CDP suggestions for bright system?

Hi Widner. IMO you have two components in your system that tend to be a bit lean and have a reputation for being a little bright and analytical sounding. This is not to say that your equipment is not of high quality or what have you but I've owned and Acurus A150 along with the Acurus RL-11, ACD-11(which I still own as a transport)and had them connected using DH Labs and I found the sound the of this system to be a little lean and on the cold side. However, I paid a little more attention to my room acoustics and it helped my system dramatically. How does your room sound? Does it have sufficient sound absorbing materials in the room like thick curtains, book shelfs or carpet? This approach may help you identify more quickly the problem components even before you get your new CD player.

I tend to think that neutrality is relative to one's experience and preference. There are hundred's of people who swear that their $500.00 receiver and $200.00 CD player with stock cables are the ultimate in clarity and neutrality but who am I to judge if that's their experience. In regards to cables, software,room acoustics and sources, I believe this is where you'll find a lot of the brightness and glare originating from. If you upgrade your pre amp, then make sure that you have arteries(I would recommend Harmonic Technologies Truth Link's) that won't pollute or degrade the signals being transmitted. If you have a preference for poor recordings and your choice of software is the CD then you will hear exactly why some hate or prefer not to deal with them in the first place. However, if you have a capable pre amp, along with good sounding DAC's, cabling and good room acoustics, then you should be able to enjoy music on CD and not feel that your teeth are being grinded every time a cymbal splash happens. Is it going to sound like analog? No, not at all but that doesn't mean you can't and won't enjoy CD playback despite all of it's faults.