Not sure I am hearing what I think

You don't really give enough info to guess. What are the old CDs? If you loaded them unto your Mac one suspects either they are very old or else religious music. Sorry, the devil made me say that. Seriously, it could be many different things or a combination thereof. If the CDs were stored in the wrong environment they could have deteriorated, you might have been unlucky in your choice of CDs, they could have been damaged in various ways, the new ones may just be better, it is hard to know.

Stanwal,
The Cd's that I am comparing them to are older MFSL ones. Grateful Dead at the Mars Hotel Steely Dan AJA and some of my wife''s newer ones by Jesse Cook. The new MFSL just seem crisp and clear with a lower background level. Just a real noticeable difference.

I'm sorry but I don't have any of those and my experiences comparing new and old CDs has been contradictory. Sometimes they are greatly improved and sometimes compressed or otherwise screwed up. The new ones SHOULD be better as new technology is available which could greatly improve the sound and it is high time that it came into more general use. Maybe MF is leading the way, let us hope so.