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Rain-X as CD Enhancement Treatment

I have used the Auric Illuminator treatment on my CD collection for several years now. I am a believer in the AI, and repeated A/B tests of identical treated/untreated CDs bore out significant improvements after treatment with AI.

I ran out of the fluid and my marker dried out, so I was searching for mew treatments on the market before buying another AI kit or choosing something new. That's when I ran across this article by Greg Weaver at Soundstage, where he talks about having used Rain-X and a green marker(Staedtler Lumocolor 357, price about $3.00) as a treatment on his CDs to great effect.

http://www.soundstage.com/synergize/synergize200005.htm

Being the complete geek that I am, I had to try it for my self. I found the marker at Office Depot, and picked up a little bottle of Rain-X for $2.99. I treated a couple of CDs that I have ended up with duplicate copies of (Grant Green's Green Street, Frank Sinatra Sextet Live In Paris)and tested the Rain-X/marker treated vs. untreated disks.

Well, low and behold, the treated disks sounded notably improved; the music was clearer and louder, especially the midrange, the soundstage was larger with better definition and separation of instruments and the bass was tighter and deeper.

I can't say that the Rain-X treatment was or was not better sounding than the AI, but at the least very it is close, for a fraction of the price.

Has anyone else ever tried the Rain-X treatment?
craig_hoch
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
A question you may want to investigate is what could possibly be wrong with the way the transport was reading a clean unscratched CD in the first place?

Remember CD's are digital not analog - there should be no "surface noise" with a CD in good condition.
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larryi
4,046 posts
 
I wondered about the airflow issue that you mentioned. But, it could also be an optical issue. Certainly other treatments tout the improvement in the optical characteristics of the surface of the CD.

One more thing, RainX leaves haze and streaks (on windshields) unless very vigorously buffed. I would be very carefull about the buffing process. I would only use tissue paper made for cleaning glasses (facial tissue has fibers that will scratch plastic, hence, the need for quite expensive tissues for glasses). Camera lens tissue is also a possibility, but that stuff is WAY expensive and too small, thin and delicate to use easily.
thorman
1,262 posts
 
I am still using ( sparingly ) Armoral.....
psacanli
535 posts
 
I don't wish to appear negative-and I have not tried Rain-X except om my windows where I was an early adopter and still love it-however; Rain-X is specifically designed for use on glass. It is worth enquiring the manufacturers opinion on its suitability for plastic.
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