On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 15:16:35 +0000 (UTC), Jim H
wrote:

more from the 'Steve school' of uk.rec.audio-ism:

In anetnews.com,
Ollie typed:
Hi,

I came across these "Statmat's", and was considering the CDi Blue -
does anyone have any experience of them - do they actually live up to

http://tinyurl.com/lj2w


Hi

Crossposted this to uk.rec.audio as there are people in there much
more able to comment than I...

Just my 2p worth but they look like complete and unadulterated bunkum
to me!

According to the blurb on the website:-

"When static builds up on the CD, it can interfere with the
interpretation of the digital information. This means that, when the
digital-to-analogue conversion takes place, an impaired signal is
produced."

"Electrostatic build-up introduces continuous electrical vibration,
resulting in phase changes. If strong enough, this vibration can cause
the phase to shift 45o, 90o or even higher and could make the absolute
phase appear inverted.

These phase anomalies can affect the timing of the music, with
disastrous consequences on the quality of the reproduction. The timing
of notes is crucial to the experience of music."

They are making the completely incredulous and utterly unfeasible
statement that phase anomalies in the transport can result in phase
changes to the decoded audio.

I love snake oil...

Steve



Well of course they're ridiculous, yet another example of people treating
CDs as if they were records. I mean, seriously, these things must cost
10p to make, if they did anything they'd come built into most new CD
players anyway!

Then again, in light of the OP's

a good few years ago you
could buy "ring" thingy's that went around the edge of a cd (stuck to
the top), which reduced vibration. I have one on my copy of Brothers
In Arms, and it does improve the quality."

I'm sure he'll hear another great improvement in sound!

Being the original poster, I did say that I thought they would
probably be crap. The theory behind the vibration reducing things is a
good one, and they didn't cost the earth to find out.
I can hear a difference, simple as that - it also spins slightly
quieter in the drive. At 50 pence a throw, it's worth trying - the
stat mats at nearly 40 quid aren't.

Ollie
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