When you invite someone over to listen...

No matter how well your audio setup performs during a listening session, once your guests leave, the conversation often takes a turn in the elevator or driveway. They’ll start gossiping right away.

The comments generally fall into two camps:

1. Those with a less expensive setup will insist that yours doesn’t justify the price tag and that their more budget-friendly system actually sounds better.
2. Those with a more expensive setup will acknowledge that yours sounds decent not great, but they’ll argue that their higher-end system is noticeably superior and well worth the extra cost.

By the time they’ve reached their cars, they’ll have come to a consensus that your setup doesn’t perform well, their choices are far smarter than yours, and that your system would be better if only you had followed their advice.
And then, privately, when they get home, each will play the tracks you played to confirm to themselves that theirs is, indeed, superior.
 
And then, privately, when they get home, each will play the tracks you played to confirm to themselves that theirs is, indeed, superior.
I actually had a visitor tell a friend of mine not knowing it would be revealed to me, "After hearing this system, I'll have to go home with some work to do on my system". His system was more costly than mine and this made me feel good even though I know I still have work to do!
 
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It may sound better but the imaging isn't going to magically move from left to center or anywhere else which is what he stated
I understand your talking about a CD being cleaned or static removed.

When I finished Fremers original project, I had a stock SqD QO panel installed. Later I went back and replaced that panel with an all copper panel. What surprised me about Fremers comments was one of the ways he coule tell the sound had changed was the image placement had shifted in the room. This was dramatically more pronounced when I substituted a fuse for a CB in the panel. He said the shift was much more notable and reliably called out fuse or CB when I blind tested him. He used image placement as the ultimate determinant for what was utilized. Body and weight change in tone was also very apparent.
 
I understand your talking about a CD being cleaned or static removed.

When I finished Fremers original project, I had a stock SqD QO panel installed. Later I went back and replaced that panel with an all copper panel. What surprised me about Fremers comments was one of the ways he coule tell the sound had changed was the image placement had shifted in the room. This was dramatically more pronounced when I substituted a fuse for a CB in the panel. He said the shift was much more notable and reliably called out fuse or CB when I blind tested him. He used image placement as the ultimate determinant for what was utilized. Body and weight change in tone was also very apparent.

I am all in on electrical type tweaks/changes improving sound. I'm not buying the purported jaw dropping shift in imaging by washing a CD with tap water. Yes, I could give it a try but I tried Mikrosmooth CD polishing kit in the past and it didn't improve anything from my vantage point so I'm not going to waste time with tap water.
 
I am all in on electrical type tweaks/changes improving sound. I'm not buying the purported jaw dropping shift in imaging by washing a CD with tap water. Yes, I could give it a try but I tried Mikrosmooth CD polishing kit in the past and it didn't improve anything from my vantage point so I'm not going to waste time with tap water.
"...because there's no explaining what your imagination can make you see and feel" ...and hear!
 
I have two friends exactly like you. They constantly adjust hundred shun mooks in their listening rooms, wait at least a day for a cable to perform right after disconnecting or carrying it to another place, keep amps plugged to an outlet in order to keep transformers full while amps kept, off etc. One of them has a Nespa Cd enhancer and he claims that device has ruined his Cds permanently. I don’t think they’re out of their mind. Actually I believe they’re right cause I witnessed the effects of those things I mentioned above. I cannot do the same things cause my OCD has a limit.
Yes.. that thing is devilswork of course, but it flashes so beautifully:D20240927_002504.jpg
 
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Once you've been around many places, listened to other people's systems, compared their CD discs against your own collection, you inevitably come to realization that CD disc pressings really do matter in the final sound quality. You realize that the brand new copy of the CD disc you just bought is a sad, sorry facsimile compared to the original first print copy that your host friend bought the day it came out. That's when you realize you have to hit the pre-own CD discs shops in order to acquire the first CD prints. Hunting down the holy grail of CD pressings for the best sound quality reproduction becomes one of the important aspect of this whole endeavor.....
 
Once you've been around many places, listened to other people's systems, compared their CD discs against your own collection, you inevitably come to realization that CD disc pressings really do matter in the final sound quality. You realize that the brand new copy of the CD disc you just bought is a sad, sorry facsimile compared to the original first print copy that your host friend bought the day it came out. That's when you realize you have to hit the pre-own CD discs shops in order to acquire the first CD prints. Hunting down the holy grail of CD pressings for the best sound quality reproduction becomes one of the important aspect of this whole endeavor.....
Interesting…

What is it about first pressings of CDs that make them sound better?
 
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