Hi,

I also use iTunes with LAME and I must say I haven't done any comparation. I use an G3 iBook 600 Mhz and LAME is very slow. Now that I read your tests I will probably use Fraunhofer. But there is something which you did not mentioned. What was the minimum bit rate you set in MP3 iTunes settings. Because if you say that you got 147 kb/s vs. I think 189 kb/s or so for LAME, you did set minimum bit rate at about 128 Kb/s, right? because otherwise if you set a minimum bit rate to 160 kb/s (what I think you should do), you can not get an average lower than that, right?

Another question, how do you import to MP3? do you import it direct from CD? or do you import first to WAV? How do you make backups, do you burn CD-RW? (that's what I do), I must say for me the biggest issue with MP3 ist to make backups

see you
Mario