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 green cds




Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 22:47:19 -0500
From: Andrew Rogers <rogers@hi.com>
Subject: Re: Green CD's

Stereophile, Vol. 20 No. 4 (April, 1997), page 117 (Guide to Recommended Components):

AudioPrism CD Stoplight: $15.95

Green, water-based acrylic paint for coating the edges of CDs. The green color, which PvW [Peter van Willenswaard] found absorbs the laser's infrared wavelength, is presumably significant, but at present we have no idea why this tweak should so improve the sound of CDs. That it does so, however, seems to be beyond doubt to anyone with ears to hear (though no one single product has raised greater guffaws from the mainstream press). "This stuff works!" report JE [Jack English], PvW, and JA [John Atkinson], all of whom feel that it increases soundstage definition, improves the solidity of bass reproduction, and usefully lowers the level of treble grain so typical of CD sound. PvW and MC [Martin Colloms] report that a water-based poster pen, the Uniposca from Mitsubishi, has a very similar effect. MC also notes that the CD should rirst be destaticized and its edges degreased before the green paint is applied. (Vol. 14 No. 11, Vol. 19 No. 10; see also DO's [Dick Olsher] and TJN's [Thomas J. Norton] WCES reports in Vol. 13 No. 3, ST's [Sam Tellig] and RH's [Robert Harley] articles on CD tweaks in Vol. 13 No. 5, and "As We See It", Vol. 18 No. 7).

Primyl Vinyl Exchange, Vol. 1 No. 3 (May-June 1996):

The Official Audiophile Versions are paint pens which go in the $15-20 range. We've found that the UNIPOSCA #PC-5M pen is "remarkably similar", and is usually available through art supply stores for $2. We get ours at Charrettes in Cambridge [MA]. They do work, but no, they don't make CDs sound as good as vinyl...


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