Glass CD vs SACD in terms of SQ?

[juzmister]

It's totally worth it, check out that awesome case

 

[splaz]

I haven't really experienced all that many cds warping, besides this glass cd still wouldn't get over the fact that it would likely crack far more easily and also that the aluminium may eventually corrode.

Maybe if there were some actual benefits.

 

[markl]

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where was it revealed as a scam?

Yes, do tell...

 

[Publius]

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Originally Posted by markl Yes, do tell...

RealityCheck is a resell of a $230 DVD duplicator. (also look here, but with an extremely positive spin on the situation.) At least, that was the rumor going around Audio Asylum a few months ago; I'm surprised you didn't know about it. You'll need to do some digging around AA to get the whole story and exactly how it came out.

The evidence corroborating it: a) purchasers have noted that it looks exactly like some brands of off-the-shelf duplicators; b) after that was realized, no adequate explanation was ever provided explaining why RealityCheck is any different from said off-the-shelf duplicators, except for perhaps some proprietary "fluids"; c) his explanation of RealityCheck's operation makes no technical sense, but if it did, any CD burner would do about the same thing.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Publius RealityCheck is a resell of a $230 DVD duplicator. (also look here, but with an extremely positive spin on the situation.) At least, that was the rumor going around Audio Asylum a few months ago; I'm surprised you didn't know about it. You'll need to do some digging around AA to get the whole story and exactly how it came out. The evidence corroborating it: a) purchasers have noted that it looks exactly like some brands of off-the-shelf duplicators; b) after that was realized, no adequate explanation was ever provided explaining why RealityCheck is any different from said off-the-shelf duplicators, except for perhaps some proprietary "fluids"; c) his explanation of RealityCheck's operation makes no technical sense, but if it did, any CD burner would do about the same thing.

That's a pretty good summary. One point Publius left out in terms of evidence is that someone verified that the firmware version numbers of the shipping off-the-shelf duplicators and the RealityCheck machines were the same. In other words, all the "sophisticated software algorithms" using "spline reconstruction" that were originally advertised by the RealityCheck vendor never existed. It was all marketing; there was never any product beyond an off-the-shelf CD duplicator with no changes, either hardware or software.

Sometimes I wonder if the entire RealityCheck product was an elaborate set up, meant to expose and profit from the gullibility of audiophiles. The product name does seem deliberately chosen to have certain connotations, i.e. audiophiles need a reality check.

 

[philodox]

How about sticking with regular CD's?

I'm one of those that doesn't think to much of SACD... I've heard some amazing CD players and [I'm told] some amazing SACD players and I prefer the former. That, the added expense, and the lack of selection makes SACD a poor choice IMO.

 

[markl]

I don't hang out much at aa so I missed all that.

The product seems to be gone from the cheaper web-site, too.

Do you guys know if, in general, (if I could find it for sale) that particular burner set-up is any better than say a good Lite-On burner? I'm looking for a top-quality burner as it happens...

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl I don't hang out much at aa so I missed all that. The product seems to be gone from the cheaper web-site, too. Do you guys know if, in general, (if I could find it for sale) that particular burner set-up is any better than say a good Lite-On burner? I'm looking for a top-quality burner as it happens...

Plextor makes the highest quality burners. I wouldn't bother trying to track down whatever cheap OEM drive was used in the RealityCheck machines. The machines themselves can't be used as burners, only duplicators.

 

[markl]

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The machines themselves can't be used as burners, only duplicators.

Doesn't "burning" a CD mean copy it?

Just want to make duplicate CDs.

 

[redshifter]

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Originally Posted by markl Doesn't "burning" a CD mean copy it? Just want to make duplicate CDs.

i think he means "burn from hd to disc" rather than a straight disc to disc dupe.

 

[FalconP]

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Fukui, 60, noticed that glass was a great receptor of sound

What on earth does that mean?

Glass is much heavier than plastic; the transport mechanisms of CD players are not designed to rotate such weight at high speed.

The glass CD reminds me that, about 10 years ago, there was a craze for gold CDs: CDs that, instead of aluminum, have an extremely thin layer of gold as their reflective layer. These things are quite lovely: from the unlabeled side, you can see right through the gold to the label size. Hi-fi rags said gold CDs sounded better, and people were not hesitant to pay twice the amount for them. Nowadays, the practice of producing gold CDs have all but disappeared.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl I don't hang out much at aa so I missed all that. The product seems to be gone from the cheaper web-site, too. Do you guys know if, in general, (if I could find it for sale) that particular burner set-up is any better than say a good Lite-On burner? I'm looking for a top-quality burner as it happens...

I highly recommend a plextor. I purchased one a while back and installed it without any hitches.

 

[Dimitris]

$831 for a cd. What else will they think of?

Has anyone heard about the machine that cuts of the edge of the cds in a 45 degree angle and supposely it makes them sound much better?