2. digital
  3. 1227242737

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
shadorne's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Shadorne fumbled the ball.

Nah - you just imagined it - wishful thinking - the "placebo" effect!

Admit it - you treated the ball with Rain-X so you expected me to drop it! ;-)

we are assembling a very interesting case study for objectivist behavior.

You are obviously referring to me but I would counter by the simple observation that I am one of hundreds of millions of people around the world who would not dream of doing what you suggest unless it was to fix a badly scratched CD that nolonger played properly. Therefore I am actually pretty dull & boring sitting and sharing similar views to the vast majority of CD listeners (who don't polish their CD collection with Rain-X or mark them with green markers).

You however are the "very interesting case study for objectivist behavior"...sitting somewhere way off the end of the bell curve ;-)

More seriously, this banter has been a fun diversion and I am glad the gibes were kept civil & polite. I really don't have much more I can add or share on this matter. I feel certain we are connected through our enjoyment of music and a pursuit of our own respective ideals in audio reproduction equipment even if we don't see eye to eye on Rain-X or what defines excellent equipment (robust vs resolving).
dgarretson
2,601 posts
 
"Bit is just bits," someone said.

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," Freud said.

But Freud also said:

"My boy, smoking is one of the greatest and cheapest enjoyments in life, and if you decide in advance not to smoke, I can only feel sorry for you." (Freud: A Life for Our Time. Peter Gay, 1989, Anchor Books/Doubleday.)
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Douglas_schroeder...The way to make music subjectively louder is to add distortion! But I don't think your treatment does that either.

My closing remark about UFOs was not arrogant, but just intended to poke a bit of fun, and get a rise out of the true believers. I guess I succeeded.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Eldartford, you're big on the phrase, "I don't think..." Why not do the test? You might be less apt to declare, "I don't think," in the future when you haven't the experience. :)

This is application, not theory. You can spew theory all day long and it won't get resolved. Only by conducting the test will it get resolved.

The arrogance in your UFO comment was the intellectual put down, as you, "intented to poke a bit of fun," and "get a rise out of true belivers." That's arrogance, when the opposing viewpoint is dismissed out of hand through belittling comments. You can attempt to excuse it as humor, but I'll call you on it. :)

So, are you going to set listening level, listen to a track on a disc, apply the polish and wipe clean, reinsert and replay the track? If you can't believe your ears for the astonishment, conduct the test on several more discs. The improvement from tretment will be consistent on every disc, as would be expected.

Let me know how it goes. :)
rodman99999
6,171 posts
 
He won't hear any difference on Blose 901's anyway(hee hee). What a waste of keystrokes!
More to discover