Easy way to improve CD playback.

May demand some coordination on the part of the hand doing the application of the paint to the edge of CD,since some CD manufacturer's discs actually have rough edges that make you have to use the pointy-tip of the pen rather than the pen tip's special side groove designed for application to smooth-edged CD's.

It would be nice if everyone on this site would actually try the products before they review them,instead of attempting to make other peoples actual experiences (subjective or otherwise) with a product seem invalid or ironic simply because one does not understand how a certain product can possibly work. In the case of the CD Stoplight pen treatment,I have actually tried it extensively and have found it to make a clearly audible difference that is totally positive in every way. It is a far more cost-effective method of improvement,in my opinion,than costly new cables for example. As far as actually understanding all of the reasons why this product should work as it does,that I do not know. But,the closest I can come to hypothesizing about the tech would be to say that "spilled light" within a CD player is probably like a form of grunge that the laser pickup must deal with. Few would dispute the idea that dirty lasers lenses,CD discs that are scratched or dirty,etc..,will cause impaired CD playback. And,products exist to help remedy these problems. CD Stoplight probably reduces the amount of perceived "dirt" or interference between laser and CD,helping to ensure full data pickup and reducing the need for error-reduction circuitry? And,the amount of weight that the treatment adds to the edge of the disc is too miniscule to engender motor-burnout, or some such thing. Also,the paint seems to be water-soluble and therefore ultimately removable,which is an advantage over simply using a black permanent marker if one were ever to be inclined toward removal of the stuff. All I really care about,though,is that I have tried and carefully evaluated this product and can honestly say that I think it works very well. And all of us who think so are not merely company reps or anxious consumers trying to justify our purchase,or some such blather. Please at least try before making a judgement! In this case a pleasant surprise awaits those with an ear for clarity,articulation of the full range of details,overall sonic fidelity.

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None,although a product called Optrix CD spray treatment I have tried is also effective,but this product mostly gets rid of leftover manufacturing residues on the CD surfaces. These two products work

Actually is an economical way to improve dozens of your CD's,when one considers the level of improvement wrought is easily on the level of a fairly expensive cable change,for instance. If you decide you do not like the changes brought about after treatment,I think that soaking your CD in water for awhile would allow removal of the paint harmlessly(the paint seems saliva-soluble). And no,I am not an Audioprism dealer!

Your girlfriend or others non-audiophile might laugh at the green edges on all of your CD's,and think that you have at last,finally,really lost it.

This is a post-review of my review posted previously. Now that I have experimented further with this product I would like to add further comment. I would now rate this product higher than before,although sometimes I still feel that it is a tad overpriced. After treating dozens more of my CD's(almost my entire CD-collection),fueled onwards by ever-increasing positive impressions,my initial reservations in regards to this CD treatment have all but faded away. The fact is that virtually every aspect of the sonic presentation is clarified and improved by this product,at least in my system. The improvements are unexpected to the point of being a little startling actually,and this had the effect of making me a bit leery at first. I was even worried that by modifying the edges of the CD that I might even be altering the "redbook standard" of the CD spec.,somehow. But,I am totally convinced now that all is really for the better. I am most impressed with the increase in apparent resolution and the naturalness of the sound after treatment. For instance,comparing the sound of cymbals before and after reveals that after treatment the sound is much improved, less "splashy" and more realistically articulated,so much more like the actual shimmer of vibrating metal and less like the noise that a mass of breaking glass might make. The list goes on and on to cover almost every aspect of the given presentation,affected in a positive way. A strange thing,however,is that SACD recordings seem to show little or no improvement after treatment. The sound is not degraded,it is just that nothing at all seems to happen after treating an SACD. Perhaps the higher- resolution improved format yields nothing further to this technology,or maybe it is the SACD circuitry that somehow negates the change? Anyway,I am most genuinely impressed with this product now more than ever. I give it an extra star and an extra hearty recommendation.

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None.

Slight increases in overall clarity and vividness after following treatment procedure.

Cost seems high for a simple pen. Possibility that painted edges will chip or wear off in time.

Although I agreed with the opinions of some that this product is overpriced for what it is,I decided to give it a try. Having proceeded cautiously by painting the edges of my less valued CD's first (in case the effects were negative ones),I am now in a position to relate my findings. I have treated about two-dozen CD's so far,comparing before and after listening tests on pre-selected tracks. I consistently noticed that the treated CD's exhibited a difference that really did surprise me beyond expectations. My system is a fairly high-resolution one,and what I always noticed happening after treatment with CD Stoplight is an overall increase in clarity,very similar to the effect one would get by turning up the volume slightly,as if the reduction in "spilled-light" allowed my CD-player to read the given signal better. So,I asked myself,why not save the money and simply turn up the volume-control a touch? Well,I have tried listening to the treated CD's after adjusting the volume back down a bit,and now I must say that I think I perceive that "improvements" in the vividness of the sound still exist. I am presently unsure about whether everyone would consider these changes positive ones. For instance,many people notice that when a given speaker-set excells in "imaging",then the "soundstaging" is sacrificed to some degree,as if the image-outlining wreaks a little havoc with the sense of spaciousness and depth. I am not completely certain that the increased sharpness of image I hear after CD-Stoplight does not also seem to bring the soundstage a bit forward and perhaps compromise the sense of "air" and roundness. Obviously,I am still at present evaluating this product,and I feel justifyingly cautious in trusting my subjective auditory impressions. However, I can reccomend that one might give this product a careful try,and please add your findings to this review-site,and maybe we can all help each other decide for sure exactly what is going on here? Meanwhile,I will be re-listening to the CD's I have treated so far to make sure I really like what I am hearing before I treat any more. So far,I think I hear what can be tentatively characterized as an improvement. Also,will the paint eventually chip off and dust the inside of my player? So far it appears durable. Try this pen and see what you think.

