Will a DAC mellow Denon DCM 360

PS: Sorry for not addressing the DAC question itself, but since I am not familiar with the sound of the DAC in your player I cannot say yes or no. As mentioned above when you purchase at a good used price you can resell with out losing $$$ on most items. In addition to the Truthlink IC's that I mention above I also use Silver IC's from Homegrown Audio with good results, this is just to say that the little things that I have done really did put a dent in the glare that I was experiencing as I no longer have to tame it with IC's for "most" recordings.

Thanks all of you for the suggestions! Unfortunately, I just noticed that the Denon DCM 360 doesn't have any digital output, so (I think) the option of using a DAC is moot with this player. I'm going to try some of the "cheap" tweaks suggested first, while saving my pennies for a good (used) Rotel CDP or DAC and transport. I did a little mix-and-match between the RS & DIY connects and it did substantially sooth some of the grating highs, but unforntunately, once I knew they exist, you know, can't stand any. I don't care what any of the ranting fools say on Audioreview.com's name-calling forums, different cables and connects make a big difference. Also, the difference in sonic atrributes/quality between cd's is amazing since the "glare" or "hiss" is so much worse or non-existent on many recordings. I'm not likely to get rid of the DIY speaker cables because 1) I spent weeks meticulousy braiding twisted pair w/ twisted pair to get a total of 27 pair per Low freq's and 9 pair per highs for a bi-wire set. Too much time and blisters invested, also they are highly rated by many experts and only cost me $37 + time. 2) I find it easy to believe that the cheap Denon CD carousel is the weak(er) link. Besides, pride won't let me admit to the girlfriend that I made our living room into a wire braiding jungle for weeks, all for naught. Plus, they really do sound great!

Since i think that the DCM-360 has a permanent power cord, that kind of lets that out unless you feel like doing internal modifications. You might try starting off with filling a large zip lock type freezer bag with sand and mass loading the CD player. Some Vibrapods underneath it rated for the weight of the player AND the sandbag might also help. In terms of your interconnects and speaker cable, they are probably FAR superior to much of what is available on the market for WAY, WAY more money than what you spent. That is as long as you followed the directions properly. My REAL suggestion is to look into another CD player if you want to solve the problem. I have tried the DCM 360 and it fell WAY short of the NAD 515 in terms of warmth and musicality. It also felt a helluva lot "cheesier" in terms of build quality. Cycling times were also measurably slower with the Denon. If a changer is not a big deal, look for a Cal Delta / Sigma set-up. The Sigma / Sigma II will do MARVELS for your system in terms of musicality, warmth and soundstage. The later version of the Sigma II is 24/96 and is not as full sounding, but does offer a more open and detailed sound. Depending on what your seeking, you can play with the single tube in any of these DACS and fine tune the sound to your liking. I also have one question. How do you have your equipment set up ? Is it in an entertainment center, rack, on top of some type of cabinet, etc ??? Please be as specific as possible. Sean >

This is an interesting post--I do own a DCM360, and mine does not have a digital out--hence you cannot hookup an external DAC. I have found that monster interconnects (M550 or higher) do a nice job of warming up the sound and also improve the bass. I am using M1000i, which sound awesome!!! Of course, most people would consider it foolish to use a $200 cable on a $300 CDP. The only reason I do is that I have several systems, and so I took the M1000 out of a higher end system when I changed cables. Double check your back panel for a digital connection before you buy a DAC!

Egg on my face for not reading your followup--You already know that you don't have a digital out!!!! Sorry. I do agree that the 360 is harsh and thin sounding--and I definitely liked the smoothing/warming effect of my cables. They also made the soundstage huge! Otherwise, start auditioning some of Rotels players. The 991 is known as a smooth sounding one, and would be a nice match to the rest of your gear. And the 971 gets great attention, too, although it's primary fault seems to be a slight graininess. If its in the budget, sony just launched a 5 disc SACD player in their ES line. The ES players have always been highly regarded, and they tend to have a warm and rich tonal balance. I would say the CD player is definitely your weak link in the system. Good luck in you searching!