How come there is no thread on the RealityCheck?

Thank you for your opinion as always.

I had one of the RealityCheck cdrs and original at the RMAF in the Exemplar suiite.

Tvad, not in my opinion. So what you wanted is for Jayctoy to say it has no high frequencies?

The best threads on the RealityCheck procedure still are on the General Audioasylum.

Sorry guys I went to the gym after posting this. It sounds like everyone found the PF review. If anything it is understated.

As I have told many people, the only real pain to this tweak is having to twice clean the original and the blank and then twice treating each with the second solution. I am tempted to hire someone to clean all of my blanks.

Matchstikman, I had two cds that were too scratched in one case to even play and in another to play without popping. I managed to copy both on my Mac computer and noted no change in the one that played. Later I copied both on the Reality Check. Both copies of copies were strikingly improved in dynamics and soundstaging. I have heard others say that a cdr copy sounded better than the original, but other than these cases I never tried this. I would say that you might get "some" improvement but nothing approaching the RealityCheck version.

Herman, like you I thought this must be a great exaggeration. I would not go so far as to say master-tape, but it is a drastic improvement. I can no longer listen to any originals and have not been able to listen to my three new sacds. Only vinyl has any attraction to me other than these copies. I must say that I know no one having heard these that either has bought the unit or soon will.

Robm321, I do not know how you came up with the $25/disc price. The blanks are $1 and the unit must have some limits, but I don't know how you would figure that.

Matchstikman, you are under no obligation to use George's cleaners or discs. I have a friend who believes the AudioTop digital cleaner is better than George's Cleardisc and Clearbit. I disagree, however. I do know several people, me included, who have tried to find better blanks with no success.

Kana813, you must know something that I don't. Please explain.

Kana813, I have not looked into the power supply but will.

Tvad,all that I can say with regard to the your finding of the lack of ambience and high frequency extension is that I find the RC give an edge to brass and a shean to high hat that I find very realistic. I also find a great sense of decay to the notes and more of a sense of real depth and location. Overall, I find the sound much more like the recording venue.

I have no clue why our results might differ, but I find I can no longer listen to other digital.

Clio09, I am not in any way dismissing LPs. Like you, my vinyl is staying and is still superior to any digital I have heard. My point was that there are occasional innovation that are a bust and others that prove worthy.

I tried the RS clock that looked identical to the EAU-1. It did not do anything that the EAU did, but I certainly would concede that the EAU's benefit was small. I still have both in my home.

I don't know what you mean by "brand name swapping."
I am open to other technologies, such as transferring to hard drives, but the jury is still out on them for me. Obviously, in my opinion the jury is in on the RealityCheck. My critics seem to think that I want everyone to follow my lead and buy what I like. Really, I don't care if anyone does, but I despise the notion that only through hype can innovative devises be sold.

Kana813, I did ask several people who know more about power supplies. I expect that a linear supply would not be a step forward, but only trying it would answer this definitively. Frankly, I do not have the wherewithal to do this.

In Scandinavia where the ombudsman originates, he or she is a salaried elected official for interfacing between the public and governmental agencies. Does any of this fit the piss-ant?

All I can say is that this has been my experience. Unlike what Stanhifi suggests I have nothing to gain in this other than to express my enthusiasm. I will also say that with the exception of Tvad, many on AA share this opinion. As I first questioned in this thread, why no discussion on Audiogon. Is it because Stanhifi is not allowed to post there?

" I think you're (sic) comments far exceed enthusiasm. They border on endorsement and IMO are subject to both criticism and skepticism." I don't think your comment are either criticism or skepticism; they lack any evidence and represent mere poisoned cynicism.

Onhwy61, I do believe this, but I did add that it was my opinion.

It only works in copying a cd to a cd. VRS reports that they heard a clear difference between the original and RC copy I sent when playing them on a player. When they were both put on a hard drive, however, they heard no difference. I find this curious, but really do not fully understand why what is on a hard drive differs from what a player reads.

I guess if you were to burn a cd from a WAV and then reburn it on the RC, you might hear an improvement.

Exlibris, I assume a rechargable battery supply. I would be very interested in what you find to be the differences.

Please don't assume guys that I much like Nora Jones. It was what came to mind when Jayctoy suggested something where he would not have to send me the original.

Clio09, once upon a time there was the LP record.

The Tice Clock was a worthless copy of the EAU-1 out of Iowa.

Clio09, I expect that the technology will show up in other burners but that it is short lived. There is evidence that the benefits to the copied discs vanish when put on hard drives. I fully expect that we will see such massive storage of pcm files on hard drives to be the wave of the near future with most songs downloaded over the internet.

