Cross Black

[Auricauricle]

I think I have finally crossed the divide and will be taken away soon; but before I go, I'd like you a li'l something....

With a handle like Auricauricle, it stands to reason that such a person like myself just can't leave well enough alone.

Over the years, I have read upon and played with various tweaks and gadgets looking for cheap and reasonably harmless ways to improve my set-up's sound and make a smug grin that I have acquired more reassuring. Through my reading, purusing and purchasing, I learned of a time-tested method of taking a marker and inscribing a large cross over the surface of the label side of a CD. Supposing that the light in the player was subject to all sorts of bouncing etc., the suggestion was made with the thought that the so benighted surface would arrest the errant rays and re-focus them upon the disc.

Yes, yes.... I have tried the green around the rim, readers: No tomatoes, there.

The thought of marking a perfectly good disc's surface was, and is, utterly repugnant. Like marking up a good book, so is the marking up of a perfectly good disc.

Bah!

I let the sleeping dog lie a li'l while as I pondered upon this notion....

But this monolith showed up in my backyard, last night....Spooky music played...

Today, I took a disc and with roll of electrical tape, applied four strips from the spindle hole out to the edge, trimmed the excess, and popped her in the player. No skips, no jumps, no crashes. It played perfectly well. (Insert Thus Spake Zarathustra, here).

The sound, you ask?

The sound?

Well, it sounds pretty darn good....

More to come after I get m'straighjacket fitted...."Come on boys: I'm ready!"

[Rich-n-Texas]

I'll run the same tests then get back to yua.

[Auricauricle]

Adding more fodder to the screws at the local rubber room, I bought a rubber mat (approx 1 mm thick) and, after tracing around a CD sized disc and center hole, voila! Instant stabilization mat. Player accepted it reluctantly, but an approx. 1.2mm wedge made it more palatable. So far, no harm, no foul, and the sound is quite nice: coherent presentation of music (on "Why Worry", was able to pick up on keyboard fingering throughout the sustain, e.g.). Data as listening continues (Brothers in Arms, the guinea pig)....

Geez, mebbe y'all are right...Got way too much time on m'hands!

[nightflier]

Not to be a scientific-method weenie, but how are you comparing the A vs. B?

[Auricauricle]

Trying to. I will probably wrangle a coupla friends and blindfold 'em. Other than that I am listening to albums that I am overly acquainted with and seeing if there's a notoable difference.

Mebbe yes, mebbe no, but the bottom end certainly seems tighter and the over all impression is reassuringly more stable and assertive sounding.

[hermanv]

It is not unreasonable to suspect that the CD player causes the disk to vibrate probably causing jitter. It is also reasonable that a mat stabilizes some of this vibration. This effect would be player dependent.

One wonders if an outboard DAC with jitter reduction would make the whole stabilization idea unnecessary.

See how nice I am? I've just given you days and days of testing and entertainment.

[Auricauricle]

I am just overcome by the generosity!

Addendum: Just performed another experiment: DO NOT APPLY ANY TAPE ON YOUR CD'S!!!! IT WILL REMOVE THE LABLE AND DAMAGE YOUR DISCS IRREPAIRABLY!!!! THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!!! I TAKE EVERYTHING BACK!!!!!!