It's not the sound I want!

EARPLUGS ! Wow! What a tweak. I think I'll start a company to sell earplugs, and start by sending several samples to reviewers at Stereophile.

Any of the above advice about tube dacs or players may be just what you need.I own the Cal Alpha/Delta combo(with a used reference balanced digital interconnect.(cable list $700. used$225.) Tubes offer a way to custom tailor sound to your own taste and needs.The above setup ,including cable can be had used for ,within $1000.(U.S.)The Alpha dac can later be upgraded by Cal to 24/96 which brings the overall performance up another notch !You can easily get most or all your money back on reselling used gear and this offers one the ultimate and most affordable way to fine tune their system.I would strongly recommend that you focus on one component at a time and wait until your budget allows for you to purchase the new addition to compare with your current one.While room treatment, isolation and ideal speaker placement are all essential to fine tune your sound,proper component matching is of the utmost importance.If the digital upgrade is not the entire solution ,then consider comparing amps that will have a smoother high end. I went from a well broken in Bryston 3BST to a McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe,that I will soon send out for the top revision A upgrade.The 3BST sounded fine,yet the DNA-1 was smoother.A perfectly matched and properly setup system will give you a very satisfying sound.I recently had a second system(5k) that was very satisfing.BTW, both of these systems also benefited from tube pre amps.One step at a time and a little patience.

I agree with Kkirkpa don't do anything rash - I would work to get the best out of what you have first. There are a lot of things you can do to take the 'edge' off of your system. I have had GREAT success tuning my system with Bybee products and Black Diamond Racing Cones/Parts and the (ridiculously expensive) Shunyata power cords. It is amazing how far these things go to improve the sound and take the edge off of what sounds like a great system. Why throw away a group of components you found and like? Things like the stand they are on, and power cords can really make a big difference. I would contact DJ at BDR to get his advise (he's a no BS guy who will tell you if he thinks it won't help) and then borrow some cables (the Cable Company is good for this) and try to find ways to 'tune' what it sounds to me is a sound you are basically happy with. I have a Meridian 508-24 and Pathos Twin Towers and I too was surprised to find CDs somtimes sounding a bit hard compared to my VPI MK4. $8-grand is a lot of scratch for system; I would focus on taking reasonable steps toward cleaning it up before I started swapping major component out.

I have listened to the Aeriels with Classe` equipment and I can assure you the problem is not the speakers. They are wonderful with the Classe` gear. Try "The Cable Company", They will let you audition Harmonic Technology cables. They are not expensive (relative to your system) and at the least can let you relax a bit while listening to the Adcom. I think they may help you here. You dont have much to lose by trying them out. Good luck. Let us know how things progress.

Borrow a good turntable (VPI, Gouldman, Rega, Linn, Project, etc.) from a buddy or dealer! You'll be amazed how good your system sounds. Your system is so revealing that you are hearing artifacts of the digital source.