Price Paid:  $17.00 from Amusicdirect

Summary:
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.

Strengths:
Easy way to improve CD playback.

Weaknesses:
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.

Similar Products Used:
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

Price Paid:  $17.00 from Amusicdirect

Summary:
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.

Strengths:
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!

Weaknesses:
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.

Similar Products Used:
None.

Price Paid:  $17.00 from Amusicdirect

Summary:
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.

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

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

Similar Products Used:
None.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
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).

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Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
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).

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Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.