[Yardstick]

No doubt the headphones make a huge difference. But it's very clear to me that compressed audio just isn't the same as real audio. The dynamic range is audibly reduced as well as the detail in the top end. I don't perceive it as a trivial difference at all.

Of course, there are different degrees of compression. Some compression just totally kills the music, but I guess there are other types that are probably pretty transparent.

Like I said to rdb3, I'm just going to take a listen to an iPod some time.

[R. Scott]

The dynamic range is audibly reduced as well as the detail in the top end. I don't perceive it as a trivial difference at all.

For most music it won’t make much of a difference. For orchestral or choral it will – but for people who listen to hip-hop and some modern rock, quality is meaningless.