SOFTWARE PLAYERS & LIBRARIES/DATABASES
There are straight audio players and then there are audio libraries/databases. Unfortunately, the reality is far from being so cut and dried and many audio applications fall somewhere between the two (and very often also attempt to function as converters, taggers, burners and anything else the developers can dream up). Due to prescriptive and rigid development principles it's often been the case that one has had to make the distinction between "the player" and "the library/database" - most applications desperately attempt to bridge the two and fail. We've come across just one application that allows the end-user to configure the software to suit them; normally the user has to adapt their behaviour to align with the developer's idea of how you should manage and play your music collection.
We've tested the vast majority of available freeware, our conclusions will not be shared by all, but we are certain that the software we have selected is of the highest quality. Superficial features like skin support, visualisations etc. have not been considered in our criteria. If such things are important to you, then the findings here will probably not be that helpful.