Silky and soft highs II: CD reference tests


I've been in some interesting discussions here recently regarding high end CD players and have heard a couple at dealers recently, including the DCS Puccini which certainly has to be considered one of the best.

I currently own a very modest Denon player/recorder that is sounding the best of any player I've ever owned in my current system at present.

The flaw that I have heard most frequently in CD players over the years that I notice and bothers me when I hear it is what I think is commonly referred to as graininess, often recognizable as sibilance in the high end. I hear it most easily when present in long drawn out violin notes at a certain pitch, for example, possibly a result of jitter in the analog signal due to clock or other issues in recreating high frequencies from the digital stream correctly in the analog waveform. I suspect better CD players do a better job in general of avoiding or perhaps even masking this somehow if in fact it is inherent in the CD formats limitations.

I'd like to know if anyone can suggest a CD recording I might own that I might use as a test for how well my player handles this? Also any info regarding what to listen for to determine sound quality would be appreciated.

General discussion of this topic is also welcome.

Thanks.
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Jaybo,

What you say is probably true, but, that aside, I'm wondering if anybody can suggest something to listen for from a passage of a particular CD that they have heard differences with from player to player so that I can see what I hear on my system for comparison. I'm looking for something specific to listen for that clearly separates a better player from a lesser one, all other factors aside.
here are two reference cds i use:

1) holly cole don't smoke in bed, track 1. observe sibilance.

2) bob james and earl klugh, two of a kind, track 3. listen to cymbal at the beginning of the track and then listen to the nylong strings of an acoustic guitar.

please let me know of your experiences using these discs.
I have Bob James and Earl Klugh "Cool" and Earl Klugh "Move".

Anything similar worth listening to in these?
I've recently revisited several CD recordings in the Jascha Heifitz Collection series on RCA Vistor Gold Seal.

I must say that these are some absolutely striking recordings both in terms of sonics and performance, among the best I have heard recently.

Specifically, I am currently listening to The Mozart Concerto #5, Sonata, Quintet CD. The Concerto #5 piece was recorded in 1963 and is quite exquisite!
0ne of the tracks I use for comparing things is Diana Krall's cover of "A Case of You," from Live in Paris. I think it's a pretty good recording, and with just her and the piano and the room, it seems a pretty revealing test. If I get you, it does not have the kind of highs you are looking for though. John