This will help you setup your system for better sound quality with Fidelizer. Please follow the step-by-step instructions below.

System Requirements

Although Fidelizer could work on all versions of Windows since Windows XP without minimum hardware requirements, some users might feel confused whether Fidelizer will work on their installed version of Windows. Fidelizer is supported on the following Windows versions:

Windows XP*
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows 8.1
Windows 10
Windows 11

Fidelizer also works with the following versions of Windows Server:

Windows Server 2003*
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2022
Windows Server 2025

* Some NT6 core optimization features aren’t available in these marked Windows versions. To get full optimization, consider upgrading Windows.

STEP 1: Setting up the audiophile environment

Although Fidelizer can instantly enhance Windows sound quality with just one click, setting up audio software for better audio performance before using Fidelizer is recommended. To demonstrate how to improve sound quality on audio software, we’ll use foobar2000 as an example.

You can install foobar2000 with Fidelizer setup assistant ready for playing streaming services with uPNP apps and optimized for high performance audio playback.

Fidelizer redistributes unmodified installer with separated “foobar2000_setup_assistant.exe” according to license terms on website. You can transform your computer into a streamer supporting DLNA/uPNP streaming platform that meets Fidelizer’s standards in one click.

With this, you should get better sound from foobar2000 and make Fidelizer optimizations become much more effective than before. Some people who failed to notice improvements with Fidelizer before may have a better chance after configuring audio software like this.

For streaming services that rely on default Windows audio playback, you can setup bit-perfect sound software like VB-Audio ASIO Bridge with JPLAY/ASIO4ALL in combo for better audio performance. It also works well on iTunes and Windows Media Player.

STEP 2: Choosing user level

Fidelizer has 3 user levels. This will explain how each level affects your system.

Consumer – Recommended for music lovers who want to improve audio performance without affecting system performance. This will not affect system performance or services.

Minimalist – Recommended for audiophiles who want to strip down non-audio features on working machine. This will stop/disable non-audio services.

Audiophile-  Recommended for audiophiles who takes sound quality seriously but also need non-audio features. This will slow down non-audio processes.

Purist: Recommended for serious audiophiles who want to improve audio performance on a machine that only works on audio. This will slow non-audio processes and stop/disable services.

For first time user, please use Consumer user level with default audio profile option to see how Fidelizer works with default configuration first. You can restart to return back to normal if you have trouble. For Fidelizer Pro, you can run main program again, click Uninstall, and restart.

STEP 3: Choosing the right audio profile for your machine

In Fidelizer Plus/Pro, you can change audio profile option to match with your machine configuration for different audio applications as below:

Audio Player – Designed for demanding audio applications that requires high processor power like DSP processing.
Applications: Music Player, CAS, Roon, JPLAY Single PC

Audio Renderer – Designed for lightweight audio device that only play/record without audio processing.
Applications: Music Player, JPLAY Single PC

Streamer – Designed for streaming audio server that sends audio to network players or other endpoint devices.
Applications: Streamer, Library Server, RoonServer, JPLAY Control PC

Network Player – Designed for general streaming audio solutions that can handle streaming audio tasks efficiently.
Applications: Network Player, Roon, RoonServer, JPLAY Single PC

Network Renderer – Designed for audio endpoint device that plays audio from network without audio processing.
Applications: Audio Endpoint, Roon Bridge, JPLAY Audio PC

Media Center – Designed for multimedia applications with best possible audio/video streaming quality.
Applications: Multimedia Player, HTPC, Video Streaming

Free version will have general purpose audio profile for standard optimizations. Upgrade to Plus / Pro version will allow access to these audio profile options and finetune your machine to perform with most suitable audio profile.

STEP 4: Tune your machine with Advanced Configuration

Fidelizer will recommend safe and optimal default configuration in advanced configuration section. However, some machines may need adjustments to reach optimal synergy or push the boundaries further to get the most of Fidelizer optimizations.

OS Timer Resolution – This will request the frequency of the system clock interrupts for time-sensitive applications with these values.

0.5ms (Best with optimized low latency audio machine)
1.0ms (Good for general audio machine)
5.0ms (For general daily use machine)
15.6ms (For compatibility purpose)

Core Isolation Policy – This will configure audio thread priority to perform tasks on isolated cores from non-audio processes.

No isolation (Only reduce cores on non-audio)
High performance (Isolate one core for non-audio)
High transparency (Isolate one core for audio)

Processor Priority Policy – This will adjust how CPU scheduler should allocate processor time. This can fine-tune characteristics of audio machine.

Natural harmonics with linear phase
Natural harmonics with rich details
Sharp image with linear phase
Sharp image with rich details
Default (Windows – Programs)
No change (Preserve current configuration)

Lower non-audio process priority more aggressively – This will further decrease non-audio process priority from BelowNormal to Idle.

Enforce non-audio process to use only one core – This will limit limit non-audio process core affinity to the most extreme level.

Disable non-audio services instead of stopping – This will change Fidelizer Pro’s behavior to stop services completely.

Disable/Stop network services (LOSE INTERNET ACCESS!) – This will disable/stop all network services for dedicated offline playback system.

Run Fidelizer optimizations automatically on startup – This will allow Fidelizer Pro to work as part of system during startup.

Apply low-level system configuration for multimedia tasks – Fidelizer Pro will go all out when permanent system optimizations is allowed.

Fidelizer free version can adjust OS Timer resolution only. This is for the safety of most end users to protect them causing system to become unstable without their consent. Plus and Pro version will get access to deeper level of optimizations.

STEP 5: Choose media player applications to run with Fidelizer

After Fidelizer finishing the optimizations, you can choose up to 3 media player applications to run with Fidelizer. Since version 9.0, you can choose supported media player applications directly from selection list with Fidelizer’s application detection system with these options.

Priority – You can change priority after launching application to

Default: This won’t apply change to process priority for self managed application
Realtime: For time-sensitive audio endpoint application (Use with caution)
High: This is most recommended for main media player application
AboveNormal: Recommended for supporting applications in platform that uses multiple applications
Normal: Good for increasing/decreasing priority of other applications to standard priority level
BelowNormal: Good for launching non-audio application without affecting audio performance significantly
Low: Good for launching non-audio application with lowest interference to audio performance

Core Isolation Policy – You can change affinity by choosing core isolation policy of each media player application to

Default: This won’t apply change to process priority for self managed application
All cores: This will enforce selected application to run with all available processor cores
Endpoint: This will make application focus on audio cores similar to Transparency policy
Performance: This will make application focus on most cores similar to Performance policy
Transparency: This will make application focus on avoiding main audio/non-audio cores for optimal isolation
Idle: This will put application on lowest possible non-audio cores to reduce interference to audio playback the most

You can also choose Custom option to browse and select media player application file manually. Supported media player applications will be added over time so feel free to request your favorite apps. Fidelizer Plus/Pro will remember selected options on next launch.