Using/software-players

 Using Snakeoil

• Logging In
• Software Players
• Adding Music To Your Snakeoil Machine

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So which player is the right choice?

The short answer is, try them all. In this chapter we'd briefly give you a quick background of the music software that comes bundled with Snakeoil OS and attempt to subjectively describe the sonic nature of these players.

Note the subjective assessments are unauthoritative as everything is pretty much system dependent - what sounds good for me may not sound good to you and vice versa. So just read this as a guide, and at the end of the day, make up your own mind.

Some software players are best used with a companion mobile phone or tablet. Please refer to each player's dedicated chapter for more details.

Opinion: MPD vs Squeezelite

Here are just some general observations based on my setup after using MPD for several years (and a few months with Squeezelite). These are personal observations and nothing more.

MPD is the clear leader in absolute resolution. You can almost resolve the shape and form of any instrument/vocal down to multiple single infinitely small points in a 3D space. However, at times the presentation can be very stressful - certain pieces of music can really tense you up and keep you on the edge of the seat. At times I actually felt exhausted and emotionally drained after a session, in a worse state compared to what I begin with.

Squeezelite+LMS is different, so far this combo always makes me feel fully recharged after a session, making me feel like I am ready to tackle on the next problem that comes my way. I never felt worn out with this yet. Perhaps it's because of the more natural timbre? The cost however is the loss of that dead-accurate pin point resolution MPD can give. While you can still 'break' the sound stage apart, it is just not to the same infinitely focused level MPD can give. The difference is I never felt stressed out and worse for wear like I do with MPD. With that 'lack of focus' issue, it seems WAV seems to present that problem less when compared to FLAC. So you can try that if you want (I'm still testing this myself as of this writing).

Ultimately which player you decide to use as your primary player is up to you, there are too many variables to consider to agree on a consensus. Personally I am mystified by the crash I can get after a high from MPD, something Squeezelite+LMS cannot do to me. This may suggest MPD is better, however one can also argue against the verdict of better because it involves a emotional crash.

The first post in this thread summarises the difference between MPD vs LMS+Squeezelite better than I can.

At the end of the day, find your way to enjoy your music.

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