CD Tweaks and Longterm Damage


I was reading the blurb for LAT International's C Diamond CD treatment. They bragged that it has a ph of 7, while some other tweaks they have tested have ph values as low as 5. The latter they claimed would damage CDs over time, just like Armorall did for those who used it.

Has anyone tested the ph levels for Optrix, (new and improved) Auric Illuminator, or Vivid? Do any of these pose a longterm risk for CDs?
socprof
Shventus,

I have a friend who works for a major software firm that is in charge of transporting sensitive and trademark data to other divisions throughout the World. Some of the data is BLER sensitive, in other words, he must supply them the data with extremely low BLER.

Thankfully, he is an audiophile of sorts, and agreed to test the various CD treatments that I had around, along with those that a few of our friends had also. In all the products tested, those that did not contain oil and wax and did not leave a film, lowered the BLER "significantly".

He went on to explain that to obtain optimal disc readability, you want the disc as clean as possible, without any film what so ever. That "filling in the pits" with wax and/or oil would lower the readability of the disc and would make the Error Correction Circuit (ECC) work harder in attempt to properly read the data.

We've all heard discs that are scratched, that sound horrible when the player is trying to play the song. The sound is squashed, distorted and not what you'd call high resolution. Some disc damage goes beyond the ability of the ECC and are unreadable, (As were my Armor All treated CD's after a number of years). In cases like this, the BLER is sky high. This said, it makes sense that you'd wouldn't want to use anything that would increase the BLER and make the ECC work harder. As said before, he told me to think of ECC as a variable negative feedback system, which increased with an increased BLER. Films and waxes that cause light scatter will raise the BLER. (Not good)

To answer your question, Shventus, my friend sent back all of the cleaners and treatments to us but one. He kept the Shine Ola.
Amazing Jes45, the same conclusion I came to by treating CD's with several popular products and then listening to music. I settled on Shine Ola the same day the sample arrived.
Gordus,Jes45.
Thanks for the detailed info ,I was on the same wavelengh too.
Guys where can we get the "Shine Ola".I need to try it for myself.
Thanks
Regards
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Jes45, Were Vivid or Audiotop in the group of products that you sent off to your friend for analysis ?
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I had found Walker's Vivid to be the best of what I had tried until today when I tried using a new product in the market called Audiotop. A friend and I did some blind tests today and the Audiotop surpassed the Vivid's performance.
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I have not tried Shine Ola, but will get some and do some comparisons.
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Thanks for your detailed comments. Very interesting.
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Albert, Have you compared Vivid and Shine Ola and have you tried the Audiotop product ?
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Rgds, Larry
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Cello,

I believe that Tom tested Audiotop also, but I'm not 100%certain. I know that if he did, he didn't get it from me, nor anyone from my group. (He had 3 friends give him products). If it is important to you, I can ask.

If I'm not mistaken, we tested everything available, even a few that aren't available anymore, like Jena Labs.

My purpose of my post wasn't to brag on one particular product. To me, it was important to share the info that our friend with all of the test equipment found. He has chosen to stay nameless because he conducted these tests at work, using their equipment and on company time. One positive is that he has found a cleaner that helps him send a low BLER data disc that will not have long term detriment. Maybe he should put in for a raise?

The bottom line is that if Audiotop is free of petroleum distillates, doesn't contain a wax or a substance that will leave a film and doesn't leave scratches, it is likely safe. Shine Ola comes from a reputable company that has been around for while, Record Research Lab. It also comes with a 3M micro fiber cloth that does not scratch the disc surface at all, unlike other supplied cloths.

Yioryos, I've been getting mine at Red Trumpet. I got my last bottle at half price. They have a special, buy $30 worth of records or CD's and you can buy RRL products at a discount. (www.redtrumpet.com or give them a call.)

I hope this helped ...