Bedini Clarifier II, FuruTech RD-1 etc

Audiogon people are the world's best sudioforum! Please jump on me if you will, for what i say now you all already know; but i'll rearrange the events of postings up to now. If gold/aluminum will not magnetise then the cd "treatment" magnetic field can only be inside the minute amount of polycarb.material between the dot and dimple. Being spun at high speed and cutting through a steady magnetic field, this static "generator" definitely will form a certain static-charge pickup pattern on the optical surface. The "pattern" might just be the exact distribution pattern of the dots and dimples due to charged material thickness reference to the surface. To complicate matter, the charges can either be +ve, -ve or neutral, I truly don't know how this enhanced (by Bedini/Furutech) static map influences the optics during playback. Just to detract a little, all of us must have read or even tried the Statmat which does the exact reverse: designed to absorb atatic charges present to neutral for playback. My friend who markets the Statmat locally couldn't convince me to buy one, defference too subtle..maybe the demostudio was too rowdy at the time we tried that.Its the world dearest piece of sheet plastic, 3 sheets to a Bedini. The point is we should alway try to understand in detail, how things work for us (or against us audiophiles,) the way they do. IMHO diehard members Dtsag, Carl, Tony7, Denman,Megasam,Shayner all have true experiences of their own to share and their stand on the issue. I will go for neutralizing the cd to its original intended state by discharging all statics. This is my $0.20 worth.

Static charges, even large electrical charges won't influence the optical paths, but will wreak havoc with the electrical components, probably by adding noise. Static build up is a negative charge only. Neutral would be no charge at all.

If your interested in a Bedini Ultra Clarifier, call up Music Direct and ask for Bes ( tell him i sent you ). They have several demo's / trade-ins when people "upgraded" to the Ultra Clarifier II. You can pick these up for a bargain and they work / look fine. It will do what your demagnetizer does, but with much more uniformity and far greater convenience. I think that your somewhere in the Chicagoland area and could have it shipped or even pick it up if you wanted to. They don't have much gear there, but do have a ton of discs to sort through. For the record, i too was a sceptic given my background. I am an electronics tech by trade and own a radio communications business. Don't ask me to explain how the Ultra-Clarifier works, but it does. My observations echo Carl's in the fact that everything sounds more detailed, less fatigueing and much smoother. I initially picked up a used hand-held clarifier and didn't obtain any beneficial results. I gave the desktop model a try and it was a night and day difference. As it turns out, i wasn't using the handheld version long enough to obtain the same benefits as what the desktop model does automatically. And to answer Dennis' question, i've never had any problems with using the Bedini. Sean >

Sean, thanks for the tip, I already ordered Bedini II from Elusive Disc $150,close to where I now live, Cincinnati. BTW I lived in Chicago from 1979-91 in Lincoln Park, by Fullerton & Clark St, wish I was still there.....but things change. I have no doubt that Bedini II will work, but I think FuruTech design of keeping CD stationary while being treated is better concept, cost is much higher $300-350......thanks for all the useful comments guys....regards Sam

"Shayner's" right. I had the Bedini Clarifier. Not only is it built cheesy, it's made absolutley no sonic improvements to my ears. In my opinion this classifies as one of Voodoo ripoff tweaks. Save your money. Buy a PS Audio P-300 for real sonic improvement.