Foobar works perfectly on my Win 11 Pro system provided I switch output to my DAC/Amp.
You need to go into its preferences/playback/output/devices and only enable the devices noted with [exclusive] attached on the ends. That way when you select an output device, it will always be in exclusive...
I have the Planar 6 with their Ania cart. The TT is mounted on a (rather heavy) timber cabinet all on a suspended timber floor and within inches of my left speaker and a foot or two from my sub. I also have absolutely no issues with distortion or feedback. The Rega is incredibly stable and self...
Typically, laptops offer very little scope for improvement. Things to try include:
~ Backup the stuff you need to keep and reformat the hard drive
~ Install the operating system - If you're adventurous, install a linux based distro (Lime is a good option) else go for Windows 10 (I don't think...
I'm fortunate enough to live in the country however occasionally the parrots, rosellas, cockatoos, magpies and kookaburras make an ungodly racket!
Since my nearest neighbour is a hundred yards away, I can just turn up the volume! :) :)
The cherry timber took 2 days to get (a 5 hour trip each way to the supplier!) and some AUD300.00. (My speakers are finished with cherry veneer...)
Then some 30 hours and a lot of equipment to machine/assemble. The spikes and cones I already had from an old pair of stands...
All worth it though...
I asked Cyrus about leaving the Cyrus One amp on all the time... They said NO... This is a bit of a nuisance since there is no stand-by mode on the amp and the power switch is sometimes a bit tricky....
To travel from Sydney on the East coast to Perth on the West coast is some 4,000 km! Yep...! It is BIG!
Anyway, when the Cyrus dies I'll look into it...
But..., I might try using the Cyrus as pre and hook my 8000p in the loop... (mmm... thinking...)
My power amp is the Audiolab 8000P which I bought in 1993 - 100 W RMS per channel. It's still in good shape. I had the 8000A feedingthe tweeters and the 8000P feeding the woofers in a pair of Monitor Audio floor standers...
Sending an amp like the 8000A to Slovakia would be a rather expensive...
Oh the Cyrus One still sounds brilliantly and the flaky volume control I handle with a Logitech programmable remote (the Cyrus remote is truly woeful; and their mobile app control is far worse) so I can still live with the beast. But(!) it shouldn't be necessary to have to go to such lengths...
Given the propensity of manufacturers for cutting costs, I'd say no...
I had an Audiolab 8000A integrated amp that lasted for more than 20 years. It was very good before it died. I replaced it with a Cyrus One amp about 3 years ago and already the volume control is very flaky and even the power...
On my Hiby R5 Sabre, I use Neutron Player. Not free but quite cheap. It has endless options for hi res playback, eq, etc., etc. Definitely worth a look.... There is an evaluation version available. https://neutroncode.com/apps/player