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Does Anyone remember

I'm almost cringing as I write this, knowing that any mention of a tweek, and it's "effect" is met with doubt or even boredom. Still, even though there may only be a few readers who can, or may have already tried this, I must continue.
I have been using a Pioneer PD S95 transport for about 7 years (great piece, look it up). It features the best version of Pioneer's rigid clamping system that is known to many, but no longer produced. It was a good idea. Clamp the CD so that it wouldn't rattle while it was spinning. The CD is inserted upside-down on these players, and the label side rests on a rubber pad atop a machined aluminum platter.
Anyway, it's the only high end transport I have ever had, so I can't compare it to others, but I have been very satisfied with it, and combined with an Audio Note 1x dac, it has been far superior to previous players I had owned.
To the point. Before owning the stable platter transport, I had used a product (no longer available) called Reference Bands. I forget who made them, but they were basically a stretchable circular black band that you placed around the outside edge of a CD. They were easily removeable. To me, the "pulled together" the sound of the music, making it sound deeper, and more nuanced. After I bought the Pioneer, I threw them out, as I believed that they were redundant. Then, last week, I pulled out a CD that I hadn't played in years, and there was a band on it. Long story a bit longer, I found that on disc after disc, the band in combination with the stable platter sounded obviously different, and after further listening, obviously better.
If anyone out there remembers the bands for better or worse, or has tried what I have, I would be interested in your thoughts.
The whole thing sounds so counter intuitive, but this has been my experience. I am using it all of the time now for critical listening.
128x128roxy54
roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
7,986 posts
 
Well, c'mon Elizabeth, give it a try for me, and tell me what your thinking is about them all these years later.
I'm also just remembering that I used to use those wide flat circles that used to cement right on to the disc, might have been Audioquest as well. I ruined a couple of CDs trying to get them off. I was removing them because the added thickness caused them to get stuck in my car CD player. I had the issue once of the band stopping the music at the end of a CD. It was Derek and the Dominoes (a double album on 1 CD).
I am wondering if the positive effect I am hearing is related to the blackening of the transparent edge of the CD, which is basically what the CD Stoplight pen did.
ghostrider45
449 posts
 
I have an S95. Try it through a Genesis Digital Lens or other jitter reducer. It makes a significant improvement. I suspect the Lens sounds better than the CD rings and is much easier to use....
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
the rubberband is periphery weighting the CD thereby reducing the wobble during spinning. If the CD goes upside down in the Pioneer, the clamp cannot be too big in diameter otherwise it'll cover the inside edge which has all the imp info of the CD. So, even tho the CD is clamped it appears that the entire diamter of the CD is not clamped so there is a high probability that there's still significant wobble during spinning which the rubberband takes care of. Plus, the black/dark colour rubberband also does what the Stoplight pen does - absorb the laser reflections off the CD edge. With those reflections gone less spurious reflected into the laser read lens hence less power supply spiking & the clean supply results in lower jitter & cleaner sonics. If you had TEAC VRDS clamping system it might obviate the need for the rubberband.
But, yeah, I can see how the rubberband helps the situation....
roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
7,986 posts
 
Thanks Ghostrider, I will look into that.
digitalaudio
22 posts
 
I wonder if it's just the edge weighting or if something else is at play too. I was at a site recently where they listed a bunch of cheap tweaks for cd's one of which was to dull the reflective edge of the disc with very light grit sand paper. I can't say what the supposed mechanics or purpose of this was but they swore it yielded a very slight benefit sonically.
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