 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2004-10-14 13:24
Should one routinely clean CDs? Are there sonic benefits? What is the best way to clean them? Also, I frequently buy CDs that are in damaged cases. The CD is intact and plays fine, but could it be contaminated with "plastic dust?"
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-10-14 13:38
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The benefit is an endless supply of sharp looking coasters. Only clean your CDs when there is material on the playing surface that would obscure the laser's ability to read the disc. Use a soft cotton cloth (something like an old diaper that doesn't lint) and wipe gently from the center radially to the edge -- never in circles or you could ruin the disc. The error correction algorithms in CD players are pretty robust, so dust and fingerprints will have little or no sonic effect at all. You would need hundreds of thousands of dollars of stereo equipment and golden ears (or a computer to compare bitstreams) to have a shot at telling the difference.
Now, with regard to broken cases, be extremely careful. If there are shards or "plastic dust" on the disc, try something like compressed air (like you would use on a camera lens) to blow it clean before you physically try to wipe it down. Otherwise you can imagine the consequences. Then, replace the disc case. Well worth the US 20 cents for the longevity of your disc.
Happy listening!
Mark
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-10-14 14:44
You can also purchase a CD cleaning gizmo that includes a sprayer. I agree that cleaning should only be done when a good playing disc "acts up" i.e. skips repeats etc AND visual inspection of the playing surface reveals an anomaly i.e. dust, mark etc. Bad disks are an important lifesaving tool carried in your backpack because they make excellent light reflectors.
Bob Draznik
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