the 950, in my opinion, is not harsh...only very accurate. i have been saying the following since 1982: 16/44.1 is a terrible format. this is why audiophiles choose vinyl or tape. you can't hide the harshness, only mask it.
switch to multichannel sacd or dvd-a.

the 950 sounds terrible when playing a stereo cd. it's because the 950 reproduces the piece of crap accurately. i've listened to a 2" master tape after paying a small fortune to work with a good producer grinning from ear to ear, only to have to settle for the stripped down, garbage version that a cd is.

when i asked a producer who's ears and talent i very much respected, what is up with cds?, he shook his head and replied, "i cannot believe what the american public accepts as quality, but as long as they do, this is what you get".

some master tapes have much less information to have to chop to fit a cd, and therefore, sound better than others. again, this is why most audiophiles gravitate to acoustic music (symphony, jazz quartet, live recordings of both, with or without a great vocalist through a great mic, etc.). it sounds as good as cd can be.

listen to any cd (not the sacd hybrid cd, but one you've had for some time) that you consider to be your reference cd, then listen to the same cd in multichannel sacd.

if you buy the best cd player, the best stereo tube pre, the best speakers on earth...a cd is still a cd. listen to the master tape (or 24/96 digital master) and you will see what i mean.

sacd/dvd-a, on the other hand, come as close to the master aa a copy possibly can. and this is where the 950 SHINES! i know....the software is slow in coming, the standards are being tweaked and good surround music producers are very few. but it's starting to focus and some are downright masterpieces.

i've mentioned jt's "hourglass" and spyro gyra's "in modern times". zero harshness. immense soundstage. tiny details you would never hear on a cd. these are not my 2 favorite artists by any list, yet i listen to these 2 sacds every day just to marvel at how GOOD they sound. yes' "fragile" is coming out on dvd-a this month. i'll buy a dvd-a player just to buy this disc!

if you listen to cds, you are stuck with masking the harshness and abiding the lack of detail, but......WHY? ok, one more time...this 950 sounds GOOD. feed in good and hear good come through it. pitch the cds where they belong.

sorry, soundhound...you can have your soap box back now.