I buy my music almost exclusively on Amazon.com these days; taking a quick look back at my recent purchases, it appears that all of the downloaded audio files are either 256 or 320 kbps... The cost savings (most CDs I buy are between $5-$9.99) and the immediate gratification factor (no waiting for CDs in the mail, no trips to a crowded store!) are well worth any minor (to my ear anyway) audio quality degradation. IMHO, anyway...