14 DAY TRIAL // Gretech, maker of GOM Media Player, has recently released GOM Audio. It is an audio player designed to cover the music playing needs of both the average user and the more seasoned one.
Audio players are a dime a dozen these days, but finding one you can use easily and which combines the right features could be a time consuming task. GOM Audio is free of charge and seems to integrate more than a regular user could ask from such an application.
We tried it on Windows 7 and installing it on the system proved to be an easy task. There are no offers to push third-party software, just the simple, usual wizard that gets you through accepting the license agreement and pre-configuring the application (for custom installs).
The default interface should look familiar since it is not too different from what applications of the same feather sport, with the playlist section being available right under the play controls. All options relating either to playing or to the playlists are laid out within easy reach.
As in the case of most modern audio players, GOM Audio supports multiple playlists, which are available in tabs, in the lower part of the default application window. Each tab can be renamed and their contents copied to a different location.
However, a much beneficial option is the ability to create a playlist file (supported formats are M3U, PLS, ASX and M3U8). On the same note, GOM Player is perfectly capable of creating playlist files with the content of all tabs, in one go.
File information for each song is available and this includes basic details like title, name of the artist and the album, release date and genre. The application also provides info about the average bitrate, audio channels and the total play time. Furthermore, it allows you to add album covers from local images. This is also the place for changing the ID3 tag or adding lyrics for the songs.
To save some desktop space, you can dock the playlist window and have in sight only the play controls.
For more experienced users, the app makes available a 10-band equalizer that comes with various profiles you can enable in order to improve the audio experience. The equalizer presets can be used according to the music genre (Classical, Club, Dance, Party, Pop, Reggae, Rock) or to emphasize particular frequencies (highs, lows, middle). You can also create and save your own preset.
Additionally, the equalizer features master and wave volume control as well as the possibility to make A-B repeat settings or change the tempo.
The configuration panel shows clearly that the application has been designed with the more advanced user in mind, as well.
Besides the general settings that let you control how the application minimizes or how it starts, it also makes available power management options. These come in handy if you want to turn off the PC or send it to sleep mode automatically at a particular time or after the current playlist ends.
Seasoned users can tinker with DSP settings and customize reverb level, frequency and delay as well as enable and configure the 3D surround. You can also use Winamp 2.x DSP plugin folder.
GOM Audio versatility extends to the way it can be controlled, too, as the developer offers the possibility to set keyboard shortcuts for the most used actions: skip to the next/previous song, play/pause, volume up/down.
As far as support for audio files is concerned, the application can play the most popular types (MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC) as well as less used ones, such as MID and APE.
During our tests, GOM Audio proved to be a reliable audio player that can be handled in a very comfortable way. It adds a fade in/out effect when pausing/resuming songs or when moving to a different track.
However, it does not come with a full rack of features when compared to similar software. Users may notice the lack of a built-in converter or the possibility to rip audio CDs. On the same note, the tabbed playlists cannot be moved to a different position.
The Good
DSP options let you tweak reverb level, frequency and delay. Has plugin support. You can set it to turn of the computer at a specific time or after going through the entire playlist.
