Please help--my ears are hurting

I think I am in apparent contradiction with Rich--I would look at the electronics first.

I ran my CD-25 (Shanling CD-S100) with a 70s-vintage HK 930 2-channel receiver (and DH Labs Silver Sonic cables). The 930 is widely regarded as the best-sounding receiver HK ever made and the later HK products I have heard cannot match it. The sound was not too bright and edgy, and this was in a large room with no sound absorption--curtains, upholstered furniture--at all.

I know what you mean about detail, though. The Shanling player can sound very detailed. It was when I swapped in an upmarket power cord that I realized that detail was a tad artificial. The new power cord let me hear closer to the back of the hall. (This is not to say the CD-25 is a bad buy. In its price range I think it is the best.)

If you can swap in an amp you know to sound smooth and warm in another system, that would tell you something about the source of the edgy brightness you hear in yours. My own preference for a movie system would be for solid-state amplification. I have not heard tubes give the slam I feel is needed for special effects unless they cost a lot. SimAudio, Bryston and Audio Refinement are names that come to mind, and I have heard them all sound warm and smooth. Creek is another.

That doesn't mean your speakers are not contributing largely to your edginess, but to me it makes sense to start troubleshooting upstream. Another important factor is room acoustics. It is IMHO better to have a bright-ish rather than an overdamped room, but carpets and some absorption in the corner areas have removed excess brightness for me.

Rich, Thank you for reading my too long post and for writing such a thorough reply. What has me stood is that the brightness only appeared when I entered the MMF CD25 into the equation. The JVC dvd player was a cheapie, but I could listen for hours. That being said, I do hear so much more with the Music Hall player that I want to make it work.
Do others of you share Rich's opinion that the speakers are the probable culprit?

Papertrail, you're certainly at a fork in the road. Jolida and Spendors are fine recommendations, although I'm not a tube guy. Solid state equipment can be very good, especially integrated amps (receivers without tuners) from companies like Arcam, Creek, Portal, and for more money, Herron etc. I understand not having many audition choices, but you really only need one good dealer either local or on the 'net such as Galen Carol, Underwood, Audio Elation or Hollywood. You should be able to rely on quality dealers to help with system synergy. In some circles, good equipment is good equipment, and if it's doing its job correctly it should get along with other good equipment. Auditioning is very important but, sometimes, just not possible. Do some reseach, see what pieces others have put together, ask them about their sound (most of us are happy to extoll the virtues of our systems) and remember cabling and power conditioning will have effects on your sound. You have workable budget and this endeavor is not an easy homework assignment. However, it should be fun. There are more choices than you might imagine, so before you start, get a good nights' sleep and keep a bottle of aspirin nearby. Happy hunting!

One last thing: When all is said and done, this will be YOUR system and YOUR ears and YOUR enjoyment.

Tobias, Are you saying that the addition of a better power cord helped your Shanling? Also, are you suggesting that I try a 2 channel amp with the existing HK? Or would I be better off to look into a 5 channel integrated? Thanks so much.

Now for the other side of that fork in the road....

Acoustical distortion... Long decay, or reverb times = PAIN ... your ceiling/wall interface is the worst offender. Sound travels along the ceiling, and walls (lamella effect),builds up where they meet, and takes longer to disapate = long Decay times = brightness = PAIN

Echo slap is no bargin either. Face a side wall, and clap your hands, the wall will clap back at you, also first reflections will smear the sound of any good piece of equipment.

If you don't think you have these basic acoustic problems, then you are in "Denial", and I don't mean the river in Egypt.

Get thee to Rives' web site also add ASC and RPG to your reading list. All are listed in the Mfg. section here on A/gon.

Strike two... you can thank the long distance between the power company, and your house, along with your neighbors' for polluting the electricty coming into your home (line borne). Also the normal operation of your digital equipment will put noise back on the line (back/filter). This is why the analog guys won't put their Turn Tables on the same dedicated line as their CD players. The switching power supplies and crystal ossillators output a lot of RFI (air borne), any device that switches on and off will put out RFI. You need to defend against Line borne, Air borne, and Back Filter the noise that is output by your equipment's normal operation.

Strike three.... how about some vibration control... here you need to defend against (1) equipment generated (must drain)(2)air borne (must mass load) and (3) floor borne (must decouple) for each and every piece in your system.

In order for distortion to propagate you need (1) a Transmitting source (2)a Conduit to travel, along and (3) a Receiver to accept.... Eliminate any one factor in the chain, and the distortion goes away.

Ask any Turn Table guy what Foot Fall means (floor borne), have you ever sat in the front row of a friend's home theater, and had your pant's leg flap when the sub goes off (air borne) and lastly if you don't think power transformers, spinning CD drive's, and switching power supplies add deliberating vibration (must drain)that need to be drained from your equipment, please reread my above comment concerning that river in Egypt (;-)

If you continue to head in the direction you are heading, you will end up where you are going....try the other side of that fork in the road..

Please don't take my comments as an attack, I just want to try and open your eyes to some other avenues, and keep you off the equipment merry go round.

Like agent Smith said to Satish in the movie The Matrix...

"Oh I'm not such a bad guy once, you get to know me"

HTH, Dave