Perhaps there is a way to process pcm to yield results on hard drives. In the mean time, I will continue to add to my 50 plus cds that I have copied. It is such a pain to four times clean the original and blank discs and then burn a copy, but the benefits are substantial. Now the question on AA is whether L'art de Son or AudioTop are the better clearner of both the originals and blanks.

Today I am doing 10 copies, so I had better get to work.

Onhw61, you assume that cd manufacturers care what their cds sound like. I too do not understand what is going on in this process, but it may have some tie to cdrs not cds. It also may have some to do with cleaning cdrs and cds properly. Vincent Sanders of VRS using an original and RC copy I sent reports that he could clearly hear the improvement playing on a player, but that when he burned both to hard drive, he could no longer hear a difference. Hidden within all of this may be some clue as to why Louis could not market this to a manufacturer.

Wow, Slothman, this is a very important posting based on very thorough testing. It sounds like George Louis has done his homework and reached the same conclusion as Mr. Koh. Some black cdrs are exceptional, cleaning with the right liquids is imperative, some copying softwares and hardwares are superior, and the results are "more life-like." The question remains as to whether buying the right black cdrs, finding the best cleaners, and getting the best hard and softwares allows you to equal or exceed the RealityCheck.

There have been many posts concerning Real Disk on Audioasylum General, with many finding there to be further improvement. I have ordered some, but note it is not a total replacement for ClearDisc.

disingenuous, strange to come from you!

Herman, great thoughts. Were I to have the equipment I would try it.

Audioengr, I had two cds that would no longer play because of scratches. I did succeed in copying them using my computer. When I got the RealityCheck, I tried to copy one from the original. It failed partially through the burning. I then copied the copy. It was far superior. Recently I recopied using my computer and one of the black cdrs supplied by George. I then copied it using the RealityCheck at home it was further improved. I found it somewhat better than the RC copy using the silver cdr.

Kana813, I did make CES, but I thought my reservations were at 6:40 in the morning going out and they were at 6:40 pm. Everything was upset.

Jayctoy, I find the RealityCheck results far greater than these alternatives. I had been using them on originals for years, and although the improvements proved substantial, they were never of the level achieved here. Also more recently I have tried using the RealityCheck black blanks in my computer to redo originals including all of the cleaning prior to burning. Again the results fell far short of what I got with the RC. I even tried burning another RC blank using the copy I had made on the computer using the RC blank and copying it using the RC reproducer. I then compared it with a prior direct copy from the original using the RC. I heard no difference between the two copies.

I have found benefit to using the Furatek demagnifier on the cdrs, but no benefit using the AudioDeck trimmer. Even the post by Slothman above citing work by Genesis Tech. shows the importance of the blank used, how it is cleaned, what is used to copy it, and the burner software. All that I really know is that I very much enjoy the further benefits I derive from the RealityCheck that I have not otherwise been able to achieve. Maybe as Audioengr suggests a better burner would outperform the RC. That maybe true, but the jury is still out at least as far as I am concerned.

Exlibris, I too am very interested in your findings with a "better" power supply on the RC. Thanks for being point man.

Exlibris, obvious question then is what did you have done. Is it a standard power supply that can just be swapped?

I cannot speak for Jaycoy, of course, but I think both of your senses of air are tightly related. With the greater quiet and blackness of the noise background comes more information on the venue including ambience and reverberation. I would characterize it as sounding more real or having a sense of being there.

Tvad, yes now that you mention it, so have I. There is no loss of highs with the RC copies, however.

Mejames, I am still awaiting additional Verbatim "Super Azo" CD-Rs, but on the two I have, they prove not as good as the RC blanks. This is contrary to what Todd found. See: http://www.AudioAsylum.com/audio/general/messages/412248.html

I have also used run of the mill blanks from TDF and Verbatim. Others have had more experience with other blanks. See the many posts on AA by Quint.

I am like you in being impressed with the RC blanks used with the cleaner Louis sells.

Are these burned with your revised RC unit and on what blanks. I ask because I have more of a sense of the hall and recording venue with the RC copies on their blanks.

Exlibris, can you tell us more of your modified unit? Louis reported he has a customer who has added a linear supply and is exploring its benefits. Is the customer you? I have done nothing due to Christmas, CES coming up, and final exams.

Splaskin, from all indications you are correct. Apparently there are still instances where you use ClearDisk. It sounds like you use RealDisc to clean off old ClearBit on originals. I assume that you then reburn copies on which you do not use ReadDisc. Correct?

