mp3s: Fuzz, static etc. - "repair"/filtering app ?

Hi all -

I have a small collection (200 or so) mp3s which have ended up on an "archive" folder on my drive D:
Somewhere along the way, from ripping, to copying, etc. some of the tracks I play exhibit fuzziness in the bass range, static and so on.
At first I thought my headphones were at fault, but when I switched back to my 5.1 speaker system (including large bass-box speaker) many which had such problems then played fine, even with bass maxed out, etc.
Then I began to notice while this was the case with many of my mp3s, some of them refused to improve no matter what I did. I've come to realize more of the problem seems to fall on how it was recorded, copied, etc. rather than bad headphones (which I realize do contribute, in part to bad sound).
I am left with the question: Is there a GOOD app, perhaps open-source or shareware, which can "repair" fuzziness, static, etc. I am not a audiophile master wizard (or I wouldn't be asking for help), so if such apps exist, I need something reliable, that really works, and is easy to use.

Thanks in advance ...
- Dave G.
Virginia, USA

If the noise or distortion has been encoded into the mp3s or they've become corrupted then there really isn't a lot you can do but if you're using any kind of audio effects type plugin with whatever player you use to listen to the files then theres' a good chance the distortion is coming from it. Try bypassing any fx or equalization that you may be using and listening to the tunes "flat" or with another player (eg- Windows Media Player if you're using another like Winamp etc).

Otherwise you could try to EQ the sounds to try and mask the distortion but the results will rarely be satisfactory. There are also some programs that can take clicks and pops out of recorded music (primarily from vinyl) and that may be of some help but as far as distortion goes there isn't anything I'm aware of that could do anything useful.

Also check the fader levels in your soundcard/mixer properties (systray or control panel) Normally they should be around 70 or 80 percent on but experimenting with them a little, mostly wave and master output, as well as the volume controls of the speakers and the player can have some effect on distortion as well... (if one is too low or high and another is conversely adjusted to compensate then uneven gain in the chain... mp3 to speakers... can create distortion as well)

The easiest way would be to re-rip the files. If you have NERO, it comes bundled with a wave editor that isn't that bad. If you don't, there's the shareware/trialware acoustica... I don't know if it exists anymore, and I think there is more than one program by that title, but you should be able to find various audio editors at download.com.