Volume Level of Downloads

[mcgamble]

When I first started using LimeWire I noticed the volume level is considerably lower on the downloaded mp3s than music from a CD.

To make an accurate comparison I downloaded TuPac's "I Get Around" and played part of it, paused it, and played the same song from a CD I had previously purchased. Adjusting the CD volume and the WAV volume to the same level (I use Windows 2000 Professional), the CD version of the song was twice to three times louder than the downloaded mp3.

This poses a problem when burning a compilation CD from multiple sources. Does anyone know why this happens? Is there a solution? When I paid $28 for a subscription to this thing I expected quality exactly as that of purchasing a CD from a store. Maybe I made a wrong assumption?