Big source improvement using CD player

The Reed Solomon error detection and correction algorithms are much more effective for predictable errors like radial scratches and fingerprints than for unpredictable errors like scattered CD laser light and fluttering of the CD whilst playing, for which the laser servo feedback mechanism is not 100% effective. External vibration is also a big challenge for both Reed Solomon and the laser servo feedback system. That is why the sound you hear from a CD is missing information that is clearly audible on the vinyl or tape version of the same recording. And it’s why CDs frequently sound hard and 2-dimensional and sour. It’s not the CD’s fault, it’s the CD player’s fault. The CD itself contains all the intricate nano scale physical information, you just can’t extract the information correctly without rectifying all the inherent problems in the CD player. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.

For those that are interested when there is a bit-error, or even multiple bit errors, I do suggest reading about how it works, not the inaccurate guess stated below. Interpolation only occurs when errors cannot be corrected. There are multiple levels of error correction and fully 25% of the data on a CD is redundant. If you don’t scratch your CDs, then you will have almost no unfixable errors on your whole CD.

Contrary to what many believe, you don’t have data bits and error correction bits all closely packed physically, they are spaced around the CD to reduce the impact of scratches. You don’t have a "good byte" on either side that is used to guess the one in the middle. That is not remotely what happens. That only happens if the scratches / defects are so severe that error correction cannot correct them. The methodology used for CDs allow full correction of up to 4000 bits, or about 2.5mm:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.462.3524&rep=rep1&type=pdf

For those interested in what happens when a byte can’t be read.

If a scratch has created read errors, you’re not completely hosed., "there is a pretty good chance that an uncorrected byte still has a good byte on either side". If that’s the case, then your CD player will take an average for those two values "and make an "educated guess" about what the missing value should be in between".
If the number of missing bytes gets to be too large, the system will suppress the error by muting the sound for a fraction of a second, which is hopefully too short a period of time to be detected.

If only there was a way of showing what the correctable and uncorrectable error rate coming off a CD rip or similar was available .... oh right, there is.

Fancy words, easily proven correct. So .... let’s have it. I am sure you have lots of data to support this hypothesis given how easy it would be to collect that data?

What, you don’t have any data to support your hypothesis. Color me shocked! Shocked I say!!!

The Reed Solomon error detection and correction algorithms are much more effective for predictable errors like radial scratches and fingerprints than for unpredictable errors like scattered CD laser light and fluttering of the CD whilst playing, for which the laser servo feedback mechanism is not 100% effective.

Data is for sissies. Is you deaf? 

If only there was a way of showing what the correctable and uncorrectable error rate coming off a CD rip or similar was available

If you were an audiophile which your clearly not, you would probably know Arnie Nudell (rip) and Paul McGowan did such a thing (you find out what) and showed it to you in a numerical error counter on the display.
Frightening seeing the differences between good and bad transports, that the error correction didn’t get right.
The lowest count I saw was the Wadia T2000 transport using it’s AT&T High Speed"Glass Fiber" optical output connections using expensive indexing fluid on both ends.
https://ibb.co/PYGZd7t

https://ibb.co/yNmgR1W