Not found that myself and I've had a few early high end players, still have 2 here, one from 1992 and one from 1989 (which is my daily driver). Sound quality is outstanding.
You have to use them with an accurate system though, and not one that is tuned to make a soggy 1980s belt drive TT or cassette deck sound crisp and involving (Naim, Exposure etc).
People who were into classical and had older kit/valves in the 1980s never had an issue with CD, they embraced it positively right from the beginning, unlike the pop and rock fans. No complaints there about a harsh and fatiguing sound. It was the younger reviewers with the whizz-bang flat earth systems that couldn't get on with it. Sadly they did not know enough about hi-fi to twig that their confidence in their 'reference systems' was badly misplaced.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.