>does it ruin your appreciation for great music in lower quality formats? As someone that has high-end gear, I can absolutely tell the difference in most cases

>does it ruin your appreciation for great music in lower quality formats? As someone that has high-end gear, I can absolutely tell the difference in most cases between 320kbps MP3 and lossless when switching between the two versions of the same song. It's hard to put a finger on, but it just "feels" different to my ears/perception. However, after listening to exclusively one or the other for a few minutes or not A/B switching the same song, I have a much harder time detecting the difference. Quality of the master and quality of the equipment matter much more, IMHO.