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Originally Posted by froopy seal
Why? Do you have the hi-fi and ears to hear a difference that matters? (I'm not trying to mock anyone, this question is meant seriously.) If yes, what would be an "acceptable" bitrate for your personal equipment?
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Yes, absolutely, I can hear a difference. It's not something that I can immediately pick out, but I do get a sense that something is missing. Listening to low bitrate mp3s for an extended time tends to give me a headache that I just don't get when listening to CD's or high-bitrate encoded music.
I'd consider 256 kbps CBR or Lame -APX / -V0 VBR to be a starting point for mp3 encoding. All of the digital downloads I've bought before (with the exception of the other RR's) have been either 320 kbps CBR or FLAC encoded, even if that has meant paying extra.
Maybe R&K, having produced the music, know that there is absolutely no difference made to the sound quality by having it encoded as 160 kbps, but experience tells me that the difference between this and a 320 kbps or lossless encode will be noticable by most people with a decent hi-fi.