[ddriveman]

I have tried the Statmat CDi Blue. Effect on CDs is not consistent. On some CDs it does seem to give a more detail pciture. On some, the sound became more heavy bodied and fuller. But on at least half of what I have tried, no discernable difference could be heard. One problem is that it can get stuck inside the CD player. I have a Musical Fidelity X-Ray. Once, upon closing the CD tray, the mat flew off the CD and got stuck in the back ! I have to remove the covers (and if you have an MF X-Ray, this is no easy feat) and use a tweezer to remove the mat.
My recommendation is to use the Auric Illuminator cleaner and marker pen. This CD tweak always gives a more detail, cleaner sound on every CD I have tried so far. If you don't believe, try marking the outer and inner diameters of a CD with a black maker pen.

 

[phidauex]

Just to play the devil's advocate, might I postulate that putting a CD mat on the cd might actually decrease the performance of the CD player by adding more rotating mass. CDs change speeds as they play, unlike a record, where 'information width' changes. A bit is the same length at the inside and the outside of the CD, so as the laser moves from the inside to the outside of the CD, the disc has to change speeds. The additional mass of the mat raises the momentum of the disc, making it more difficult for the drive mechanism to slow down or speed up, resulting in misread bits as the disc is still moving too quickly or too slowly for the information to be read properly.

Note: That is all hairbrained theory. Never been tested, never been measured. Just a guess. Totally random. Put as much or as little stock in it as you like.

peace,
phidauex

 

[philodox]

Well I just ordered a Statmat MK II from TR Audio... I passed on the blue double mat since I'll be using this with my nec cdr-602... I'm really interested in seeing what this does for me

 

[Todd R]

Quote:

Originally posted by phidauex Just to play the devil's advocate, might I postulate that putting a CD mat on the cd might actually decrease the performance of the CD player by adding more rotating mass. CDs change speeds as they play, unlike a record, where 'information width' changes. A bit is the same length at the inside and the outside of the CD, so as the laser moves from the inside to the outside of the CD, the disc has to change speeds. The additional mass of the mat raises the momentum of the disc, making it more difficult for the drive mechanism to slow down or speed up, resulting in misread bits as the disc is still moving too quickly or too slowly for the information to be read properly. Note: That is all hairbrained theory. Never been tested, never been measured. Just a guess. Totally random. Put as much or as little stock in it as you like. peace, phidauex

Hi,
Your theory might apply to other CD mats, but not to the Statmat. It is very thin and weighs next to nothing. The Statmat makes your disks sound better by getting rid of the static build up and discharges that occur as your CD spins.
It does not rely on any kind of mechanical dampening like some other mats use. (Stat-Mat, get it?

)

Gopher did a review of it a month or so back that you might want to check out.

Make sure to listen to the effects of the mat through your speakers also. Personally, I find the soundstage changes that happen with the mat in place easier to hear with speakers.

philodox, thanks for your order, it's shipping out today

Please keep us posted with your impressions.
Todd R

 

[philodox]

I'll let you know once I've had a chance to audition it... what are your views on the auric illuminator? Does it offer an additional benifit, or is it just a good alternative to a statmat mk II cdi? Looking at what comes in the package it seems that with a good cd cleaning system and a black marker you could achieve the same effect

 

[Todd R]

Quote:

Originally posted by philodox I'll let you know once I've had a chance to audition it... what are your views on the auric illuminator? Does it offer an additional benifit, or is it just a good alternative to a statmat mk II cdi? Looking at what comes in the package it seems that with a good cd cleaning system and a black marker you could achieve the same effect

I love Auric Illuminator, I've been using it for years.
Yes it does offer additional benifits, and it is more than just a cleaner. The Auric has anti static properties as well as improving the optics of the disk so your player can read the information more easily.
The bonus is you can use it in places where you can't use a mat like in a car stereo for example.

It's also one of the best "bang for the buck" products out there today IMO. 2-4 drops per disk is all it takes and that works out to around .08-.10 cents per disk. I still haven't used up my very first kit and I have done most all of my CD's, friends CD's, kids Playstation games, DVD's, etc......

It's good stuff.

 

[Gopher]

Quote:

Originally posted by jatinder I tried the "StatMat CDi Blue" mat for SACD. Took me basically a week to get rid of the rubbish that the mat had added to the sound. The sound became very bass heavy and dark. I absolutely hated it. A friend of mine with all DCS gear swears by it. So who knows. --Jatinder

Jatinder,

I must admit, I am very suprised to hear your negative feelings on the statmat. I recently reviewed the CDi MK II (a step below the CDi Blue) and felt quite the opposite about its effect. To my ears bass, which can be a bit boomy on my source (modded JD-100a) tightend up considerably. Also, the overall resolution of the discs I played with it seemed to increase substantially.

