Admittedly, even at 60 years of age, I have abnormally acute hearing which, as a total music nutter, I've protected all my life. Sad, maybe, but I wear ear defenders whilst vacuuming my house! Anyway: Am I the only bloke who finds the pitifully low KbPS of all download providers a pain in the ear? When I'm out of the house, I listen to my MP3 tracks via Bose Quiet Comfort 'phones and, believe me, any track recorded/ripped at less than 320 KbPS sounds like crap. All 5000 odd tracks comprising my MP3 collection have been ripped at 320 KbPS from CDs I've purchased mainly from Amazon and one of these days, I must get around to selling via Amazon.. So, I realise download time will be far longer, but isn't it time a Provider offered high quality downloads? Wothcha Fink?

Hi Laurie,
well, I've a few years to go yet to reach 60, though given your report of your hearing ability I am looking forward to mine staying good to the age, and further !
As for MP3 tracks, I don't like the sound of any I've heard, but as I don't own a player I do not know the KbPs of the stuff I've heard because the owners do not seem to know !
What I do hear is highly correlated with the audio quality of the original source, for the cases where I have been able to compare MP3 with CD, and basically it seems the more information -{dynamic range and frequency bandwidth}- the MP3 has to cope with the less it sounds like the CD for every case I've heard to date - not surprising.
Actually, I prefer Analog, having done some recording I can say nothing sounds as close to the original instrumernts and voices as an analog tape recording done on a good quality machine optimally aligned for the chosen tape type -{and batch of that tape}- but most people cannot get master tapes of course.
Next up, I prefer analog cut vinyl LPs, presuming one has got a decent quality Turntable; Tonearm; Cartridge; Riaa input on amplifier or pre-amp.

Me again.. Hi Chris and thanks for your contribution to what, judging by the response, appears to an overwhelmingly uninteresting subject. Yes to all you wrote: Sounds received at the eardrum arrive in 'waves' not 'steps' and I and many others can detect this. In fact, since I posted the original post, iTunes are now providing downloads at 256kps and, if reproduced via 'average' quality speakers, the reproduction is acceptable. Using Bose Quiet Comfort headphones, however, that slightly ragged top edge and lack of bass depth is always apparent. If you have time, let me know what type of music nut, (to be reading and writing about this subject, you have to be,) you are and to what type of music you listen, also, do you attend concerts, I may know of some bands you'd enjoy. By the way, I live in Bulgaria and moved here last March. Cheers, Laurie.

Try flac file downloads Laurie. They are as close to cd as makes no difference.

I have a valve amp and a valve output section cd player which helps warm up the sound immensely. Solid state can sound harsh and tiring, depending on your budget.

Tim de Paravicini, EAR Yoshino designer, has a good rundown on valves vs. solid state on his website.