Audio sounds hollow and tinny all of a sudden in iTunes

Hi everyone -
I'm having an audio issue when playing files in iTunes. I'm using iTunes 8.1.1 (10) on a Dual 2.7 Ghz PowerPC G5 running OS X Version 10.4.11.
Recently I discovered that all of my audio files (music and spoken word podcasts) started sounding hollow and tinny, both when I'm playing the files out of my speakers (Harman Kardon Soundsticks) or headphones (Sony MDR-7606).
At first I thought it was perhaps an equalizer issue, but the audio sounds hollow and tinny whether or not that function is enabled. Also, using Sound Enhancer in the iTunes preferences doesn't change the quality of the audio, either. I don't use Sound Check.
The majority of my audio files are ripped from my CD collection using 256 kbps, 44.100 kHz, VBR, optimized for Velocity Engine.
I don't think it's an issue with the files themselves - they sound normal when I play them using the same version of iTunes on my MacBook Pro running OS X 10.5.6, which makes me think it's a software issue with iTunes, but I'm totally at a loss as to what would cause this change in audio quality.
Thanks,
Dan

I tried playing some of my files in Quicktime, and they also sound tinny, so I think you're right - sounds like a computer issue. Everything sounds like it has heavy compression, even in my headphones - very odd.
Should I repost this issue in a different forum...?

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    I'm having an audio issue when playing files in iTunes 8.1.1 (10) and Quicktime Pro 7.6 (472) . I'm using ia Dual 2.7 Ghz PowerPC G5 running OS X Version 10.4.11.
    Recently I discovered that all of my audio files (music and spoken word podcasts) started sounding compressed, hollow, and tinny, both when I'm playing the files out of my speakers (Harman Kardon Soundsticks) or headphones (Sony MDR-7606).
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