 

[jefemeister]

Please don't stick those things in your CD drives. It's nothing more than a foreign object. The "green marker around the edge" trick works basically the same. The best off all this class of tweeks is trimming your CDs to be perfectly circular and bevel the edges. There are machines you can buy that do this, but I'm having trouble finding a link to one.

 

[philodox]

have you tried the mats yourself? seems kind of silly to tell someone not to stick a mat in their CD drive and then go on to suggest that you cut up your CD's and bevel the edges

 

[jefemeister]

trimming a CD is very easily and does not modify the overall properties of the disc as far as its general dimension and shape. The player thinks it has just a regular CD. And if you mess up a CD it's no big deal. However, putting a mat on top of a CD and cramming the whole package into your CD drive is a completely different animal. Those mechanisms are built to some kind of tolerance. And if you mess it up, you're looking at anything from opening up your player to retrieve the disc/mat to sending it back to the factory only to discover you possibly voided your warranty.

 

[philodox]

again I ask have you tried them?

as far as the mat getting stuck, I dont think that is an issue for me [not sure if it is for any drive though as long as you are carefull] since I'm using a caddy based drive...

the mat that I got is the statmat mkii cdi:

"The single film version is useful for those transports where the extra thickness of the CDi Blue may cause a problem. This is often the case with those transports (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM etc.) used for computer systems. They also provide a lower cost entry system for the STATMAT concept."

but even the statmat cdi blue is only 0.25mm thick and weighs 1.8g

 

[Mr.PD]

So, does anybody think these mats may slip in a drawer loading system? My Denon has a rather tight fitting hole for the CD, but the Arcam has a beveled hole where the CD goes. The drawer does close fairly slow and smooth though.

I do know that CDs build up static. I have one that was carried around in a slimline jewel case in a bag with some clothes. When I went to play it, it was covered with lint. So, I'm thinking the stat mat might just be a good idea.

 

[tortie]

Quote:

Originally posted by jefemeister The best off all this class of tweeks is trimming your CDs to be perfectly circular and bevel the edges. There are machines you can buy that do this, but I'm having trouble finding a link to one.

Jefemeister, here's one from fatwyre:
Audio Desk System

Costs a ton though...But I bet if someone has one of these and charges some kind of fee to "rent" this out for a week, many would take that offer.

 

[jefemeister]

Quote:

Originally posted by tortie Jefemeister, here's one from fatwyre: Audio Desk System Costs a ton though...But I bet if someone has one of these and charges some kind of fee to "rent" this out for a week, many would take that offer.

Yep. That's the one. Our CEO has one. I've been invited to drop by and hit up my collection.

 

[edstrelow]

I have tried a number of mats and find the best I have used is Herbie's Grungebuster. http://herbiesaudiolab.home.att.net/ttmat.htm. It is a thin polymer mat which sticks by some sort of chemical attraction process (it doesn't leave a residue). The stick wears out after a while at which point you wash the mat and it comes back. It is very thin and probably won't jam in must drawer players unless it is not sticking properly. Herbie makes different models for drawer and top loading machines.

Soundwise, it removed a grunge/veil especially in the lower bass to upper frequencies. leaving a cleaner, more detailed sound with more precise localisation in space. I also find it improves both picture and sound of dvd's. The picture quality seemed much sharper and more three-dimensional.

I used the Aurex mat for some time. It seemed to improve treble definition, but in the end I felt it also caused some smearing of details and localization.

The oddest mat I tried was the Blacklight, a glow-in-the-dark mat which you charge up with a bright light before use. I could hear some difference in sound, some things seemed a bit better and some were worse with it and I didn't use it for long. If anyone wants to try it, e-mail me.

I do a lot of disc tweaking, I weight,, sand and paint the edges and polish discs with Auric Illuminator, which I also recommend. It seems to me that each of these tweaks adds some additional clarity to the sound. Some of these tweaks would improve even pretty poor set-ups, eg. a portable CD player hooked up to car stereo by a cassette adapter. Some you would need better equipment to hear.

The good test of a tweak like a mat is whether you keep using it after the novelty wears off. There is a nuisance aspect to fiddling with a mat so at some point you will be inclined to stop using it if the results aren't there.