Cambridge Audio D500SE CD player

Dekay, thanks for your advice. The player is sitting on a 2 1/2"(I think, or more) maple butcher block, which Brulee sent to me last week. To say it is stable would be an understatement. I may use some more things in concert with this(I have been told Redkiwi is an expert in this area). Such as another layer of material, or some type of different feet(polymer or metal cones), etc. I haven't even taken the stock cord out of its plastic bag. The power cord I am using is a 13 awg silver model from Delta. It consists of three sets of three wires(hot, neutral, ground). Each of the 9 wires is teflon insulated 99.999% 22 gauge, solid core silver(analogous to HomeGrown Audio Super Silver, but with much thicker teflon insulation). The three sets of three wires are braided ala Kimber/Home Grown Audio. I also have other power cords, another from Delta which is 8 gauge copper(I use it on my amp), and two Coincident CST power cords. I could try one, after the player has broken in. Interconnect is HomeGrown Audio Silver Lace. My experience has shown me no superior cable to this product on my tuner or CD player, in my system. A very dynamic, bass rich, detailed cable. I also have a Coincident CST IC, which I will try after the player is fully broken in. As you can see, I am hesitant to make any changes until after the player has had the opportunity of a full break - in. I want to establish a baseline for comparison of ancillary factors. Will keep everyone posted, as there is probably a fair amount of people who may be interested in the purchase of this player. I think we are in a no man's land. One in which it is not wise to buy an expensive player, as the new formats are on the horizon. Yet, they are not here yet. And some people may be in need of replacement of older machines.

Trelja, after hearing this tweak last week, it's worth trying--get a small innertube at K-mart, put it under the CDP and inflate it enough to get the player's feet off the surface it's resting on, but not too much more than that (you've got to not overinflate). There's a thread on this elsewhere right now. The consensus at our NJAS meeting was that this tweak worked very well (much better focus, detail was more apparent, soundstage better defined), and clearly beat using Vibrapods, which surprised me. Plus, it's cheap.

Trelja: Never mind then:-)

Trelja: Its mike again, I would of course be interested in how this inner tube works. That is if you try it, don't know what my wife would say about that one, she already thinks I'm nuts.

Trelja, I thought I'd chime in my two cents worth. I'm not sure to what degree my experience with my Cambridge cd4se is relevant to your d500se, but it might be. The sound improved noticeably on my player when I installed it on top of a sand box isolation platform and then put a one gallon baggie with three lbs. of sand on the top (transport side.) Also, a REALLY big improvement was manifest after reversing the plug polarity. After checking the chassis voltage with a multimeter I found it lower with the plug polarity reversed. Bass definition and clarity were especially improved. Keep us posted, Will.