There are definitely differences between the versions. Just A and B'ing on CBH there's a SLIGHT harshness in the intro on the standard version vs. the audiophile. It's fairly negligible, but it's there, and now that I know it's there, the audiophile version is more pleasing. I'm saving the rest for my new cans. If I WASN'T listening on headphones, I don't think I'd even be able to tell a difference, but we'll see.