Furutech and the Alaskan pipeline I recently received a phone call. It was Dave Sturdevant, ardent fellow 'phile and music lover in chilly and remote Juneau, Alaska. (Yes, it is a shameful plague. Our kind eventually migrates into even the most idyllic and hitherto unpolluted places). Dave had followed my reviews over some time. Occasionally, we compare notes. On the weather, mostly (yeah, right). Today, he agreed that the Walker Audio Vivid optical CD enhancer I had unceremoniously but excitedly dubbed "the shit" worked as described. In his opinion, it bettered any comparable libations (what the heck do they drink in the snow?). But, Dave retorted out loud, was I hip to Furutech's CD demagnetizer that now constitutes the second half of his daily CD resurrection ritual? CD's secretive metal urge Now - why demagnetize your CDs? Are they made of ferrite? Mine sure ain't. At least so I thought. Then I read Furutech's explanations. I had used a Bedini clarifier MkII for years but never found a gripping rationale for its effects that on a whole tended more toward the elusive than concrete. A few address changes later -- or perhaps as a result of my wolf challenging my big-dog status by sneaking off with it to bury in the yard -- it had disappeared. This by way of explaining why there won't be comparisons against this erstwhile competitor. |
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Furutech claims that impurities in the weak-magnet 99% aluminum alloy of any CD's storage side contain strong-magnet elements of iron, nickel and cobalt -- as does the ink on the label side --that are inductively magnetized while repeatedly spinning inside a player. This is said to inhibit the laser's ability to pick up signal and instead triggers the error correction interpolation mechanism for reduced S/N ratio.
Unlike the Bedini which actively spins the CD over two beams, the Furutech RD-1 (and its replacement, the RD-2) use a powerful ring magnet. It first ramps up voltage to magnetize the CD resting stationary above, then reverses polarity to demagnetize the charge in what's referred to as a "loop ebbing" process. The firm believes this results in a more complete and even demagnetization that doesn't produce a partial recharge in the process. |
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Furutech's degauss cycle for the RD-1 (patented in Japan, Taiwan and the US) lasts approximately 10 seconds per side while the new RD-2 ( externally identical except for a new silver finish) takes 20. After the red power button is pushed and the CD placed inside the well, the white "erase" button lights up green when engaged and triggers the internal voltage that creates the circular magnetic field underneath the disc. When this light dims and then cuts off, you flip the CD and repeat the protocol for the other side. Easy as pie. By disposition, audiophiles tend to willingly embrace new problems, especially truly esoteric and far-out ones. For that they are then bled with equally esoteric and expensive cures. Would this CD degaussing turn out to be such a self-fulfilling dilemma? Furutech's documentation certainly makes an excellent case for the actual existence of today's disease - CD magnetism. Is that why I get so hypnotized listening to music? Salvation lies in this $299 device (the pending RD-2 replacement is pre-announced at the Cable Company for $399, with a short-term introductory price to match the current iteration). The Science |
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The three-dimensional graphs to the right were generated by a SPECTRA PROFET analyzer. The vertical axis represents time, the horizontal line shows frequency, and the height of the crests equates relative amplitude in dB. Graphs 1 and 4 are pre, 2 and 3 post demagnetization. According to the company's comments (which suffered marginally in their translation from the Japanese original), the 1kHz signal in graph 1 shows not only edge non-linearities but also white blank fields believed to be caused by reading errors. Additionally, there are irregularities and excessive amounts of small crests in the 2 to 5KHz region. After demagnetization, the 1kHz component shows up perfectly solid, the former signal dropout portion filled in and the upper edge non-ragged. The non-linearities in the upper bands turned uniform, and the height of the crests increased. Furutech's engineers believe this is visible proof of improved S/N ratio and a reduction of read-error distortions. Graphs 3 and 4 show an actual music signal, with graph 3 post-demagnetization. The encircled areas clearly show filled-in signal and increased crest height, indicating -- according to Furutech -- both improved data retrieval and once again extended dynamic range. In other measurements accompanying my printout of their e-mail document, Furutech measured music signal in the areas of output power level, THD and S/N ratio. After treatment with their admittedly newer and improved RD-2 unit, output power level increased by 0.58dB, THD decreased by 1.12% and S/N ratio improved by 0.181%. While these attempts at quantifying degaussing effects are genuinely laudable, they do show up as rather diminutive quantities generated by state-of-the-art machinery. How about our ears? (As it turns out in many experiments, human hearing often perceives things we can't -- or don't know how to -- measure while the reverse can also hold true.) To minimize the placebo effect, I dug into this tech data after my listening impressions had formed. Which moves us now from having this easy pie to consuming it. |
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Subjective human response I started off with Zoltan Lantos' Eclipse [TR-2010], a phenomenally otherworldly solo violin album. The effects were subtle and obviously not repeatable with just one copy. Still, I felt certain that the RD-1 had shaved off a certain edge. The violin's overtones and 16 sympathetic strings were cleaner but lacked a degree of harshness, glare or raspiness. Let's call it enhanced smoothness without loss of resolution, perhaps a 10-15% improvement. What's it mean? I'm reminded of an old, well-worn simile - that of multiple window panes each adding their own fine contributions to distorting what is seen. As we remove one pane after the next, clarity continues to improve. But something more profound happens when we get to the last one. The degree of visual distortion removed is no larger a step than any of the preceding ones. Still, our senses, when finally admiring the landscape without any glass buffer but directly, undiluted, respond disproportionately strong. The change goes beyond simply seeing. It's become a more complete experience. Which of course is true - now we feel the air, smell the breeze and shoot it endlessly afterwards. |
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