Hello Poppy;
The mp3 (128kbps) files I converted from itunes’ aac (advanced audio code?) do not sound as good as aac’s I created using my store purchased cd’s. I am not saying they sound bad. But, you are much better off ripping once unless of course you create flac files. That’s what I am currently doing now. Flac is pretty much lossless. But they are big files. After I create them ,I move them to my external drive. in the future, I will convert them into anything I want without changing anything with the original flac files. I am pretty sure amplifier manufacturers will come up with an amplifier that will read these flac files thru usb port. That will be incredibly convenient, scanning those flac files on the amp’s display and playing anything you want.
mp3’s in my opinion are great if you play them in a portable player or a car stereo. If you connect the player to your amp, you won’t be satisfied.
