the closure of the project on December 20, 2013.

Features of Winamp audio player

• Fast scaling of the program window size by 2 times. This function looks especially beneficial on large diagonals.
• Automatic track (composition) recognition. Filling out tags. Search for album cover.
• Importing a library from iTunes.
• Winamp support for additional modules - extensions that add various functionality: reading lossless formats, working with disk images, etc.

Among the shortcomings is the confusing interface.

aTunes - universal audio player

Website: www..org

Yes, the name of this audio player It is tritely reminiscent of the Apple music service, but has no similarities with it.

Audio player features

• aTunes is made in Java, which makes it cross-platform: it works on all popular operating systems (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, Solaris and FreeBSD).
• Convenient cataloger of compositions (autocomplete tags, search by tags)
• Thoughtful interface and functionality
• An excellent system for compiling playlists (auto-generation of playlists, personalization of a selection of audio tracks according to your preferences).
• Support for many online music services (in real time, the audio player loads the lyrics of the song being played, shows the album cover, a short biography of the artist, etc.

What I especially liked: in the aTunes window you can perform a query, with the help of which the service will select similar artists.

AIMP - the best choice for listening to music

Website: aimp.ru

AIMP audio player is a modified alternative to Winamp player.

Features of AIMP3

• The AIMP3 interface is similar to the classic Winamp skin, but the player, unlike the Nullsoft product, has a small distribution and good speed.
• Expanded built-in equalizer (18 audio frequencies versus 10 for Winamp).
• A set of various audio effects: reverb, flanger, chorus, pitch, tempo, echo, bass, voice suppression, etc.
• Simultaneous work with several playlists: one is played while the other is edited.
• Built-in tag editor and the ability to upload covers.
• AIMP supports lossless images by default if there is a CUE markup file.
• The ability to use different signal output methods to improve sound: DirectSound, ASIO and WASAPI.
• AIMP supports listening to Internet radio stations (recording the broadcast and then saving it).

foobar2000 - player with the ability to customize the interface

Website: foobar2000.org

The main difference between foobar2000 is its strict and ascetic interface with many different functions that competitors’ players do not have. There is an interesting fact that one of the developers of the Winamp player took part in the creation of foobar2000, which explains its compatibility with many add-ons for the player from NullSoft.

Features of foobar2000

• on the Internet you can find and download plugins for almost any purpose;
• using plugins you can make changes to the interface, add support for reading 7-Zip archives, burning audio CDs, automatically working with tags, sending information about the track being played to Skype status, etc.;
• automatic selection of optimal sound volume;
• an excellent manager for managing an audio collection (auto scanning of selected folders, grouping files according to various parameters, tag editor: ID3v1, ID3v2 and APE);
• Support for ASIO output, which provides the most direct music output, bypassing the Windows mixer. Installed as an add-on component for foobar2000.

Songbird - media player with web integration

Website

Songbird audio player focused on online use (obtaining information about tracks and music news).

Features of Songbird

• It is built on the Mozilla Firefox browser engine, making Songbird cross-platform.
• This player can be used as a full-fledged browser on a separate tab (password manager, pop-up window protection).
• Import song information from iTunes.
• Automatically tracks changes in a specified folder and synchronizes your music library.
• Network media server function for streaming audio.

TagScanner - tag editor

Website: xdlab.ru

TagScanner has rich functionality for working with tags and album covers. I recommend this program for batch work with files. In the utility, you can set a new name using a given mask, generate tags for files based on the names of the location folders.

Exact Audio Copy is a great ripper

Website

Exact Audio Copy is great for ripping audio CDs into lossless formats. This utility provides fairly high quality data reading and the ability to read scratched discs. The received data can be immediately encoded into one of the selected formats. Supported codecs include Lame, which has the advantage of excellent sound in a small size. This is achieved through the use of variable bitrate encoding: where the audio signal shape is simpler, the copy quality is automatically reduced, and where there are many instruments or vocals, it is improved. For minimal losses in sound quality, the ripper allows you to encode tracks into lossless formats such as FLAC and Ogg Vorbis. When creating audio files, Exact Audio Copy accesses the freedb online database, which eliminates the need to manually enter track names. Discs digitized using this program are stored in its own database. So if you don't remember exactly what you've already copied to MP3 and what you haven't, just open the Exact Audio Copy index and look for a disc among the finished projects.

For those who want to install a universal media player for their PC, I advise you to read not only for the audio, but also for the video collection.