Audacity export / quality preservation question

[autoimmune]

If i take an ac-3 file, open it in audacity, perform some cuts/splits to it, and the export it (re-encode it) in the exact same hertz(48000) and bit rate(192), and the same file type (.ac3) will i degrade it in quality because i have to re-encode it, or will i end up with essentially the same file?

I have actually tried this, and i did end up with a file that was exactly the same size, but i wasn't sure that same size = same quality. I am looking for an experts opinion who understands the technology involved better than i do.

 

[blackhawk1928]

I'm actually not sure, but if the bit-rate and sampling rate are the same, its more than likely to have the same quality.