Well, actually it was that long cymbal sounds “fade” quicker and just sound different with lossy music. IIRC I distinguished an mp3 encoded by iTunes with bit

Well, actually it was that long cymbal sounds “fade” quicker and just sound different with lossy music. IIRC I distinguished an mp3 encoded by iTunes with bit rate 192 or 256 kbps from its original in Apple Lossless (both played on same cheap acoustic system). I probably should test with AAC or Ogg, too. Although I have a feeling that it's pretty much impossible to keep intact those rich in high frequencies cymbals while keeping compact file size. > I've decided not to listen for the pre-echo artifacts so that I won't notice them :) You're much better at controlling your mind. =) After I once verified that the difference is audible even on cheap speakers, I can't switch back to lossy formats. It means constant wondering if that how it's supposed to sound or not… That's, by the way, why Apple's idea of having ‘Mastered for iTunes’ label[0] IMO is worthwhile—at least you can be sure that mastering engineer listened to it this way. =) [0] http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2012/02/mastered-for-itunes-how-audio-engineers-tweak-tunes-for-the-ipod-age.ars http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2012/02/mastered-for-itune...