Sound Improvement Disc

Ever thought of trying one of these?

(from the hififorsale site):

"The less a CD error correction circuitry is used the 'truer' the signal, and therefore, the better the sound from your loudspeakers. The 'Sound Improvement Disc' aids CD replay in several ways, firstly as a stabilising mat. CDs are not always pressed centrally so when discs spin at high speed there can be a slight 'wobble'. Secondly, it cancels out refracted laser light to provide an even intensity. For example, if you study a CD by holding it to a light you'll notice that where there is ink creating the label, the disc appears to be darker, this unevenness effects the accuracy of the signal from the laser as light is reflected in a varied intensity. S.I.D. is easy to use, simply place on the label side of the disc prior to playing. By using S.I.D. you'll notice a smoother natural sound, vocals will appear clearer and more precise. S.I.D. is available in two versions, Model 14, with a 14mm centre hole, suits draw loading Philips based transports. Model 15, with a 15mm centre hole, suits Pioneer 'turntable' Transports, Meridian 505 and 508, and most top loaders - for example CEC, Theta, Spectral, Jadis JP1, Einstein, Berendsen CD1, Cambridge D300 and D500. The S.I.D. is not suitable for use with CD magazine players, portables or car players. "


Well, I bought a model 14. In a similar fashion to the Densen pass-it-around thread, I'm happy to have this circulated amongst any interested forum members, who can then report on their results. I'll send FOC to the first on the list, on the understanding that the next in the chain mails it on to the next member FOC.

So, let me know if you'd like to be included!

 

I bought one of these a couple of months ago and find it makes a worthwhile improvement on discs in my Linn Mimik and I know put in place whenever I listen to a cd. Fairly cheap as well.

 

the internet is laced with stories of them coming off mid-play and getting trapped inside your cdp.

 

Not had that problem myself - yet. But that used to happen all the time when I used a statmat and it is a right pain - the SID is better than the statmat IMO.

The SID mat is heavier and the exact size of the CD although on some discs it does make a funny sound when the disc first spins once inside the player.

 

My CDP didn't like it at all, skipping and jumping all over the place. I guess it doesnt work well with the Teac VDRS transports which involves a thick green disk clamping down the cd anyway?

 

Here is my previous post on this (have had SID for about a year now and finally wrote up my findings):

"Well, I'm sorry to say that I actually think this little tweak works!

I'm usually quite sceptical of many hi-fi tweaks but, after extensively testing over the past month, I've found that this green mat disc does indeed alter the sound very subtly.

Basically (n.b. I'm not into most hi-fi hack terms - so I hope this makes sense) the treble sounds a tad less grainy, and the bass slightly larger/?bloomier.

The soundstage is a bit more "mellow" if that makes any sense.
This tweak therefore doesn't work for all discs - I only noticed improvements with discs that had half printed labels or none at all. CD's that had fully printed sides tended to be the same with or without the SID.
However, certain music, especially played through a naim, benefits from a PR&T type sound, and adding the disc to this subset might make it feel a bit 'lazier' at times.....so the sound may not necessarily improve as such.

Anyway, to get an idea of what I'm talking about goto:
S.I.D. info

Overall?: Slight improvement/detrement to sound depending on how you like the particular song to sound...BUT only works with certain discs (especially CD-RW's ripped from computer)

Feel free to comment on my madness

P.S. To get an idea of my normal view, I think turning off the display on my CD5i makes no difference to the sound"

Over the past month since I wrote this, the SID has worked very well and only sometimes given a strange sound from my naim cd5i, and even then it played the cd flawlessly