I'm not an audiophile but I can hear the difference. For me, compressed audio sounds like this: low frequencies: dull, humming noise mid range: sounds like t

I'm not an audiophile but I can hear the difference. For me, compressed audio sounds like this: low frequencies: dull, humming noise mid range: sounds like the sound is coming from a sock higher frequencies: too squeaky is the best way I can describe it. I have permanent tinnitus though. The better/higher the sound quality, the less noticeable it is. And of coarse listening to a real instrument a few meters away (that doesn't go through a mic & amplifier) is an absolute treat.