[X4U] iTunes problem

[eleventhvolume]

I'm wondering whether anybody has encountered the problem I've just
discovered with iTunes' encoding of cds into mp3 format. I've been ripping a
lot of cds (500+) in preparation for getting myself an iPod, but have
discovered that a lot of the mp3s suffer from intermittent distortion. I can
only describe the effect as being similar to a poor connection causing
distortion/static which degrades the sound suddenly. This problem varies
over everything from 10 seconds here and there to three or four tracks in a
row before the problem disappears. I don't think this has anything to do
with the cds themselves and I haven't encountered this before. I'm importing
at 192 with standard settings. Any suggestions about this would be most
welcome. 

Many thanks.

Colin.