Ripping CDs to MP3 at 128kbps is the standard but audiophiles insist you can hear the compression artifacts. I've done blind A/B tests between CD and 128k MP3 on my decent speakers and honestly? I can barely tell.

At 192kbps the difference is completely inaudible to me. Am I going deaf or is this just placebo for most people?

At 128kbps on decent headphones, yes, you can hear artifacts — especially on cymbals and high-frequency sounds. 192kbps is transparent for 99% of people though.

Rip at 192 or higher and forget about it. Storage is cheap and the quality bump is worth the extra space. I do VBR ~190 average with LAME and it sounds perfect.

On laptop speakers or earbuds? No difference at any bitrate. On good headphones or speakers? 128k is noticeably worse on complex music. 192+ is fine.