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None.

This thing is a bigger gimmick than those cellphone signal enhancers. CD''s contain digital audio - just 1''s and 0''s, adding any marking on them with this (or any other similar) product does absolutely nothing to the sound. If it did alter the 1''s and 0''s on the CD it would end up creating noise, there is no way for this marker to alter the sound in ways such as previous reviewers mention - it takes 100''s of dollars of processing equipment to get those results, and they can only help to a point (garbage in = garbage out). If you believe this thing does anything please e-mail me because I have a magical marker that makes DVDs play in a normal audio CD player (left channel contains video, right channel contains the audio in a digital format).

This thing is a bigger gimmick than those cellphone signal enhancers. CD''s contain digital audio - just 1''s and 0''s, adding any marking on them with this (or any other similar) product does absolutely nothing to the sound. If it did alter the 1''s and 0''s on the CD it would end up creating noise, there is no way for this marker to alter the sound in ways such as previous reviewers mention - it takes 100''s of dollars of processing equipment to get those results, and they can only help to a point (garbage in = garbage out). If you believe this thing does anything please e-mail me because I have a magical marker that makes DVDs play in a normal audio CD player (left channel contains video, right channel contains the audio in a digital format).

Improves all CD-players regardless of price/brand.

Too expensive compared to generic alternatives.

Originally I payed the high price of 18 USD of the CD Stop Light pen! Now I buy an exactly similar green ink pen from the same japanese manufacturer (It's a patended ink) in a generic no-name brand at approx. 2,5 USD! I get the same wonderfull improvement, get more ink and pay much less per CD treated! It's a typical US-american steal (for seller, that is!!!) to put a generic product in a blisterpack, print your own label on it, and then dramaticly mark up the price.

However, the green ink must be painted both on the edge of a CD as well as the inner circle, so its cruisal to get as much as possible for your money!

The sound? There's less harsh treble, more smooth sound, more open sound, more dynamics, more contrast, better tonation - al in al a great way to improve on the poor sound quality offered from CD-players in general.
But there's a limit to the improvements - it is not enough to get optimum sound quality (Would also be too good to be true!). Thus an overall rating of 4*.

The "original" CD Stop Light pen I give 2* value rating for the idea!
The generic japanese green ink pens with same performance 5* rating for best value as you get more ink for significantly less money!

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Similar generic product from office applience outlets.

Incredibly enhance CD-Source performance

None!!

This product is a must have!! (or at least must try) For me, I can grab the change instantly. You can go to www.stereophile.com and type CD Stop Light in the search box to know what is the principal behind.

I used it for almost 2 years. You get more detail from the song. Easiest sound to be noticable are drum, snare and synthesizer. Wider and more focused soundstage are real too. But this would be harder to catch if you have not practised your ear regulary in AudioPhile way. One thing that rock-pop-dance people would not like is that it lighten the bass. In fact, it does not. It just tighten the bass and reduce the "blur" sound of the base. You will notice if you use an AudioPhile standard disc such as "Holly Cole Trio-Don't Smoke in Bed" track no.1. Deep and tighten bass, enhanced by this product is stunning.

I did not try it with my DVD yet because I have used up the tube. It should have the same effect, brighter, more detail sound.

At last, I strongly recommend this product. Although not every people can catch and criticize as well, but it will really increase your system performance and you will eventually be pleased of it.

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Audio Prism CD Black Light MkII

You mean you haven't tried this yet !!!! ???? Get some now and marvel at the improvement in clarity and reduction of glare thjat this tweak provides! It makes more difference in sonic improvements than cable choices, or silly do- nothings, like the add- on in- line boxes such as the musical fidelity X10D. I've used this to paint the interior surfaces of my CD players that might reflect laser light to give added improvements in sound.

I really wanted to like this product, but unfortunately, failed to notice any difference at all in terms of tonal quality. Soundstage was unaffected, decay was unaffected, in short, nothing changed in my estimation. Perhaps this is better used in higher end systems? I have a NAD C340, AMC CD8a, Soundstream DAC-1, Musical Fidelity X-10D, silver interconnects, Vandersteen 1Cs. I hate to award any product 1 speaker, but I paid $20 for something that makes no discernible sonic difference to me. 1 speaker it is.

I originally read about the rave reviews of this product in Stereophile magazine. Finally got it and it does noticeably reduce the glare of older CDs, so much so that recordings that were previously unappealing to me now are more open and transparent.

However it can also cause tracking problems in some CD players.