CD Treatments :-

You seem to have most of the bases covered. :) I've owned, or still own, most of the items on your list. Some have worked quite well, some haven't. Surprisingly, I didn't have much luck with the ADS lathe, but my Jena/Liquid Rez CD treatments, Nespa, Walker Talisman, and Acoustic Revive ion generator all work extremely well, building on one another's strengths. If all of your tweaks work for you, then by all means keep doing all of them. I haven't found any magical "combos." If a tweak works, and if it doesn't negatively impact another, I use it. Doing all this tweaking can be a real time-consumer, but there's no doubt in my mind that it can totally transform one's music.

Pmrodier:

I actually had similar problems with my lathe, which, along with the relative lack of benefit, is why I stopped using it. The first one I had started leaving light scratches at the perpiphery of all mys discs. I tried EVERYTHING (tightening/loosening the bolt, chaging belts and blades, varying the pressure with which I applied the blade), all to no avail. I then concluded that it must be my unit, so I swapped it out for a brand-new one. Same problem. That was when I stopped using it. And I haven't looked back. I'm getting most of the same benefits from treating the edges with my Jena or Liquid Rez and then doing the black-marker thing.

The Talisman is a no-brainer, IMO. It's considerably better than my old Furutech RD-2--and a lot easier to use--and what it does to the bass really has to be heard.

For $5, the Black Hole is another easy choice. To my amazement, it actually bested my $199 Marigo mat. But, like most tweaks, these CD mats are so system dependent, one person's success with them doesn't guarantee another's.

I SLIGHTLY prefer the Jena to the Liquid Rez--it brings out a little more texture and dimensionality in voices and instruments--but there are some SACDs (the pale-gold-tinted ones, not MFSLs) that the Jena causes severe splotching on. Those are the ones I use the Rez with. Honestly, at this level, it comes down to personal preference. You can't lose either way. Both are absolutely SOTA.

Believe me, I also had SERIOUS buyer's remorse when I first ordered the ion generator! But I got it on the condition that I could return it if I didn't like it. Suffice it to say, it's not going back. :)

Pm:

Yes, the Cable Company is an excellent outfit. I've used them a lot. That's whom I bought my lathes from.

Funny you mention Codename Turquoise. I finally ordered it this morning. I've been wanting to try it, but the fact that it attaches via contact cement scared the hell out of me. But Geoff assures me that the cement can be taken off quite easily. I'm gonna try it on my modified Oppo. If it works well there, I'll try it on my Esoteric X-01. Now THAT'S gonna require a brave hand! :)

I had the Reality Check, and it worked pretty well, but I've since discovered a better arrangement. Try the HHB 830+ Burn-It CD burner. Link that with the best transport and digital cable you can find for sane money, and you should be amazed. The difference wasn't subtle for me.

BTW, I've heard the Memory player. It's quite good, but I'm not sure if it's the best digital playback on the market. Time will tell, I guess.

Thanks for the link, Neville. I've never heard the Audio Desk cleaner, but it looks interesting. Personally, I use Shine Ola cleaner before treating my discs, and that seems to work well. I'm sure the ADS piece works great, but the last thing I need is to add another few minutes onto the tweaking ritual. It's already out of hand! :)