What's your chain that makes this sound harsh? Your version sounds dull and closed in compared to the original on my setup, but it's already a setup built to avoid harshness.
IMO mp3 just isn't capable of encoding high quality. Bitrate doesn't suffice, it always squashes the air where many of the sonic cues live.
However, the sibilance at the beginning of the song is also squashed. A quick AB vs. flac-encoded redbook (pre-loudness war) and I note the mp3 is very dark and flat-sounding to my ears.
Could easily be our equipment and/or ear differences. I note my wife is super sensitive to treble, to the point of really squashing it and cranking the bass all the way in order to hear it. What I hear is more in line with purr1n, though my preferences differ.
Of course she always liked the thump of the bass, and clubbing around the bay area could easily have changed her hearing response. Some of those SF bars were incredibly loud.
Also up til about turning 23, I could hear ultrasonic alarms and certain dog whistles. So I'm sure I have abnormal hearing response.
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