You might want to try out the iTunes selection of audible.com books. Although they come from audible.com, they are compressed differently (32kbps AAC rather than MP3). I tried listening to the preview of The Last Juror on both audible.com's website and the iTunes Music Store and the version on iTunes sounded much warmer. I'm not sure that'd be the case for the entire selection of audiobooks on iTunes, though. Plus, you have to have an iPod to listen. The ol' burn-n-rip technique for converting the iTunes AACs to MP3s would be a big pain with an audiobook.

- trs