[TimSchirmer]

Okay...since there is no thread about tweaks in general, why not start one. I was flipping through music-direct today and saw various tweaks, including cones, caps. etc. I know half of them are total bull**** but I figured some might just work. Please post any experiences y'all have here.

 

[dngl]

Vibrapods rock... they seem to tighten up the bass and mids. Not subtle at all. Auric Illuminator makes CDs skip less and prevents them from getting dusty as quickly; not sure about sonic benefits. Black/green marker is bull. CD mats are bull.

 

[Anders]

Contact cleaners (Kontak, DeOxit etc): This is a necessary accessory and can have more than a subtle effect, the more the dirtier the connection. There may be cheaper things that work equally well, but they don't cost a fortune (are much cheaper in UK than US).

Feets and cones: Haven't yet much experience of these more than that the effect is rather unpredictable. May be better, no difference or worse depending on component and bench or whatever you place them on.

Auric Illuminator: I think it improves audio quality somewhat. May be an effect of reduced laser reflection, reduced static electricity or that you clean the CD in this treatment.

LP brushes and cleaning machines: No bull.

Stulys cleaners: No bull.

Bedini Electronic Stabilizer: Looks like bull at max. Have one that I got free, the first version. You rotate the CD at high speed in a field that is said to de-magntise the CD and improve sound. Really funny and can convince people that you have become crazy. However, I am not totally convinced that it has no effect at all. Maybe because it throws dust off the CD.

 

[Nezer]

Quote:

Originally posted by Anders Bedini Electronic Stabilizer: Looks like bull at max. Have one that I got free, the first version. You rotate the CD at high speed in a field that is said to de-magntise the CD and improve sound. Really funny and can convince people that you have become crazy. However, I am not totally convinced that it has no effect at all. Maybe because it throws dust off the CD.

I think it's because that spinning causes the 1's and 0's to get closer together and reduces the distortion for the laser trying to read between them.

There is also the possibility that the 1's can kinda get stuck due to the curcature of the tracks. This would cause a 1 to look like a / or a \ and may confuse the reader. Spinning may help shake these loose. 0's don't have this problem because they are round. Also, a higher quailty transport should be able to deal with all of these issues well though at a much higher cost.

-=-=-=-=-=-=

Again, in case it's not obvious, I'm being sarcastic. It probably is from shaking the dust off.

 

[gaineso]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nezer I think it's because that spinning causes the 1's and 0's to get closer together and reduces the distortion for the laser trying to read between them. There is also the possibility that the 1's can kinda get stuck due to the curcature of the tracks. This would cause a 1 to look like a / or a \ and may confuse the reader. Spinning may help shake these loose. 0's don't have this problem because they are round. Also, a higher quailty transport should be able to deal with all of these issues well though at a much higher cost. -=-=-=-=-=-= Again, in case it's not obvious, I'm being sarcastic. It probably is from shaking the dust off.

You almost had me convinced. I was fixin' to get one. Are you sure you were being sarcastic?? It sounded like such a good idea.

 

[zspradlin]

I use alot of equipment by Symposium (rollerblocks, ultra platforms, and sveltes). I got an Ultra platform first and placed it under my CDP ( California Audio Labs CL-15), it made an INSTANT difference. I later place rollerblock between the Ultra and my CDP and noticed a little less haze on the top end. After speaking with Peter from Symposium, he recommended that I place something between my rack and the Ultra, so I put in a set of Polycrystal Iso Reference cones. I didn't notice any difference there. I have a Symposium Svelte shelf under my MG Head OTL, no real gain. and a Shakti EMI stone on the MG Head, once again, no real gain. Some tweaks work, some don't. Unfortunatly it takes, sometimes, quite a bit of money to find that out.

And I do recommend upgrading ALL cables in the system!!!

 

[Audio-Me]

Ok guys, I will admit, I was completely skeptical of this, and made fun of it prior to trying it tonight, but let me tell you up front, I noticed a noticeable improvement.

Here's how/what I used:
One of them fat stinky smelling felt tipped permanent black markers, you know them things that write really sticky and will seriously mark on anything, aluminum casing... (opaque oil based ink) Colored in both the outer edge and inner edges of the CDs, and also did the top and bottom inner clear circle part.

