I have been using a treatment called "Last". Now I am intrigued by some of the Mapleshade offerings. They seemingly have two liquids that perform different functions as well as an antistatic gun. Anyone have any experience with these products or others as well? Which ones and what sonic qualities did you experience if any?
Hi Steve, LAT International offers a product that is an optical enhancer and anti static treatment. I have been using it for the past several years with excellent results.
Also, check under my username under "Threads Initiated" and take a glance at "WASH, CUT, POLISH & DEMAGNETIZE". It will provide you with a good overall view of what many of the listeners are using. There are some really great contributions with a very diverse range of opinions.
audioprism cd stop light...an opaque green pen with which you "paint" the edges of the discs. when I turned some friends at a local stereo shop onto it and did the sound comparison between a treated and non treated disc, their jaws dropped and they both looked at each other with astonoshed looks on their faces...and this is in MO...the "show me state" where everybody is a skeptic...LOL.
18-20 bucks...I'm sure with a gogle search you will find someone who sells them, but it is $20 well spent.
I'm using Optrix, available through Music Direct and Audio Advisor. It's a CD treatment spray that will correct any CD's or DVD's that have a skipping problem. Most importantly, it smooths out older harsh sounding CD's as well as seems to quiet or tone down backround noise.
Walker Vivid, Mapleshade Mikro-Smooth, and Auric Illuminator all seem to work. I like them in that order. Trouble is, once you use them, the "before" comparison is gone, unless you have two discs of the same music.
At our NJ Audio Society holiday party one of our members won both Optrix and a current fave of mine, the Record Research Labs Shinola (no jokes, please, we used them up at the meeting). One of the prerequisites I imposed on taking this prize was that the member write a review comparing the effect of the two products, so I'm anxiously awaiting the verdict--I'll pass it along when it's in. I don't really notice much of a difference with the Shinola in casual listening, but it definitely shines up the CD.
Rcprince: Things that I've noticed immediately with RRL Shine Ola was increased dynamics, so much that there was a noticeable increase in volume, as if someone turned up the pre-amp. With the increased micro-dynamics I found myself hearing minute details that I hadn't heard before. I also noticed tighter focus, where an instrument appeared 2 feet in diameter before it appeared much smaller, with less haziness defining the instrument. I took Shine Ola with me to 2 different audio buddies homes and they came to the same conclusions.
I was told to try it on DVD- video and it improved picture resolution. I'm not much into video, but it was obvious to me.
According to the guys at Music Direct, it is the only cleaner that is safe to use on my SACD's, so it was a no-brainer.
Interesting! Looking forward to listening more seriously using it. I had to get it because of the name and the nice blue bottle, and RRL's products for vinyl have been winners, so I figured it was worth a try.
If you go to your local auto parts store you will see several scratch removal products. Pick up a tube of Maguiar's Scratch-X for about $5. A lifetime supply for cleaning up your marred CD's. If I find one skipping this always does the trick.
The major problem with Meguiars is that it uses a petroleum base with its' mild abrasion product. The petroleum base over time breaks down the polycarbonate material within the disc and leaves you with a disc with higher block error rate.
Have any of you fallen for the Armour-All tweak on digital discs? How many of you had unplayable CD's later? I did. Can't we all learn fromn the past?
small blue rings from Compact Dynamics (makers of Optrix) that adhere to play side of CD around spindle hole; excellent at reducing any tendency of CD to slip during play.
Theoretical errors? Ask anyone that ruined their CD's using Armour All whether or not it was theoretical. You may use what you wish, I merely wanted to inform you why it is not a safe product to use. I do not scratch my discs, so I have no need for an abrasive polish which may cause lazer scatter or that contain contents known to degrade the disc. I'm not looking for the cheap fix that isn't.
I'd also be concerned about using dishwashing detergent, as they do not fully rinse off and leave behind a film which raises the BLER and lazer scatter. Common active ingredients in "mild" household dishwashing detergents include sodium silicates, polyacetates, SD40 alcohol, some even contain bleach. I'm just trying to keep you from ruining your investment in music.
Here's the "world's best lense cleaner" - only $3.95/bottle: rexton optyl 7
I use MICRO by International Products Co. to clean CD's before the Novus treatment. I quote "100% clean based on chemical analysis for residue which have a limit of detection of 10 ppm or less and which detect NO residue. Also X-ray activation analysis of surfaces cleaned with MICRO indicate that less than 1/3 of a monolayer of MICRO is left on pyrex after 4 rinses".
I had to mix my bottle of Vivid every time that I wanted to use it. It had an oily type substance in it that now concerns me. I lost many CD's to Armour All in the past. Does anyone know if Shine Ola will remove the Vivid?
Wow, the "Shine Ola" from Record Research Labs sure wets my whistle. The apparent benefits are better dynamics across the spectrum. Blacker backgrounds and more of a presence of the musical enviroment. Seems to give me more gain , which I could use. Great on the DVD's also, with sharper picture and enhanced audio. Happy Holidays!
Simply a good cleaning makes a huge improvement alone in itself with cd's however I do like the bendini and the furutech as well for critical listening !
Hi Deluxe. Glad people read my posts :-). Since there seemed to be no interest in Rexton as a CD cleaner I was going to mention it works great on my car windshield. Colors are more vivid. Everything looks more lifelike. Going a step further, after brushing my teeth I now use the Rexton to get my teeth optically clean. Talk about pearly whites! =:-0 I'm still searching for more uses for Rexton. The possibilities are endless.
ha cdc those windshields/ ah do you have mono blocks ??? and thanks for the email indeed ! :) and darn elizabeth your reply is classic. i'm going to have to get a ghost writer. hmm...
i don't know how it compares to eco3, but radio shack/realistic professional anti-static record cleaner does work well on the cd label side and you can get a four oz. bottle $2-$3. *swoon*
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
