Windows 7 - Media Play 12 is Horrible

How can I go back to what I had in XP? 12 is horrible. Echo-y, soft, and it's a pain to get to the settings. Why was it made so bad? Why was XP's media player ruined?

I've not noticed any audible differences.

Check your sound adapter settings and any environmental effects, and the enhancement settings within WMP itself.

It ain't perfect, but it's no worse than prior versions in audio performance.

I found it immediately worse. Everything is lower in volume and echo-y and the sound volume goes up and down. I've fiddled with the settings endlessly to no avail. I've used WimAmp and it's much better but it also can't compare to the XP version.

Are you using the correct drivers for your soundcard or chip?

Why don't you install XP in double boot. Then you can use the old stuff. Another option is VLC.

I thought of that but it's a lot of trouble for media player. I've never tried VLC. I'll give it a whirl. Why did they screw up something simple and good. Not good, great.

Remember that some webpages will still want the WMP plugin...

As suggested, VLC, Winamp, or others are worth a try, but mine sounds identical to earlier versions...

If you have a new PC with Windows 7, it may be your soundcard.

Sound from Youtube is just fine; sound from WinAmp is great, except too soft. Sound from MP, awful. I've tweaked and tweaked and still awful. I heard a re-recording of Jan and Dean (from the 60s) with lots of echo and things, everything, sounds like that, plus the sound level changes constantly. It's a new computer, about 2 months oild.

R

Just remember that Windows 7 also has individual volume settings for each application program as well as System Sounds as well as the "master volume" (called "speakers"). In contrast WinXP only had a "master volume" that affected everything, which was really really annoying as different applications inevitably had their own unique loudness characteristics or screwed with the separate WAV level as a way to kind of implement their own volume adjustment outside of the Windows "master volume".

In other words, individual volume adjustability in Windows 7 is FAR MORE FLEXIBLE AND USER-FRIENDLY than it was in WinXP.

When WMP is open, right-click on the speaker icon in System Tray and select "Open Volume Mixer". You will then see the "master volume" (i.e. "speakers") on the left. And following that all "application programs" (including system sounds) will appear to the right. There's a horizontal scroll bar if you have more audio applications open at once than can appear on that fixed-size window.

Adjust your WMP volume level to your liking. It will then be that level, no matter what other audio-capable applications (Winamp, email, Firefox/IE for YouTube, etc.) you have that you've set their own individual volume levels uniquely for them as well. You can set Winamp's volume any way you want, independent of WMP's volume, etc.