Bencampell: /don't marry this girl: you marry someone smarter than you/your life is over,as you know it.The world is full of people smarter than me/ I try to stay away from them. I did have this mat. My player ate it.(Theata data 3) Even before the belch/couldn't hear any diff./Also had the 'glow in the dark' one/same result.Green pen/same.You live in Brooklyn?/ wanna sell your bridge? |
I agree guys - the CD mats are the worst. I found the Blacklight thing made a difference all right - but it just warmed things up by removing detail. I guess if you had a bright system you might find this beneficial - but it is about as close to the "band-aid" analogy as you can get. |
I hear no positive effect from any CD mat I have tried, but at least they are inexpensive. I also have heard no improvement from using cable elevators to lift speaker cables off floor. Then there is the whole Shun Mook stable of bizarre tweaks that are very expensive, I doubt if many of these are very useful, but I have not tried them presonally. Tweaks I use are Auric Illuminator, Bedini II, and Kontak cleaner/enhancer, and various isolation devices. |
Had the same experience as Redkiwi, Blacklight took away all of the air and made it way to dark for me. |
Is the Auric Illuminator a good tweak?? Is it legit?? What exactly it it?? Where can you purchase it?? Also...can anyone suggest a reasonable method of cleaning CD's?? I recently purchased a new CD player...and have noticed that it reads "DISC FLAW" on many of my discs (and some that appear spotless) On many of these I simply run a dry cloth rag over them....and the CD player accepts!! Quite strange. Thanks in advance for the much needed information. Jason |
I know some people swear by it, but I found the Bedini Ultra Clarifier to make absolutly NO sonic improvement. It's built cheesy & on winter days when there is a lot of static any small shock would set the damn thing off spinning on it's own. I cound't wait to get rid of it. Also isolation pucks look nice, but don't do much for anything but transports. |
right the bedini is useless- get a RADIO SHACK BULK TAPE ERASER- It's amazing that it works so well on CD's - try EBAY or maybe here - new they cost $24-36 - used alot less. |
Well, I feel a bit strange mentioning this one. It has to do with putting crumpled aluminum foil in the corners of my living (listening) room. The purpose of this is to protect myself from unfriendly aliens and to sharpen high frequency focus. ;) hahahahahaha |
Hey SanFranBayDude, don't laugh. If you cut the foil into triangles like the Room Tune products and Back them with fiberglass insulation you will notice an incredible difference. However, I still have nor conjured up any Aliens- too bad! |
Aluminum foil! During the Chernobyl catastrophy, we had to place our shoes on the piece of aluminum foil, supposed to "attract" the radioactive particles?? Also, diluted iodium, in 1/2 galon of water, drink two t-spoons three times a day. Talk about the WORST hype! |
Eldragon: The iodine helps to protect the thyroid from higher levels of radiation. Did you or didn't you? I have not noticed any difference when blocking cables off of the floor but coiling excess wire seems to degrade the sound. If someone will explain the quarters on the speakers tweak, I'm game until it's time to do the laundry. The Auric, Bedini and static stuff may be dependant on the player and its environment. I use "i clear" cleaning cloths from my optometrist on my CD's, cost = zero and I belive that they have some kind of an anti static quality. |
I heard that, but i think i also heard, that you need to intake 3 times of the deadly dose of iodine, to make any difference? I don't know! |
I believe that Audience (makers of Auric Illuminator) recommend 1 or 2 drops of JoyTM dishwashing detergent in cool water to remove their Auric Illuminator gel. It should be a good surfactant for removing finger grease and other nasties in any case. I used a can of pressurized air to blow off the water droplets. Otherwise, you need to find a good non-abrasive cloth for cleaning and drying. The Auric Illuminator DOES change the sound of a CD. I haven't decided if I like it or not, although many people swear by it. Try www.audience.com for the manufacturer. Good Luck. Kurt |
Just to add a little structure to the issue, I suggest that the ultimate stupid tweak must have all three of the following attributes: 1: It must be expensive. 2: It must not work. 3: It must be visible enough that you appear to be a moron to all your friends and family. All-in-all, it's hard to beat Shun Mook. |
Good thread guys!! Dekay, if you think quarters on the speakers is cool, switch them to gold eagles. Oh, if Sam Tellig even found why that does something, he'd say buy never has. I think its whacko, DK! |
Boy....I know this will upset a few out there...but, I don't think anything (maybe this isn't a tweek or hype) has hurt the audio industry...and music (read: two channel) more than home theater...or call it surround sound. Many companies have either struggled to survive or "sold out" to home theater. Several of my favorite stores...no longer are.. because of giving up on the high-end. Again, sorry if I am offending anyone out there..., but when I listen to live music..the best seat is still "front-row-center" and the music is spread out in front of me. There is never a trumpet or vocal...or anything else comming at me from behind. I just have no interest in hearing Godzilla's footsteps from the rear-left...but I have great interest in hearing a re-creation of that front row center experience. |
Whatjd, you can have both without compromise. Ultimately surround sound will be balanced perfectly, and improve on the "front row center" aspect. It is still in the gimmicky stage, like Quad was. I listen mostly as you do (F.R.C.), but have found that my 5 channel "stereo" mode on my Denon AVR-5700 makes for great listening in certain contexts. There is a CD that I am currently listening to titled "Tourist' by St. Germain, a French group that is in a sort of "House/Acid Jazz" style that is meant for dance clubs, that is greatly improved in 5 channel mode when compared to 2 channel. It is perfect for parties. In this particular case the stereo effect is a real snore. The 5 channel mode really gives a club atmosphere without all that silly Yamaha type of DSP stuff. I'm not interested in recreating some concert hall or jazz club in my room. It always sounds false, but it is a different story in the context I described. I can easily switch over to Home Theater and get great sound as well. A home theater set up can be an improvement over the best "real theater" sound when done right. There is still a lot of gimmicky mixing going on, but don't blame the home theater for the faults in taste of the mixing engineers. |
Kurt et al - I would avoid using Joy or any other dishwashing liquid on your CD's or LP's. It's overkill, may damage the surfaces because of its very high pH, and will leave residues behind (Polymers, perfumes). In case you are wondering, I work for Procter & Gamble in Research & Development and formulate clenaing products for a living. The design criteria for something like a dishwashing liquid include heavily buffered high pH to deal with burnt grease and polymers to leave a shiny surface upon rinsing. Also, hese pruducts rinse off best in warm/hot water or with LOTS of exccess cold water If you want to try mild cleansers which leave no residue, I'd suggest looking into contact lens cleaners (not saline!) or, better yet, a pure nonionic surfactant with the right HLB vlaue for light duty cleaning and high water solubility (ususally HLB of 7 or higher). There are literally thousands in the market. Frankly, I haven;t gotten around around to DIY and still use Record Research Labs LP cleaner and Nitty Gritty CD cleaner, which are probably overpriced for the level of active ingredients they contain. But..if anyone feels adventuous, would suggest an alkyl polyguccoside from Henkel. a Pluronic from BASF or an ehtoxylated alcohol from ICI. Hmm...may be I should spend a bit more time on this..... |
Enid Lumley isn't dead, she just went home. |
