diff --git a/src/lib/bitAllocation.cpp b/src/lib/bitAllocation.cpp
index 0499549..d21bd14 100644
--- a/src/lib/bitAllocation.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/bitAllocation.cpp
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ unsigned BitAllocator::initSfbStepSizes (const SfbGroupData* const groupData[USA
     const uint32_t*   rms = grpData.sfbRmsValues;
     uint32_t*   stepSizes = &sfbStepSizes[ch * numSwbShort * NUM_WINDOW_GROUPS];
 // --- apply INTRA-channel simultaneous masking, equal-loudness weighting, and thresholding to SFB RMS data
-    uint32_t maskingSlope = 0, b, elw = 58254; // 8/9
+    uint32_t maskingSlope = 0, gr, b, elw = 58254; // 8/9
     uint32_t rmsEqualLoud = 0;
     uint32_t sumStepSizes = 0;
 
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ unsigned BitAllocator::initSfbStepSizes (const SfbGroupData* const groupData[USA
     }
     if ((ch == lfeChannelIndex) || (grpData.numWindowGroups != 1)) // LFE, SHORT windows: no masking or ELW
     {
-      for (unsigned gr = 0; gr < grpData.numWindowGroups; gr++)
+      for (gr = 0; gr < grpData.numWindowGroups; gr++)
       {
         const uint32_t* gRms = &rms[numSwbShort * gr];
         uint32_t* gStepSizes = &stepSizes[numSwbShort * gr];
@@ -207,11 +207,43 @@ unsigned BitAllocator::initSfbStepSizes (const SfbGroupData* const groupData[USA
       {
 // --- SHORT windows: apply perceptual just noticeable difference (JND) model and local band-peak smoothing
         nMeans++;
+
+        for (b = maxSfbInCh - 1; b > 0; b--) // gentle temporal band-peak smoothing; a spectral one follows
+        {
+          uint32_t maxGrpStep = stepSizes[b], stepSizeM1 = BA_EPS;
+
+          for (gr = 1; gr < grpData.numWindowGroups; gr++)
+          {
+            const uint32_t curGrpStep = stepSizes[b + numSwbShort * gr];
+
+            if (curGrpStep > maxGrpStep) maxGrpStep = curGrpStep;
+          }
+          for (gr = 0; gr + 1 < grpData.numWindowGroups; gr++)
+          {
+            const uint32_t newGrpStep = __max (stepSizeM1, stepSizes[b + numSwbShort * (gr + 1)]);
+
+            stepSizeM1 = stepSizes[b + numSwbShort * gr];
+
+            if ((stepSizeM1 == maxGrpStep) && (maxGrpStep > newGrpStep))
+            {
+              sumStepSizes -= unsigned (0.5 + sqrt ((double) maxGrpStep));
+              stepSizes[b + numSwbShort * gr] = newGrpStep;
+              sumStepSizes += unsigned (0.5 + sqrt ((double) newGrpStep));
+            }
+          }
+          if ((stepSizes[b + numSwbShort * gr] == maxGrpStep) && (maxGrpStep > stepSizeM1))
+          {
+            sumStepSizes -= unsigned (0.5 + sqrt ((double) maxGrpStep));
+            stepSizes[b + numSwbShort * gr] = stepSizeM1;
+            sumStepSizes += unsigned (0.5 + sqrt ((double) stepSizeM1));
+          }
+        } // for b
+
         m_avgStepSize[ch] = __min (USHRT_MAX, uint32_t ((sumStepSizes + (nBandsInCh >> 1)) / nBandsInCh));
         sumMeans += m_avgStepSize[ch];
         m_avgStepSize[ch] *= m_avgStepSize[ch];
 
