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The Compact Disc is an analog medium, read by analog means

The compact disc is an analog medium, read by analog means. The presence, absence, or length of pits on the disc's surface are ***analogues*** of digital data. They are read by shining a laser at them. The reflections from the disc are picked up by the photodetector. The output of the photodetector is an ***analog voltage***. Only after the photocell output voltage is read against the clock signal, can the information be said to be in digital form.

As I explained, all CDs are out of balance and out of true. They wobble while spinning. There is evidence indicating that a cryogenically-processed CD's higher self-damping means that in reading the data, the CD transport's systems for correcting tracking and focus have less work to do.

None of this has anything to do with the speed of light.

And as for Applied Cryogenics' commercial interests, I made that perfectly clear. The people who wrote about cryo in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers article, and the people and firms they wrote about, also had commercial interests. And I notice that you are not claiming that applying cryogenics to tool steel is a placebo effect... . Kinda hard to do that if one does a very basic google search.

I was not trying to limit your personal or intellectual freedom, I was speaking figuratively to emphasize that at least in metallurgy, cryogenics is well-established science.

You persist in finding offense after being told that was not my intention.

That's not my problem.

Perhaps some day there will be a generally-accepted explanation of why certain disc variables such as substrate, overprinting, and cryogenic treatment, influence CD sound on playback. Until then, I will hear what I hear and call them as I hear them.

Pre-S. I know at least one high-end designer who hears a difference when electronics or stuffed circuit boards are treated cryogenically, and he claims that it is for the worse. I know of one company that treats its stuffed boards, and I reasonably suspect another does.


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  • The Compact Disc is an analog medium, read by analog means - John Marks 02/1/0605:24:33 02/1/06 (1)


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