Splaskin, this is what George Louis emailed to me. "RealDisc™ doesn't eliminate or replace the
need for ClearDisc™ except for treating purposed when a disc isn't inordinately contaminated with dust and fingerprints." I think you are saying the same thing. When I get RealDisc, I think I will need to use ClearDisc to remove ClearBit on the originals that I have copied and then apply RealDisc to both flat sides.

New uncopied originals need only be cleaned with RealDisc and then have ClearBit applied to the rims.

The blank CDRs then are cleaned only with RealDisc followed by ClearBit. I assume that I need to make all new CDRs.

It is curious how different Audiogon and AudioAsylum threads are. I concede that there is no interest HERE. The nudniks seem influential here.

He apparently chooses not to say more, but it is his post. Perhaps Clark or Bill will tell us more.

Tvad, yes I saw it. Unless the IO Shop unit is far superior to my Mac duplicating a cd, however, Mr. Louis must be doing something further to the unit.

There are questions about whether there is value added by Reality Check, I have no idea what other questions you have in mind in your last sentence.

Mr Louis is a very poor advocate for his product.

I have just burned 10 more cds and will probably do more this weekend. Would you have me destroy my unit? Or say that I am wrong about its benefits? If so, you are out of luck.

Who me or you or someone else?

Tvad, I agree these are all unanswered questions. I also wonder when, if ever, anyone will know the answers.

Tvad, I do value the duplicator, but I do wonder if RealityCheck added something of further value. I also don't know the answer to this either.

Tvad and Onhwy61, as I have said I tried using RC and other cd-rs some black and all thoroughly cleaned burned on my MAC. I have directly compared them with copies made on the RealityCheck unit. The latter were clearly better. Previously, I had made cd-r copies on computers and always found some minor improvements. In fact I made several RC copies of discs I had copied on my computer after they would no longer play on my cd player as they were too scratched. These RC copies were strikingly superior to the computer copies.

As I have also said, it does seem to be the case that Mr. Louis merely found a superior way to copy with great sonic benefit and sold his off the shelf products at a great mark-up. The results are quite good but the cost is too high.

Actually, Sbayne, it was an engineer at Genesis, not Arnie. It also stressed that cd-rs vary greatly in sound quality and how long they last or lasted in those days.

Powder, reviews across the board have been raves on the Nespa. Latest is in HiFi+ Both the RealityCheck at $575 and the Nespa at $895 are minor in comparison with other components that I use and what I have in my software.

Kana813, you are right. Mr. Louis gets his basic chassis from the same source the iopshop.com gets theirs. In fact he is now selling the same base unit for $215. But this is only the beginning. As he says, “But for sure, at this time there aren't any assembled duplicators sold online with even one Plextor DVD-RW drive let alone two Plextor DVD-RW drives each with their own 8MB memory buffers.” I know some may dispute this, but he does make the following offer. “If someone wants to compare an online duplicator to the RealityCheckCD Audiophile Grade Duplicator RCCD-AG 2.2™ they should buy one and make their copy and then send me their original disc and I'll make them a copy on my duplicator and return both for free and then they and their audiophile cohorts may compare theirs and mine until their ears fall off or at least until they hear what a true RealityCheckCD is all about.”

As to why I am posting this, I asked Mr. Louis why he did not himself post this. His answer is”I don't want to divulge my proprietary information and I know that the skeptics won't be satisfied until I do and probably not even then. All bad things must eventually come to an end and I prefer to wait it out. But I can assure you that I don't buy the RCCD component parts from any of the online sites that seem to have garnered everyone attention. You may also note that none of those online sites make any claims regarding the fidelity of music CD-Rs they produce.” He is probably right about the critics, but with his offer above anyone with an open mind can try for themselves.

The supermediastore duplicator is also $445 nearly twice what you said the RealityCheck could be replaced with. Your claims are still open to debate.

Tvad, some time ago you asked, "What, if anything, does the RealityCheck burner ($795) provide which the burner sold through IO Shop ($229) does not?" I suppose your "if anything" could be viewed as not suggesting what you believe. I think Mr. Louis' statement suggests your "if anything" is incorrect.

I would be very interested if you would report your findings comparing either the ioshop or the supermedia burners with copies made with the RealityCheck.

I have been frustrated by Mr. Louis' unwillingness to respond. I think his offer is indeed the only response. I say you are flat wrong that you can duplicate the performance of the RealityCheck for a fraction of the cost. Prove me wrong.

Kana813, I think his offer is to counter the claims that he merely reships the ioshop duplicator. Many, if not most, audiophiles are not prepared to install drives.

Yes, my unit has Plextor drives. I believe it burns by default at 8X