I've played around with lots of different tweaks on my system, and generally have found that most of those I bought actually did work to one degree or another. Fortunately, I limit my expenditures on such stuff, so paying thousands of dollars for, say, isolation feet, is something I wouldn't dream of doing. Paying $6 apiece for Vibrapods, and $8 each for Vibracones was a very worthwhie investment, which I highly recommended anyone try.

My last "find" is "L'Art du Son" CD cleaner/polisher. An online search revealed that this product is an Absolute Sound "Editor's Choice," and has the personal endorsement of "the man" himself, Harry Pearson. Whereas I don't regard HP as the audio guru many others do, I respect his opinion, and so I bought a bottle of L'Art du Son for the $55 price just about everyone charges.

And, does it work! Repeating dozens of "before and after" listening tests, playing a disc without treatment, and then after, always results in a significant improvement in sound. Sometimes the improvement is startling, other times less so, but there is always an improvement. Highs, especially strings, are a good deal smoother and sweeter; mids have a bit more "air" around them, and sound more "reedy;" bass is louder, tighter and deeper. And all this just from a few squirts of an odorless, clear liquid!

I asked my wife to listen to a "before and after" test, and got the usual, "You're out of your mind" look from her. I played a Telarc CD of Robert Shaw conducting Randall Thompson's "Alleluia," Then I treated the disc, and played it again. I heard an immediate difference but didn't say anything, waiting to hear what my wife said. "Well, do you hear anything different?" I asked her. "There's a HUGE difference!" was her response. She found everything clearer, more distinct and a good deal smoother. Another term others might use is "Less digital."

Why does this stuff work, and why does it work so well? After all, you squirt a disc a couple of times, spread the solution around with your finger, and then wipe it dry with the supplied microfiber cloth. What's so special about that?

This is another of those, "I can't explain why it works. It just does" phenomena. Some people might refuse to accept that it works - or possibly ever could - unless documented scientific evidence is provided to support proof of its effficacy. To those, all I can say, is, "you're really missing out on something here, if you don't try it." To the rest of you who may not have used L'Art du Son CD cleaner, don't waste another minute and get yourself some. Believe me, you won't believe your ears!