CD tweaking tips

[Loky 0]

Headphones let us hear differences between tweaks more clearly... so I'd like to start this thread to compile a list of tweaks to cds. Here is what I have heard about so far:

 

 

1. Colouring the rims and inner rim with Green or Black pens

EFFECTIVENESS: Good

 

2. Cutting the rim with a lathe so that the rim is angled 45 degrees

EFFECTIVENESS: New product, unproven

 

3. Applying antistatic solution to reduce static, or other means to remove static

EFFECTIVENESS: Not sure

 

4. Applying any liquid to improve clarity, reduce scratches or increase refractivity

EFFECTIVENESS: Varies

 

5. Shining flourescent light over the cd before playing

EFFECTIVENESS: rare new technique, not proven

 

6. Cryogenically freezing the cd in sub-zero temperatures before thawing

EFFECTIVENESS: Dunno

 

7. Putting the cd in a sealed bag and freezing inside the freezer for 16 hours

EFFECTIVENESS: Tried it, no noticeable improvement

 

8. Putting a special mat over a CD when loading, to balance it + block light loss

EFFECTIVENESS: More harmful to the cd player mechanism than what the improvement is worth

 

9. Applying a special green plastic ring around the cd when playing

EFFECTIVENESS: Similar to 1) but much more costly

 

10. Duping entire CD to black cds using EAC/cd writer

EFFECTIVENESS: Tried it -- sonic improvement varies with system character

 

11. Digging ears thoroughly before listening to any CD

EFFECTIVENESS: Definite, but has the side effect of making unwanted sounds (nagging from parents, gf, etc) more prominent also

 

12. Using Yamaha's AudioMaster II technology to burn a cdr at 4x speed to reduce jitter

EFFECTIVENESS: Mild if noticeable at all. Better effect on black Melody cdrs though

 

13. Sanding the rim of the cd

EFFECTIVENESS: Negligible if the rims were unsmooth in the first place.

 

14. Applying damping material onto the cd's label surface to control resonance

EFFECTIVENESS: Dunno

 

15. Make 6 black or green lines emanating from the centre of the CD. Each line is a little less than one quarter inch wide. It's like cutting a cake into 6 equal pieces.

EFFECTIVENESS: Never tried.

 

16. Throwing the cd away and listening to the vinyl equivalent.

EFFECTIVENESS: This is not a tweak, but I'm sure vinyl enthusiasts wish every newly released cd has a vinyl equivalent!

 

Anyone who can contribute more tweaks/info/opinions to this thread is most welcome!

[Sipher 0]

wah! what a list.

 

5. Shining flourescent light over the cd before playing

EFFECTIVENESS: rare new technique, not proven

 

i think this is a crazy idea. haha

[Loky 0]

The fluorescent lighting thing + the lathe to shave the rim to 45 degrees, are featured in Positive Feedback, a very high-end audiophile publication. Dunno whether they are hallucinating or not, but here's the story:

 

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/swartz.htm

Edited November 11, 2003 by Loky

[jtfoo 0]

Just adding one more tips,

 

Paste a higher price tag on the CD cover. This technique works on all audio equipments.

 

EFFECTIVENESS: Read the rave comments & followups here, http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=c...tag&r=&session=

Edited November 11, 2003 by jtfoo

[ckng 0]

17. For HDCD player owners, hardwire the HDCD LED so that it lights up on *every* CD.

 

Regards

CK

[N@Z 0]

No wonder all my CDs sound good as I always look at them under the fluorescent lights before putting it in the CD drawer! LOL... I'm game as long as it doesn't cost me anything! Although I probably couldn't tell a difference.

[Barradio 0]

May I suggest put those fluorescent lights tude for the computer CPU housing into the CD player.

[Q00 0]

Cryogenics is the process of bringing down the temperature of an item to absolute zero (around -275 deg c iirc) and treating the item until the molecular composition of the item itself has changed and slowly bringing it back up to room temp.

 

I have read on head-fi that some guys do treat their tubes cryogenicaly and with outstanding results. Process is very time consuming so as to prevent the tube from shattering. Roughly 24hrs to bring it down to absolute zero, another 24hrs or more to treat it and finally another 24hours to bring it back up to room temp. The tubes were originally flat sounding or had poor sounding qualities but after the treatment, they were very comparable to nos tubes. Sounds very promising and there are claims that it is permanent and that you can treat any tube and they will all sound very familiar after the treatment.

 

I do not think it will make any difference since cd's are all read digitally

 

Edit: some things i left out..zzz

Edited November 11, 2003 by Q00

[Q00 0]

11. Digging ears thoroughly before listening to any CD

EFFECTIVENESS: Definite, but has the side effect of making unwanted sounds (nagging from parents, gf, etc) more prominent also

 

I think that digging your ears are very harmful in the long run unless you have a physical item in there (which i think is very weird). Instead, try using ear wax remover ear drops like most of us do here. Much more effective but requires at least 4-7days of continous use to fully remove those stubborn wax in those hard to reach areas. You will definitely hear a big difference and will be able to appreciate the music more.

 

[Blues 0]

wah some of the things are quite extreme.. I wonder if they do make a difference.. and not just a pscyhological one

[Q00 0]

surprisingly crygenically treating the tubes is cheap even though it sounds super expensive for such a time consuming process. price quoted online was 5usd a tube

 

i have yet to try the black cd's yet cuz i just bought some just now but the slower burning speed sorta makes sense in that you do reduce jitter in the recording.

[Loky 0]

17. For HDCD player owners, hardwire the HDCD LED so that it lights up on *every* CD.

 

Regards

CK

Wah that's cool!!

[Loky 0]

surprisingly crygenically treating the tubes is cheap even though it sounds super expensive for such a time consuming process. price quoted online was 5usd a tube

 

i have yet to try the black cd's yet cuz i just bought some just now but the slower burning speed sorta makes sense in that you do reduce jitter in the recording.

Talking about Qoo...

 

I *swear* that any music cd sounds better when I am sipping a chilled icycold glass of Qoo green grape!

[Loky 0]

wah some of the things are quite extreme.. I wonder if they do make a difference.. and not just a pscyhological one

I forgot to mention that some of the tweaks can be combined together...

that's extreme x (no. of tweaks combined)!

[Tenson 0]

11. Digging ears thoroughly before listening to any CD

EFFECTIVENESS: Definite, but has the side effect of making unwanted sounds (nagging from parents, gf, etc) more prominent also

 

I think that digging your ears are very harmful in the long run unless you have a physical item in there (which i think is very weird). Instead, try using ear wax remover ear drops like most of us do here. Much more effective but requires at least 4-7days of continous use to fully remove those stubborn wax in those hard to reach areas. You will definitely hear a big difference and will be able to appreciate the music more.

Wow, I have only ever used cotton buds! Perhaps I am not obtaining the full sonic abilities of my ears!? Where can I get some of this ear drop? Just go to the chemist and buy it over the counter?

 

Have you ever tried the ear candles?