Anyone else use 320 kbps mp3's?, n00b here. Options

[JAKE196]

Hi, I'm kinda new to compressed audio encoding. . .

My Mp3 player supports mp3, aac, wma, and wav files and after doing a lot of listening to the different lossy formats and bitrates I decided to use 320 mp3's because to my ears they sound almost as good as CD quality, minus the frequency cut off.

I'm just wondering if anyone else here uses 320 kbps mp3's at all?

I've looked at some other threads and a lot of people say that if you are going to use 320 kbps mp3's you might as well use a lossless codec, and I understand that. (however, I use them because my player doesn't support any compressed lossless format)

I've also seen a lot of statements that 320 kbps is a pointless bitrate and something like 256 vbr is the highest thats worth using no matter what. I really don't agree with this, there is definitely an audible difference between 256 CBR or 256 VBR files and 320 files, to my ears anyway. (do I have really good ear's? I'm wondering) I have to admit LAME mp3's can pick up a lot of detail at 256 and 192 kbps, but they still don't sound as good as 320 mp3's.

I usually use 320 kbps mp3's, with the exception of fairly simple songs or exceptionally long songs, for which I use 256 kbps.

Just wanted to express my opinion and see how many other people use them, peace.

So answer the poll if it works. (this is my first post. . . )

I'll check back later.

[JAKE196]

I'll test myself then, what specific program should I use and where do i download it?, How do these tests go about, do they ask you to guess the bitrate or something?

EDIT: I'll look up foobar.

I'm fairly sure this is not because of the placebo effect, when I compare tracks I try to pick out the layers of music very carefully and compare how they sound. I'm not an idiot. In addition my library consists of different bitrate files including 320, 256, 256-320 vbr, 192-256 vbr, and 192, and often i can tell if a song is slightly lower quality than the rest of my library. And to answer another question All of my CD's are encoded with LAME 3.97 or 3.98, and most of my downloaded files are from amazonmp3, which are supposed to be LAME encoded. And no one has "good ears?," surely some people have more sensitive ears than others, most of my friends who listen to mp3's and aac's can't even tell the difference betwen mp3 and cd quality. . . the n00bs.

If you guys are really mad at me for having an opinion however 'invalid' it may be, I will take some kind of test.
My opinion seems factual to me I'm not just lying for my own amusement. I'm not expecting anyone to just straight up believe it like one of you said I was.

I was going to let this thread be. . . but it's hard to ignore people when they are so determined to not even listen to your point of view however radical it may be. I had no idea it was so radical until I made this thread. I would not have made it if I knew. . . I'm sorry.