I did a double blind test with the original, an old backup burn(colored in), a fresh copy (colored in), and another fresh copy (uncolored). My brother did the switching of the CDs.

Here's what I noticed:
right away, it sounded different, but I couldn't quite figure out what, it sounded compressed for some reason.
Then...
lower noise floor - I thought it sounded louder
deeper tightened bass
stronger more extended decay
overall better refinement and more detail

It's just like going from normal to upsampled.

Seems crazy, but I tried it on both my main headphone system and portable rig.

p.s. I tried armor all as surface treatment, but it didn't do anything, lol. I'll try some isopropyl w/ photoflo later.

additional info:
album used - Ja Rule - Pain is Love
No Doubt - Excuse Me I'm the Singer
more albums soon to be tested...

 

[Audio-Me]

No Doubt - Rock Steady
the rough harsh nature of this album is tamed (no sibilance, woot), and the very noticeable ambient details are less prominent and more refined, it's all there, pleasantly blends in together with the rest of the music just right.

 

[DarkAngel]

>>>>>>>
p.s. I tried armor all as surface treatment, but it didn't do anything, lol. I'll try some isopropyl w/ photoflo later.
>>>>>>>

Just a warning:
Don't use car products on your valuable CD collection, especially Amor-all. This was a fad 10yrs ago then people realized the Amorall over time caused some negative effect that made CDs less readable.

If you use anything be sure it is specifically designed for CD use.

 

[Anders]

zspradlin:
Rollerblocks and similar floating vibration dampers are often said to have most effect on CD-players and turntables. Nice that you had that result. Problem is that they are expensive to just test and then keep or throw away, so it is valuable to share experiences. Would be interesting to know if you experience the same improvement with headphones? If it is damping internal vibration within the CD or only acoustic feedback from speakers.
Audio&Me:
What you have tested is a part of the Auric Illuminator treatment. I think it gets better with the surface treatment also, but have not made enough tests to separate the two parts. My CD is out for tracking alignment just now.
This is a relativiely cheap tweak ($40) and if you don't like it you at least get a pack of high quality cloths that can be used for cleaning CDs etc. and a marker pen!

 

[Audio-Me]

Garbage - Rockpalast Festival 1998 (another live recording)
The lead singers vocals were smoother (a lot clearer) and the instrumentals were easier to tell apart from one another. I'd say the effects are pretty concistant so far... Classical music results soon to be announced. (not so audiophile quality recordings used first on purpose)

darkangel - lol, hirsch mentioned turtle wax on IRC, so I figured I'd try some armorall since that's all I got, had no idea people actually used this before. This was tested on CD-Rs, not much of a problem if the stuff screws the disc up.

anders - I'm determined to find a home made solution to this, but I'll be sure to try out the real thing for reference.

 

[markl]

I've got Vibrapods under my CDP and DVD. I confess I heard no obvious difference, but I'm paranoid enough to leave them under there.

It's impossible to A/B with these things considering how hard it is to position them just so under the feet of your gear.

markl

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Audio&Me darkangel - lol, hirsch mentioned turtle wax on IRC, so I figured I'd try some armorall since that's all I got, had no idea people actually used this before. This was tested on CD-Rs, not much of a problem if the stuff screws the disc up.

Use turtle wax at your own risk. I've actually heard of people using this, but wouldn't put it on my own CD's without some confirmation that I wouldn't be destroying them.

 

[Hirsch]

Wonderful stuff. I've got sorbothane feet all over the place. Biggest benefit was in a less than obvious place: PCDP. The volume of the Audioquest Little Feet was bigger than the PCDP, but there was increased clarity throughout. Motor and disk vibration was clearly affecting the unit, and the damping helped. As a compromise, I now use adhesive sorbothane stuck to the bottom of the PCDP, but am not sure it's as effective.

And one that doesn't work: Cardas RCA caps. Look nice on the unused RCA jacks I've got, but I can't hear a difference, and have yet to hear of anyone who has. Still, it helps keep dirt and corrosion off the jack, so it's not a complete waste.

 

[lextek]

I actually used a high grade car wax on a CD I had that skipped. I guess it cleaned up the scratch/blemish just enough. I had nothing to loose.