Yes, I hear the difference even at my age. MP3 compresses the dynamic range and causes the upper highs to sounded less crisp - think a shh sound rather than a sss sound. I only use them for the car with my recorded thumb drives. CD's with .wav files in my Theater only. Blue-Ray is a little better if you use a Blue-Ray disc.
What is your favorite un-remastered CD you use as a standard for dynamic range? I used to use Dire Straights "Brothers in Arms" CD. It was renowned at the time for being the standard for instrument clarity and dynamic range for a studio recording. The opening track "So Far Away" starts with a sizzling high-hat and base intro. It just gets better from there. I think it is all I need and never bought the re-master. Some re-masters are worth the bucks, especially for older music.
There's a ton of great, usually older, recordings to choose from. I rarely use a reference track when I mix but occasionally I will. If so, I'll choose a well recorded, well mixed track from a band within the client's genre. Or I'll ask the client what band's production they're aiming for. There's so much to choose from.