Audio artifacts are inconsistencies in the frequency spectrum caused by the compression rules of an encoding algorithm. As the algorithm strips out audio frequencies in its attempt to reduce file size, it leaves remnants of its existence in the remaining audio stream. Those frequency remnants are called audio artifacts. If you hear a pop or a click when listening to digital audio then you just experienced an audio artifact.
Removing audio artifacts starts with an understanding of why they are created. Firstly, no two encoding algorithms are the same and how they derive what is to be removed differs. AAC has its advantages or MP3 or WMA on certain music styles while MP3 has improvements over AAC or RA on other styles. You are going to have to test to see which one is best for you. Secondly, the greater the compression, the greater the number of audio artifacts created by the algorithm. Compressing a 60MB music file to 200kB is going to introduce more audio artifacts than if it was compressed to 600kB. Only compress to the level suitable to your listening quality.
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