3. CD Purity CD spray to reduce effects of polycarbonate porosity. Polycarbonate is only about 91% transparent. Also reduces laser scattering.
R: You may try Essence of music digital spray, by far the best I tested. Mandatory. Reduce bi refringence. I tried so many brands, only 2 were very effective with no drawbacks and Essence is by far the best.
I have also tried a great many CD sprays, almost all 11 or 12 or however many. I think I had Essence of Music, my favorite up to now was Xtreme AV 2-step spray treatment, long out of print. My CD spray makes the polycarbonate layer behave like glass, which is considerably more transparent.
4. 3 strips of 3M Super 88 tape 1.5” long and cut in half lengthwise on label side of CD, radially
R: This is almost like Harmonix CD sheet. In fact I tested many things like that and the sound is different, not better (at least on the very best transport like Playback Designs, Goldmund and JMF Audio 3.7). Also strip can induce harmonics vibrations at H1 and H3 because they will unbalance the CD. Strips are most about damping and could add a bit inertia but at the cost of increased unbalanced rotation. All this could also depend on the gap of the center hole of a CD/SACD. As I tooled my CD with AUDIODESK systems CD improver, I reduce unbalance (and laser unwanted reflection) but sometimes CD or SACD are clearly unbalanced (less musicality and could induce rotation noise even in precise machines).
>>>>My system using Super 88 is effective, repeatable and transferrable. And it’s free.
5. All CDs twice quasi cryo‘d QC’d in freezer 2x48 hours.
R: I tried freezing and do not hear any difference. I will try 2x48h. Cryology is very interesting to remove constrained in metallurgy, it's well known. I studied that at university. However, cryology is I think, done at much lesser temp than -18°C.
>>>>Of course home freezing is much warmer than cryo temperatures. That’s why it seems so outlandish. I was one of the first to incorporate cryo and home freezing for audio stuff. It also begs the question, are the effects of cryo 100% because of “molecular realignment.”
6. Demag/Destatic CD prior to playing - rotate disc with thumb of one hand whilst holding demag steady over totaling disc with other hand, rotate disc 3 times. Also rotate CD perpendicular to demag to get the outer edge… better safe than sorry.
R: Demag is mandatory and I much prefer magnets than AC demag. Static, yes, may be the most important with CD laser side optical treatment. I use Nordost Eco 3x on the label side and Furutech Destat III on the laser side. DS Audio desert is said by one of my customer to be better.
>>>>I used to use Nordost, however my (passive) quantum Demag/Destatic device is more effective and thorough. I used Walker Talisman for a long time, until now. My take, thanks to Lloyd Walker, is magnetism has rather little to do with it.
Geoff Kait
Machina Dynamica
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