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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
7,467 posts
 
Hmmmm... I would say that is precisely MY argument as regards CD treatment!

Yes indeed, I adopted your description regarding the incredibly sensitive nature of a highly resolving system that would be (in your words) a "designated audiophile component". I accepted it as "fact" just to see what likely conclusions could be expected about the performance of said system.

Where we differ is on the kind of performance which is highly desirable to you but not so desirable to me.

Perhaps this is reflected in the way our carefuly-selected, respective systems perform.

Perhaps this accounts for the strong disagreement about the efficacy of high end cables, interconnects, burn-in and the degree to which many tweaks impact the sound.

I imagine you are rightfully proud because your system responds differently to a power cord or car wax treatment on the CD. That is indeed amazing - kudos to you for obtaining such a highly resolving system! Peace.

eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Tbg...If you "hear a difference between two digital copies that are identical" (to quote you) then your sense of hearing involves more than sonic vibration of the air. All I said it that for information in the digital domain, (before the D/A, amplification, and loudspeaker) an exact and completely non-subjective comparison can be made.

I guess you are right...you don't understand logic.
rodman99999
6,094 posts
 
Hey Craig- Did you have any idea that posting your very successful experiments and results would bring these semi-deaf, nay-saying, untesting but highly opinionated termites out of the woodwork? =8^)
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
semi-deaf, nay-saying, untesting but highly opinionated termites out of the woodwork

Good one!

Craig has actually stumbled on a free clinic!!!
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Eldartford, if you rip the same disc to a harddrive, once without the Millennium cd mat and once with it both using the same software and hardware (with Exact Copy reporting no errors and the same confidence) and then listen in the identical system and everyone "hears" a difference with probably 90% holding your view initially, is it logical to say there can be no difference?

I have had the same experience with discs painted with AVM and not, but various cleaning treatments seem to do nothing. I certainly would not claim to be expert in things digitial, but I do hear compressions degradation of sound even if it is supposedly loseless and I do hear differences in digital cables. I suspect strongly that "bits ain't bits."
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