Codec Problem - MP3 audio files playback has static/hiss

[LisaB]

This is a recent problem. Normal audio mp3 files, when played (using WinAmp) have very loud hiss/static...to the point that they are unlistenable.

1. it is not the MP3's - when burned to CD and played on the standalone DVD player, these same MP3's sound fine.

2. it is not my cabling, external speakers, etc. - when I play a video file (using PowerDVD or Media Player Classic or Zoom Player), the audio sounds fine...even when playing an AVI with MP3 audio!

This is a very curious problem. I don't know whether it is codec related or not. I don't know how to tell which codec winamp is using...I'm not even sure which codec is used for MP3 playback, since I have several MP3 codecs installed, including the LAME ACM. Maybe the LAME ACM is the root of the problem, but as far as I know, I need the LAME ACM to be able to encode MP3 audio with VDub.

[LisaB]

Hmmm....problem fixed!

Went to "Sounds and Audio Devices" control panel.
Chose Audio tab.
Clicked "Advanced" button for the default "Sound playback" device (SB Live! Wave Device).
Chose Performance tab.
Moved "Hardware acceleration" slider from "None" to "Full"
That fixed it!

Maybe this info will help someone else with the same confusing symptoms!