-        for (unsigned gr = 0; gr < grpData.numWindowGroups; gr++) // separate peak smoothing for each group
+        for (gr = 0; gr < grpData.numWindowGroups; gr++) // separate spectral peak smoothing for each group
         {
           jndPowerLawAndPeakSmoothing (&stepSizes[numSwbShort * gr], maxSfbInCh, m_avgStepSize[ch], m_avgSpecFlat[ch], 0);
         }
diff --git a/src/lib/exhaleEnc.cpp b/src/lib/exhaleEnc.cpp
index cc211d1..0a1eaff 100644
--- a/src/lib/exhaleEnc.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/exhaleEnc.cpp
@@ -1024,7 +1024,7 @@ unsigned ExhaleEncoder::quantizationCoding ()  // apply MDCT quantization and en
           const uint8_t maxSfbShort = (samplingRate < 37566 ? 14 /*32 kHz*/ : brModeAndFsToMaxSfbShort(m_bitRateMode, samplingRate));
           const uint16_t peakIndex  = (shortWinCurr ? 0 : (m_specAnaCurr[ci] >> 5) & 2047);
           const unsigned sfmBasedSfbStart = (shortWinCurr ? maxSfbShort : maxSfbLong) - 5 + (m_bitRateMode >> 1) + (meanSpecFlat[ci] >> 5);
-          const unsigned targetBitCountX2 = ((54000 + 18000 * m_bitRateMode) * nSamplesInFrame) / (samplingRate * grpData.numWindowGroups);
+          const unsigned targetBitCount25 = ((60000 + 20000 * m_bitRateMode) * nSamplesInFrame) / (samplingRate * ((grpData.numWindowGroups + 1) >> 1));
           unsigned b = grpData.sfbsPerGroup - 1;
 
           if ((grpRms[b] >> 16) > 0) lastSfb = b;
@@ -1033,7 +1033,7 @@ unsigned ExhaleEncoder::quantizationCoding ()  // apply MDCT quantization and en
 #if EC_TRELLIS_OPT_CODING
           if (grpLength == 1) // finalize bit count estimate, RDOC
           {
-            estimBitCount = m_sfbQuantizer.quantizeSpecRDOC (entrCoder, grpScaleFacs, __min (estimBitCount + 2, targetBitCountX2),
+            estimBitCount = m_sfbQuantizer.quantizeSpecRDOC (entrCoder, grpScaleFacs, __min (estimBitCount + 2, targetBitCount25),
                                                              grpOff, grpRms, grpData.sfbsPerGroup, m_mdctQuantMag[ci]);
             for (b = 1; b < grpData.sfbsPerGroup; b++)
             {
@@ -1056,7 +1056,7 @@ unsigned ExhaleEncoder::quantizationCoding ()  // apply MDCT quantization and en
 #endif
           b = lastSfb;
           while ((b >= sfmBasedSfbStart) && (grpOff[b] > peakIndex) && ((grpRms[b] >> 16) <= 1) /*coarse quantization*/ &&
-                 ((estimBitCount * 9 > targetBitCountX2 * 4) || (grpLength > 1 /*no accurate bit count est. available*/)))
+                 ((estimBitCount * 5 > targetBitCount25 * 2) || (grpLength > 1 /*no accurate bit count est. available*/)))
           {
             b--; // search first coarsely quantized high-freq. SFB
           }
@@ -1087,7 +1087,7 @@ unsigned ExhaleEncoder::quantizationCoding ()  // apply MDCT quantization and en
             }
           }
 
-          if (estimBitCount > targetBitCountX2) // too many bits!!
+          if (estimBitCount > targetBitCount25) // too many bits!!
           {
             for (b = lastSOff; b > 0; b--)
             {
@@ -1108,7 +1108,7 @@ unsigned ExhaleEncoder::quantizationCoding ()  // apply MDCT quantization and en
                 grpRms[b] += 3 + entrCoder.indexGetBitCount ((int) grpScaleFacs[b] - grpScaleFacs[b - 1]);
                 estimBitCount += grpRms[b] & USHRT_MAX;
               }
-              if (estimBitCount <= targetBitCountX2) break;
+              if (estimBitCount <= targetBitCount25) break;
             }
 
             for (b++; b <= lastSfb; b++) // re-repeat scale factor
@@ -1118,7 +1118,7 @@ unsigned ExhaleEncoder::quantizationCoding ()  // apply MDCT quantization and en
                 grpScaleFacs[b] = grpScaleFacs[b - 1];
               }
             }
-          } // if estimBitCount > targetBitCountX2
+          } // if estimBitCount > targetBitCount25
 
           for (b = lastSfb + 1; b < grpData.sfbsPerGroup; b++)
           {