:The scientific tests done are very consistent: If I play you a high-bandwidth recording and the same recording resampled at 16/44.1, you will be unable to tell which one is which (unless you happen to be my cat).  That is objective scientific fact, supported by study after study and never contradicted.  There are a lot of people who desperately want to believe this is not so, but such ideas are treated as fringe theories.   We have had a number of people of this fringe come here and try time and time again to put a version of this fringe theory in the article; please see the archives for some of the discussions we have had.