CD Got Absolutely Crushed By Vinyl

Okay, I found the site listing for Dark Matter CD liquid treatment and a Dark Matter CD Tray square treatment.  I assume you are referring to the top of the tray treatment then since I thought it was for the treatment per CD.  Can you instruct me as to how and where on the top of the CD tray the squares are to be placed?  There are 10 squares.  What size are they?  If they are too large, they will cover the corners of the tray too much.  Also, if I place them in the CD tray area which holds the CD, the CD will not spin as freely.  https://www.stereophile.com/content/machina-dynamic%E2%80%99s-new-product  This ad states there are 15 squares.  Why the double stick tape if it is to be placed on top of the tray?  80% coverage is indicated as optimal.  Again, how does one cover 80% of the tray with a sticky side up as well and permit the CD to spin freely?

What does the sticky tape tabs do to reduce laser light scatter?  Does the tab have special properties?  
I use the Walker Talisman to reduce/eliminate static from CDs and LPs.  CDs show immediate improvement upon use.  
In a Steve Hoffman forum, Machina Dynamica is ridiculed as hokum.  I always thought it was an intellectual tweak parody.  

I was upset with ElizabethH highly negative comment on that forum about the Shakti sticks, I assume she is referring to the Hallographs.  The Hallographs are being used by seven of my friends and myself to GREAT advantage.  My speakers lack focus (despite their name).  For me, they focus the soundstage, widen it, enhance the imaging and depth of the soundstage.  They are my no. 1 tweak tied with Stillpoints for vibration control.  After that come Perfect Path Omega E-Mats.  

chakster, you are talking to the wrong crowd, they don't listen to Vysotsky and so cannot possibly even comprehend what you are saying. Nor do they theoretically understand that for as long as humans are humans and not enhanced humanoids digital will never sound as good as analogue because there is a conversion and certain things are lost and distorted. Problem of digital playback mentioned is another point but I consider it almost irrelevant compared to the above.

inna - Well I listen to a significant number of other poets in European languages, including much Yiddish poetry sung by great artists from the 78 rpm to LP era.

The classical instrumentalist and vocal remasterings of about 30,000 78s on my CDs sound better than I could ever achieve on my VPI 19-4/Ultracraft/Grado/Marantz 7 78 rpm front end. Heck, the last great sounding 1927-32 recordings of Eddie Lang on a CD that I heard last week were as good as it gets for those 78s unless one has mint copies and knows what e.q. was used to replicate the sound as intended.

CDs can sound FABULOUS. I know since I have an excellent analog system and a darn good CD player. I 100% disagree.  Digital sound may not be perfect, but it's sufficiently adequate for my day to day listening along with my 78s and LPs.

fleschler, the NEW DARK MATTER comes in 10 very thin plastic squares approximately 3/4 inch per side plus double-sided tape for applying the squares to the circular area of the top surface of the tray. The idea is to cover most of the area the CD sits on when you place it on the tray. For some trays the squares can be trimmed to fit. If there is a smaller circular tray for Mini discs NDM can be applied to that area, too. It’s not necessary to completely cover the tray with NDM. 75% - 80% coverage is recommended. Even less will be very audible as I was informed by a customer yesterday. The reason I say NDM is a breakthrough product is it’s the first audio product to absorb ALL scattered laser light, the red portion 25% and the invisible portion 75%. It’s the invisible portion, by far the largest portion, that is the most difficult to eliminate since it’s not amenable to absorption by colors. My previous version of Dark Matter was a spray that absorbed infrared scattered light.

I estimate the effective bandwidth of the 780 nm CD laser to be approx. 650-900 nm. All of which can get into the photodetector. The nominal laser wavelength of 780 nm is in the invisible portion of the light spectrum.

The thin plastic squares are not adhesive themselves. Thus double-sided tape is necessary to attach them to the tray. The smooth UNSTICKY side of NDM is all that’s exposed. It’s not really rocket science. 🚀

The CD does not (rpt not) spin on the CD tray per se. The CD contacts the tray only initially when you place the CD on the tray. There must be a spindle, no?