The Death of High Fidelity - In the age of MP3s, sound quality is worse than ever
MP3 and other digital-music formats are quickly replacing CDs as the most popular way to listen to music. That means more convenience but worse sound. To create an MP3, a computer samples the music on a CD and compresses it into a smaller file by excluding the musical information that the human ear is less likely to notice. Much of the information left out is at the very high and low ends, which is why some MP3s sound flat. Cavallo says that MP3s don't reproduce reverb well, and the lack of high-end detail makes them sound brittle. Without enough low end, he says, "you don't get the punch anymore. It decreases the punch of the kick drum and how the speaker gets pushed when the guitarist plays a power chord."
Article: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17777619/the_death_of_high_fidelity/print
Comments: http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/12/27/special-report-the-death-of-high-fidelity-in-the-age-of-mp3s-sound-quality-is-worse-than-ever/
Slashdot: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/29/0455202
