Ive got me the Digital Nasties


Not counting buying a turntable or going SACD, what tips , tweaks or products have you had success with , that lessens the harshness of the cd format? Thanks!
darrylhifi
Definitely wires, then PS Audio power plant, then cones/maple shelf/IsoBlocks under the CD player, then CD treatments like Mapleshade Mikro-Smooth and Walker Vivid. Pretty much in that order. Good luck.
I have applied Dynamat on the inside of my transport (sparingly, a little goes a long way) and have used Blu-Tak on the "Bridge" of the drive and on the drawer. This gave noticeable improvement. But what was my best tweak, and seemed like an upgrade in equipment, was using Blu-Tak on the clock and on parts of the PCB in my DAC. Some prefer using a small sandbag, but I chose the Blu-Tak. Go to AA and look up "Sandbag on the clock" or “Damping CD players” or try this link

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=tweaks&n=30356&highlight=sandbag+on+the+clock+tweak&session=

This is a wealth of info and you can read about the differences between sandbags and Blu-Tak. I never used to be a believer in the isolation idea, but after this tweak, I'm a TRUE believer. It was absolutely night and day. It is now cleaner, detailed, better sense of depth and soundstage and the bass has improve.

Another worthwhile tweak is to find a good way to isolate the transport and DAC from other vibration. For my setup, solid maple shelves (1 ½ inch thick), on Vibrapods and cones between the transport/DAC and the shelf. I know this is a highly debated issue, but only you can decide for yourself, by experimenting.

I also agree with the others on trying different power cords, especially on the DAC. If you can have a dedicated circuit put in, get one for your digital gear alone, (along with the analog side as well as for your amps, but that is a different matter) which will also help. Hope this helps. Just try some of these; you just might like what you hear!
This is your cheapest option. There is no reason why you should have to own a harsh cd player. Simply sell yours here, then buy one that isn't harsh.
Forgot about one.
Get several of the "anti-static foam mats" for IC's from Radioshack. Cover the conductive foam so it does not short out your equipment. Place the mats over the IC's in the CD equipment, the D/A converter, the clock... etc. It will suck up the stray radiation and mellow out the sound.
Cleaning up AC power definitely helped my problems in that regard. The JPS Digital AC cord is one popluar remedy here on the 'Gon, in the filtered AC cord area. An AC power input balancing transformer or other line conditioning has reportedly been successfully implemented (although I did not require them - just the filtered cord).
RF stoppers on the output interconnects may be a useful troubleshooting tool, but should not be left installed permanently (they excessively round off the HF's & transients). Ferrite filtering ring &/or Highwire Powerwrap on the AC cord may do well for you however.
I also realized improvement with Nordost Pulsar Points placed in between the CDP's baseplate & whatever type of shelf that you're using (if any). In my case that would be a Zoethecus Z-Slab, (Mapleshade or Black Diamond are some other popular shelf options). But you'll need to experiment in order to to determine what works best with your own unique combination of player, cabling, & equipment rack in any case.