Any true audiophile will absolutely shun ANY compression technique which isn't lossless imo. If you can't hear the difference, then you need a better system
... If space isn't a concern, then the original .wav files are fine, FLAC is great, SHN (is proprietory, thus losing favor) is great. MP3 may be fine for convenience (i.e. an IPOD), but if you can't hear a difference, then you have other weak links in the system (the DAC converter for example, and many of them suck too). Unless you have a pro-grade system, almost all digital sound cards aren't up to snuff...there's simply too much 'background noise' on most pc's. Soundblaster's bite...I've got an older Zefiro ZA2 digital card that I use for transferring DATs to .wav, but nothing will touch the DAC converter I have in my preamp. Just my .02 worth...