Your own ears are the final judge, and if you don't think the tube buffer has produced any improvement in CD playback, then I'd say to forget the outboard power supply. I've used both. I first installed the buffer and noticed a significant improvement; the addition of the outboard power supply made an additional improvement, but a far more subtle one. I'm an analog freak, and I got what I had wanted - a move in the direction of analog sound. Since then, I've upgraded my CD player, and I have taken both the buffer and the power supply out of my main system. The power supply now supports the X-CanV3 in my headphone system, and again, the improvement it makes is pretty subtle. If I hadn't already owned it, I probably wouldn't have sought any improvement in the X-Can. I've no familiarity with your CD player, but, perhaps, like my current one, it provides what you want without help. The simplest system, is frequently the best one, don't you think?

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I'm having a hard time really noticing any difference in CD playback.

You are certainly not a minority of 1.

Infact you are luckier than me.... I heard a thickening of the sound, which sounded worse than the original.

Trust what your ears tell you.