There is a very good article that has been posted a couple of times to this board, which documents a blind listening test conducted with the popular compression formats.

The article made a pretty compelling argument that on most types of music, hardcore audiophiles can not reliably distinguish a 128K-bit MP3 file from the master recording.

After reading that article, I find it hard to believe that most people are going to hear the difference cruising in your convertible at 80MPH with the top down. I'm usually happy when I can make out the lyrics under such circustances. :)

You and Tony seem to be identifying a discernible difference that doesn't seem to be supported by the study. Why is this?

Corby
6-Gig Blue, #320, 128K VBR