WMA Player with Treble & Bass Adjustment?

[Lex]

Is there any music player out there that (1) plays WMA files and (2) allows user to set treble and bass preferences? Freeware preferable but will con$ider other$.

[GSmith]

BetaPlayer has a 10-band EQ and plays WMA files.

You might want to look through the Media Chart at
http://www.feederreader.com/mediachart.html
I think that chart lists EQ for some players. The associated media page linked from that chart has links to the home pages of many of the Pocket PC media players.

Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - The Pocket PC RSS, podcatcher, videocatcher
www.FeederReader.com - Download on the Road

[Darius Wey]

Apart from what GSmith has said, if you're after basic functionality, you can use Windows Media Player for WMA files, and since you own an iPAQ h2215, you'll find an Audio applet in the Settings page. There, you can adjust Bass and Treble, although the changes made will be system-wide, and not just localised to WMP.

[Lex]

GSmith, I downloaded Betaplayer. I cannot detect any difference in sound playback with any changes made to the EQ sliders while wearing professional quality headphones. Wonder why? Darius, thanks for pointing out that audio setting. Didn't even know it was there. :oops: :wink:

[GSmith]

On the BetaPlayer Eq settings page, you must enable the Eq (there is also a menu item that enables/disables the Eq you can use as well).

The Eq settings are not real time, you must set the Eq, then click OK. If you don't like the new settings, go back to the Options | Settings... and change. Not as good as real-time updating, but it works.


Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - The Pocket PC RSS, podcatcher, videocatcher
www.FeederReader.com - Download on the Road

[Lex]

Hi Greg,

I followed all those directions on assumption yet can't hear any difference. The settings using 'iPAQ Audio' applet were easily recognizeable but not the EQ settings using Betaplayer.

Wonder if it's possible the iPAQ 2215 is responding only to the settings using that built-in iPAQ Audio applet or, maybe I only have 'Radio Shack ears' ? 8O

[GSmith]

I can confirm that on BetaPlayer 0.5 (and beta 0.096) I can definately hear the difference in changing EQ settings on a iPAQ 2215. Try changing the PRE-AMP value to see if you can hear it getting quieter and softer. And use headphones on the 2215 to hear the difference in settings.

Any luck with this?

Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - The Pocket PC RSS, podcatcher, videocatcher
www.FeederReader.com - Download on the Road

[Lex]

Hi Greg, thanks for sticking with me on this. I can tell no difference among any Betaplayer EQ settings once I tap OK at the EQ settings and continue to listen to music in progress. The iPAQ Audio applet on the other hand can create highs and lows that are easily recognizeable. It's as if the iPAQ is only 'obeying' settings made with the iPAQ Audio and ignoring those at Betaplayer's EQ. I'm using Bose Custom Comfort2 noise-cancelling headphones and playing Fleetwood Mac 'Gypsy' which exhibits clear highs and lows throughout.

[GSmith]

My guess is that the BetaPlayer EQ works prior to the iPAQ settings, not instead of. There may be little difference between PREAMP at middle and at high. Try the lowest setting for the PREAMP and see if there is a difference.

I'm running out of ideas. Make sure you have ENABLED the eq within *BetaPlayer* itself. (See the checkbox at the top of the EQ Settings page?)

Sorry if you've already done that. I'm just making sure.

The BetaPlayer volume control works, right? (note that the BetaPlayer volume control mirrors the iPAQ volume slider available from the top bar next to the clock).

I'm not sure what else to try.

Greg Smith

[Orbsplateau]

Pocketmind's Pocket Music Player is another option.
http://www.pocketmind.com/pmfp.htm

It doesn't just have a "treble" or "bass" setting, instead you have a nice equalizer that you can adjust fairly quickly... especially if you program some presets.
You can then associate the presets with a certain genre (as set in the ID3 tags). This way, the equalizer settings will change automatically based on the type song that's playing.
There's a little button on the mainscreen that lets you activate or deactivate the equalizer.

http://www.pocketmind.com/images/presets.gif


I've been using it for about 2-3 years and it's my favourite MP3/WMV player. I don't know how it handles coprighted WMV songs though... i think only WMP10 handles them well.

[Janak Parekh]

I can confirm that on BetaPlayer 0.5 (and beta 0.096) I can definately hear the difference in changing EQ settings on a iPAQ 2215.
Is this with WMA audio, however? I've read reports that third-party programs only can set the EQ for non-WMA audio, as the WMA audio goes through the Windows Media control and from there straight to speaker/headphone output.

--janak

[GSmith]

Great point! I think this is the issue. Most podcasts are MP3 and most of of what I play are podcasts.

I just tried a WMA file on my Loox 720 with BetaPlayer and confirmed that the BetaPlayer EQ settings do NOT appear to work. And I confirmed a few hours ago that the BetaPlayer EQ settings *do* work with an MP3 file.

(Re)learn something every day.

Sorry for the leading you down the wrong (WMA) track. ;-)

Greg Smith

[Lex]

Yea ! I don't have 'Radio Shack ears' after all ! No prob. I learned some things along the way here.