Fascinating article. Thanks for posting it. I listen near field at rather low volume. Today I pay as much attention to the comments on recording quality as I do the review of the music itself when I read a music review. I just don't buy music that screams at me. That is instant headache.

I must note I do not own a MP3 and maybe never will. I do not see them as a Hi-Fi format.

I want a sound stage, voices that sound human, instruments that can be identified, and silence when the artist pauses.