amarok audio quality question

[Ljubomir Simin]

On Sunday 04 February 2007 18:26, Gert Renckens wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have been using Windows for a long time to play audio files.
> Now I have switched to linux because there are much more possibilities in
> the linux OS.
> However, there is still something I can't fix.
> When I played music in Windows (I used Winamp) the bass of the music was
> very deep and the high tones like treble were very clear and sounded
> excellent. (PS: keep in mind I'm an audiophile and I hear even the smallest
> quality difference in audio files)
> Now I use amarok for some time, but I can't get the same audio quality out
> of it.
> I tried playing with the equalizer settings, but even when all the
> frequencies are at maximum level I still hear a not so deep bass and the
> treble tones of the music are just not what I had in mind. I'm trying to
> get the same audio quality as in the windows operating system, but whatever
> I do, I don't reach that audio quality.
> (PS: I use of course the same audio files I used in windows)
>
> So now my question to the amarok team is: what could be the problem why my
> music doesn't sound like on the windows operating system?  Could it be
> because linux uses open source audio drivers instead of drivers made by the
> company that made my on-board audio chip or is there something I can do to
> increase the audio quality?
> I use ALSA and I have an on-board audio chip (realtek). I also use the
> latest amarok package for my linux distribution, openSUSE 10.2.
>
> thanks in advance!
> Gert
>
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Hi,

The first place to look for problems with sound quality on linux is hardware 
mixer. Run kmix, and try playing with various sliders. One of the most 
important is PCM slider. On all Linux system I've seen it shouldn't exceed 
75%, otherwise sound will have low quality. Play also with master and other 
sliders. Take a look at "Switches" tab. There are some options which could 
give much richer sound. Turning on "Tone" option on my SB Live 5.1 allowed me 
to control Bass and Treble sliders which enriched sound significantly.

Regarding Amarok, you can indeed try different sound engine. Some people claim 
that Helix engine gives better sound quality than Xine one.

Also, one more thing. In previous versions of Amarok, equalizer in combination 
with Xine engine gave me pretty poor sound quality. So if you are using Xine 
engine with Amarok 1.4.4 or older, turn equalizer off. However, if you use 
new Amarok 1.4.5 utilize it freely, it really works great. I've been told 
that Helix engine sounds good with equalizer even in older Amarok versions. 

Good luck!

-- 
Ljubomir Simin 
Registered Linux User #351181
http://counter.li.org