That was an interesting read. He neglects to mention, though, that the web is also awash in anti-audiophile MP3 enthusiasts.

Lossless digital is the future of high fidelity audio, and thus is being given attention by discriminating listeners who also have "early adopter" characteristics. The gentleman who wrote this article seems to think that it's not entirely rational to be against formats that remove musical data. Considering that many CDs sound thin and lifeless as it is, why would hollowing them out any further be wise? I guess I've always marched to the beat of my own drum, but this college student fills his iPod with Apple Lossless. Quality, not quantity.

I am currently in the process of reimporting all of my CDs in lossless format

Stephen performed a little test for me in the office with his Multipurpose Solution cd, and the difference between the MP3 rip and the lossless rip was huge and could be told instantly. I used to believe there was no difference, and then, I listened.

Excellent!

My friend came over one day with a CD he had burned for me. He obtained the files via torrent, so they were not full CD quality.

He thinks I'm nuts (which I am), and that a lot of this audio geek nonsense is in my head (which it usually isn't). So, while we were listening, he asked if I could identify the bitrate of the music. After a few seconds, I said "256", which he confirmed was correct. Showed him!

haha. Right on! (although a little scary)