cd tweaks (1 Viewer)

[Mike Bledsoe]

Hey!
Does anyone know some cheep tweaks for demagnetizing cds?
Mike
http://hdsaudio.homestead.com/index.html

 

[ChrisMatson]

I don't get it.
What do magnets have to do with CDs?

 

[Alf S]

yes..please explain..makes no sense.
(Do I smell another audio/video urban legand???)

 

[Chu Gai]

perhaps magnetizing them is better, this way the sound knows which way its oriented. I realize its not especially sensitive, but when placing my compass next to a CD, i did not notice any deflections. no doubt any magnetism must indeed be both miniscule yet audible.

 

[jeff peterson]

Chu is right!

First, ensure the freezer compartment of your refrigerator is EXACTLY 0 degrees F (or your standalone freezer if you've sprung for one of those, hope it's region one compatible unless you've modded if for region free operation).
Place 6 (no more, no less) round ceramic magnets in your freezer.

Place your CD on the magnets carefully so the label (facing you at the door of the freezer) is EXACTLY oriented parallel to a north south axis. I can't stress the importance of this placment.

Set your kitchen timer to 10 minutes; note, if you're a fan of the warm tube sound, make this 15 or 20...you can experiment with this setting. When it dings...IMMEDIATELY play the CD..if you wait too long, you lose the effect. Of course this varies, depending on your latitude and season (and if the air conditioning is on).

Enjoy!

 

[Chu Gai]

and here i thought that if one needed to get the tube sound, one would use a microwave since that uses a tube doesn't it? seriously though this is out there on the fringe. you might consider asking the editors of stereophile. someone there is bound to say something postitive about it.

 

[Joe Tilley]

Where do you people get this stuff
One day I think I've heard it all than someone asks another question
Sorry I just cant help but to laugh.......

 

[RobertCharlotte]

someone there is bound to say something postitive about it

Of this, I have no doubt.

 

[Mark Austin]

There are many tweaks that defy logic, but actually work quite well.

I don't see where people get this amusement from laughing at, and backhandedly ridiculing others that have questions about such tweaks. What is the goal? Are you really helping anything? Are you providing any useful information on the subject, or is it just fun to belittle others?

I have never tried demagnetizing cd's, but some people swear buy it.

 

[Mike Bledsoe]

Poor People

For your information the paint that is used to make the label has metal allows in it and the spinning of the disc causes magnetization. I had read about this in Steriophile
but I don't remember which issue it was in. If you think I am crazy take an old cd then go out and buy a new one of the same kind and I swear you will hear a noticeable difference. Im sorry I bothered you.
Mark thank you for your compassion.

 

[Chu Gai]

There is nothing new about inks having metals in them. In the case of pigments, which can be looked upon as dyes that have been reacted with metals such as copper, calcium, barium, etc., the process is called 'laking'. Many inks today are based upon soy derivitives. As for their being magnetic...well the strength of any magnetism could be checked but I doubt you'll find any values as to what extent they can 'demagnetize' things. In other words, how much of a reduction in oerstads was found. You'll find magnetic inks on your checks (MICR). Stereophile, while an entertaining magazine, does not make it their general practice to rule out biases or incorporate placebos in their product reviews and as a result one needs to go down to their local agricultural center and purchace enormous quantities of deer-lick.
I do apologize if you took offence at what was a bit of teasing. However the next time you go past an audio emporium that has such a demagnetizer, take a friend and two identical CD's. Treat one. Have your friend then play the CD's for you without having the benefit of any clues and pick out which one was treated...Repeat the evaluation 10 times. What did you find? Was the difference truly great now or maybe its not so easy to tell? You have every right in the world to your beliefs and you also have the ability to determine whether that belief is knowledge or just an error upon your part. It's your call.

 

[John Sturge]

What a Rip Off
Or this junk
:rolleyes

 

[Mark Austin]

John,

How do you know it is a rip off, or junk?

 

[Chu Gai]

OK Mike, please tell us how you were able to determine that to your ears there was an audible difference? With all due respect, perhaps your evaluation was influenced by expectation and may have been inaccurately interpreted. Let's put aside the theories aside for a moment and focus upon the listening evaluation you conducted, OK?

 

[Mike Bledsoe]

Dear Chu
Like I was trying to say the magnetic effect causes the pick up on the laser to misread the bit information not unlike the difference a good rack can make for your sound
any disturbance effects that. People are entitled to their
opinions but I still maintain that I can sense a noticeable improvement.between a new cd and one that has been played for a while becoming magnetized.

Mike
ps. John thanks for the web link.

 

[Alf S]

but I still maintain that I can sense a noticeable improvement.between a new cd and one that has been played for a while becoming magnetized.

Mike,

I'm just curious, were you the one putting the cd's in your player, knowing exactly which one was "magnetized" and which wasn't, therefore biasing your listening "test"?

Have you tried having a friend play each cd while you were blindfolded or your back was turned to see if you could indeed determine which one sounded "better"?

I for one think this is highly suspect and can't believe that my whole cd collection has been ruined because of magnetism. Does this mean I need to replace all them with new ones every other week to get the best sound?

BTW, how long does it take for the "magnetism" to take hold of my cd's and render them poor sounding? Would I have to demagnetise them after every play?

I've listened to many cd's in my collection that are well over a decade old, and still hear every subtle sound now as I did back in the days when it was "new".

I think to many of us are running out of "tweaks" for our hobby, and are grasping at straws trying to claim a "new and unique" method to make something old sound incredibly new again.

Do all hobbies get this out of hand??

 

[Bob_L]

I personally have some trouble believing in the magetization issue.

However, wouldn't it work just to purchase a cheap degausser or tape head demagnetizer from Radio Shack and wave it near the CD to demagnetize it? This should be a lot cheaper, and probably just as effective, as some of the "audiophile" devices that are being sold.

Or perhaps you could just buy an industrial magnet somewhere and move that over the top of the CD.

 

[Chu Gai]

Just thought I'd share an alternate way of looking at this situation. I had picked up a gallon of 'magnetic paint' at my local Ace Hardware. One of those damaged cans things. What I intend to do is burn two CD's and paint one of the CD's with it. Should be enough material I think to cause a small screwdriver to stick to it. I'll run some tests with my son's friends. Yes, I know they don't have golden ears, but at 16 years of age I'm constantly reminded that they know everything and their hearing accuity is probably pretty good. I'll probably also burn a test tone and do an A/B comparison of the test tone. The logic behind this is to exacerbate the effect of magnetism. Need to do something while waiting for the NBA playoffs now!

 

[Shane Martin]

Do all hobbies get this out of hand??

Yes they all do. I've seen every hobby get this way. Cars are a good example. Try discussing car upgrades/tweaks to make your car go faster for instance. You have 1 guy who owns a yugo and 1 guy who owns a ferrari(quite relevant to this discussion). The guy with the yugo says its hogwash to upgrade your muffler system and tells the ferrari guy hes nuts. The ferrari guy swears he has tried the new performance muffler and it makes a difference. The guy takes the car down to the drag strip and runs a lower time than usual. The yugo guys swears he is biased and something is up.

Nothing unusual.

 

[Saurav]

Shane,
A Yugo??
You're mean