Musical Fidelity A324 DAC too bright?

I'm using the DAC with a California Audio Ikon Cd player as a transport. I thought it was a noticeable improvement over the Cal cd player when I first bought it, but after almost 2 years, I find it too bright,almost harsh especially in comparison to records. Is that likely a problem with this particular model, cd technology itself or just the fact that I've become spoiled by recent upgrades in my record playing system. I'm using relatively inexpensive MIT cables for the digital connections. Can the brightness be ameliorated by changing cables or should I just sell the unit and get something different?