My experience with all of the digital Uniden scanners I've owned in the past/present (BC250D, BC296D, BCD436HP, and BCD325P2) has been that P25 (both Phase 1 and 2) sound a bit muffled, even after adjusting settings, etc. The worst sounding digital with the scanners mentioned above for me was on the BCD436HP, though P25 on the BCD325P2 does sound superior.
N2ZGE, maybe a GRE/Whistler or a Radio Shack P25 Phase 2 scanner might be better luck with reception? I have a friend of mine that resides in Elizabeth that uses a Radio Shack Pro 668 with the Whistler 1080 firmware update and his scanner sounds much crisper and clearer than my BCD325P2, both on P25 and DMR digital modes. Maybe that might be a better choice for monitoring the NJ ICS than the BCD436HP?