Better Quality CD's

Mapleshade records, Audioquest, APO. You can find these CD's at amusicdirect.com, acousticsounds.com, mapleshaderecords.com.

Look for "Remastered", in general they will be an improvement on the original CD release.

Thanks for all your help. It looks as though MSFL & DCC are the way to go. I will probably look into XRCD also since I am a Jazz fan.

skidman: don't overlook some of the smaller labels, whose sound is consistently higher than average. for example, oh boy!, 4ad, ryko, rhino (especially re-issues), secretly canadian, acoustic disc and redhouse, to name but a few. i would also look for sony 20-bit titles, that offer superior sound quality. most mfsl cd's are, IMO, greatly overrated and over-priced. (FWIW, i'm a mfsl vinyl collector, with several hundred titles on my shelves.) you should also take care in purchasing japanese pressings; many are stridently bright. good hunting. -kelly

freeze them. according to a brit audio magazine. (fairly recent issue; last month maybe) you can freeze them in a household freezer for a week. then place them in your frig for a week. then put them in a cool place for 3 more days. (no i am not making this up) it is supposed to improve the sound by removing stress from the plastic. i have yet to do it. i am on an analog kick and listening to 500 new (thrift shop albums)....cleaning them is a chore. i also have most of the labels listed above...very good quality. even un-frozen. my modest analog set up kills any cd i own. good luck