CD Mats

I tried several before but nothing really made consistent noticeable improvement.........until I used Herbies CD Mat.

This is thin rubber mat similar to surgical glove material that naturally sticks to CD surface, no slippage like other mats. Seems to actually improve sound slightly on a consistent basis, very reasonable price. I have used with several front drawer load Musical Fidelity CDPs.
http://herbiesaudiolab.home.att.net/ttmat.htm

Price is $20 each.

I second Herbies CD mat. It makes noticeable improvement to red book playback but it doesn't seem to do anything to SACD or DVD.

The Herbies Mat is great value. You can read a review I posted here in the review section.

Highly recommended.

Well...I use a Monster Cable " Black Discus " that I bought several years ago. This is a metallic mat which is painted black and weights more than a few CDs. It serves as a stabilizer and increase the lences ability to read the information( less light reflections..).

The sound is much detailed , voices are more present, bass notes feel heavier and there are a sense of increased volume.

It cost me $10.00. BTW, I have an audio-buddy who heard the effects of it and asked me to buy another one..SORRY!!!! for him, it was the last time I seen them.

** Althought I haven't auditioned the Herbies Mat , it looks interesting ***

Greetings, almost everyone here is on the right track. The Herbies mat is a clear winner. I have tried the Monster, the Audio Prism CD Blacklight mat, and the Marigo Orpheus mat. The Herbies mat gives more detail, tightens up the bottom end and adds a degree of warmth while lifting veils, not an easy task to accomplish. I hope this helps. Happy Listening! John

I use the "De Mat". Upscale audio sells it. A great feature of it is that it has a lip that covers the edge of the cd thus doing the job of those pens. I have used the Statmat, the Marigo Orpheus, Herbie's grungebuster (great value), but for the $25 I prefer the De Mat. Heavier than herbies... We have a cat and I find that herbie's is a magnet for hair and dust and I was forever cleaning it.

I have used the "De Mat" and Herbies CD mat. The De Mat is
heavier and easier to use, but I didn't hear any significant
improvement. You have to rinse Herbies mat with water about
once a week as it tends to collect dust, but with Herbies
mat I definitely heard an improvement. Sound is less digital and more analog like, with tight bass and clean leading edges to the notes. I've used Herbies on a Marantz 67, a Cambridge 500SE, an AH! New Tjoeb 4000 and an upgraded MMF-25. Only the Cambridge would occasionally have trouble reading a disc.