Rain-X as CD Enhancement Treatment

You consistently suggest to others that if there is a change to the sound through said treatments there is a "problem" with their gear

Absolutely correct. You got it. When you have to resort to green markers and fancy cables to get the right sound then the equipment is NOT doing its job properly. A CD player is not reading a CD properly. Or a speaker and amplifier are poorly matched. Or a Pre and power amp have problems (ground loops etc.)

Jitter is a problem which is well documented and undeniable. However it is an EQUIPMENT problem. Standard Redbook CD does not call for "green markers" in the standards. If a redbook player does not read a redbook CD properly then it is the fault of the EQUIPMENT => Get a better player.

I think a fear lies behind the unwillingness to test it out.

Not really. I well know that my equipment is far from perfect but that does not worry me. It is good enough for my tin ears. If there is any fear it is that I would be starting down a slippery path that eventually leads to magic pebbles or special acoustic tuned cups and directional cryogenic cables. My wife is an engineer too and she would definitely think I was completely wacko - if anything that would make me fearful or at least extremely embarassed to take such steps.

Far from an imaginative leap into brilliant pebbles & the like, the theory with the colored edge treatment is that it filters out refracted light that may otherwise be reintroduced into the optics. It's also conceivable that a shiny smooth surface provided by Rainex could minimize refraction. But whatever the science, it's generally accepted that jitter problems can be introduced through the optics. The Sony service documentation for my CDP includes a laser allignment procedure to use with a scope that is performed specifically to minimize jitter. I have personally found that improvements to DC power into the motor/servo mechanism of my SCD-1 make an audible improvement in the sound of the transport. And this is a CDP that in the original Stereophile review exhibited very low jitter in stock fitment. So the basic quality of the transport is not at issue.

"My wife...would definitely think I was completely wacko."

My wife feels this way about me, particularly in all things relating to audio. Unfortunately the problem is not that the slippery slope tends down toward pebbles, but rather upward toward $10K components. For her a $5 bottle of Rainex would be a welcome relief.

the Staedtler Lumucolor 357 is discontinued.

The Sharpie enhancer 007 may work as well

My wife realized the incurable nature of my audiophilia years ago. She was greatly relieved when I determined to build my own room; it meant she would be free from the incessant tinkering with the system.

You should try the polishing treatment, and I'll try the marker/edge treatment. We can compare notes here. That'll drive Shadorne crazy! ;)

For starters, I have heard that one is to use a green marker. Did you stick with green. How about blue? Black? I suspect yellow highlighter would not work as well? Any particular brand of marker you prefer? ;)

When dealing with $10k components and high end speakers, I would assert that one had better hear such influcences as a power cable change, disc treatment, etc. or else the designation "audiophile component" is questionable. If these higher end pieces can do no better than Target mini systems at revealing nuances or treatments, then there's no point in buying them. Then you may as well head to the local electronic store's going-bankrupt sale. Far be it from problematic; if the serious audio gear can parse the bits and do it better with a treated CD, then that's a doggone highly calibrated device! Now, if the sound was worse after disc treatment, then I'd say the laser assembly either had extremely fine tuned parameters in which to operate, or it was not so well built.

But the argument of making improved performance via altered media an issue in terms of quality of the player/DAC? I don't see the logic in that, especially when it can be done with the DAC1. When a badly scratched disc is inserted into a player and it doesn't work properly, we don't say the player is defective or has a problem. However, when an "enhanced" disc is inserted and the player peforms better, we say it has a problem? Go figure. :)

Thankfully, the fine rigs I have used all revealed these things, and consistently so. I have not run into an audiophile cdp which could not be improved upon through disc treatment. The higher end the rig, the more such influences are heard.

I agree that the best components most clearly reveal the effect of tweaks. The clearer the window, the more visible the remaining smudge. I think this phenomenon is what accounts for the hyperbole of magazine reviewers, who when describing near-SOTA equipment appear to be making a big deals about splitting hairs. My view is that the hobby is all about closing the small gap between 9/10s and 10/10s, which separates a great system from realism. You never get there, but according to Zeno's paradox, through small steps you can close the gap by halves, and feel at each step like you've made a 50% improvement.

The question for anybody with budget constraints becomes what is the most cost-effective step at the margin. We all have different ways of looking at this. As a maker of DIY cables, I've always found that a dollar committed to improving electronics is preferable to that dollar spent on ANY commercial cable. Unfortunately, I have come to this conclusion after accumulating a drawer full of Synergistics, Audioquest, Tara, Goertz, & MIT cables. Yet there are those who on general principles will not spend one Yankee dollar to test the value proposition of a Sharpie.

I'll check out the Rainex. As my CD Stop Light is gone, I need to find another pen to revisit this experiment. The green Sharpie may be good. Geoff Kait likes a purple pen-- and in spite of pebbles & teleportation he's not always wrong.