ok, based on your responses here, even though you guys can much more easily hear deficiences, whether it be from mp3 sources, and I assume by extention.. marginal recording quality on certain cds or even poor broadcast sources, you can live with those deficiences, but they are just that more noticable.

I am certainly used to marginal sound so I can probably live with it as well.

(I mostly wondered if it might be better for me to consider a speaker that's more forgiving or smoother as alot of my cds are merely adequate recordings, or live bootlegs with the occasional crackle 'n pop and other assorted deficiancies).

I like the idea of easily being able to tell if something is mp3 sourced, as it's a big no-no in the trading communities to trade mp3 sourced bootlegs. There are probably lots of speakers out there capable of this revelation however, since the speakers I'm living with right now are of the Crackerjack box variety. []