Reviews/Comments
|
grungebuster Reviews/Comments |
Original grungebuster reviews:
Charles Campbell, Carriere, Mississippi
"I got the GrungeBuster today and was astounded at the improvement in my system. I just had to write a thank-you note. I'm not given to testimonials but this thing is better than ANY tweak or mat I've tried on CD players. I only expected marginal or questionable improvements at best. I was not prepared for this. In fact, I was not going to waste the money on another tweak but my kids were hounding me for fathers-day gift ideas, so I told them to get me a GrungeBuster. My biggest concern now is convincing friends to give it a try. We've all grown numb to improvement claims made by other products. I'm opposed to big government but they ought to make it a Federal Law that every CD player has to come equipped with one of these."
Julien Therrien, Shelby, North Carolina
"I think it's fantastic. I mean, it didn't transform my system, but works as advertised. The soundstage seems deeper and to be layered in finer gradients. Images are more solid, bass is tighter and recordings that are a little edgy seem to smooth out some."
Wayne Waananen, The BOLDER Cable Company
"It really does make a difference."
David Larsen, Adrian, Michigan.
"If I could have tried it first I would have payed twice as much. Simply amazing."
Michael Bieda, Greenwood, Indiana
"The Grungebuster in my Wadia 861 is a resounding success! Moreover, its use in my son's Sony SACD/DVD Player is equally rewarding.
"For a little more than the price of a CD, purchasing this product is an absolute no-brainer. Since my initial auditions, I've NOT inserted another CD in my 861 without first applying the Grungebuster.
"The name Grungebuster pretty much says it all. That is, detail and clarity are enhanced, low-level information is ferreted out improving soundstage and instrumental air/spacing -- not a small feat on a system that most would agree is approaching a very high level of resolution.
"For your customers that have experienced the Grungebuster's improvements with mid-fi components and wondered if it works on a high-end, very resolved system, the answer is an unequivocal yes! My Wadia 861 is connected directly to CAT JL-1 monoblocks, which are driving Soundlab M1 speakers. My system shines on the reproduction of harmonics, transparency, and low level information, and the Grungebuster more than improved its performance. Without contemplating the cost-to-sonic-improvement ratio, the Grungebuster is highly recommended; when comparing the cost-to-improvement ratio -- it's not only VERY highly recommended, it's a MUST buy!"
David Morris, Modesto, California
"I bought your CD Mat sometime back, after reading your Audiogon ad. Your mat outperformed my Marigo Crossbow mat by such a wide margin, that I laughed and smiled throughout my first listening session with it (and I have loved it ever since)."
Julien Maculen, Bloomfield, New Jersey
"The grungebuster CD Mat is very effective on my modded Sony DVP-NS999ES. I consider my system to be very transparent and not very forgiving, so those differences were quite impressive."
Dr. Ásvány Zsolt, Pécs, Hungary
"The CD Mat is far better than the Audioprism Blacklight."
Joel Waterman, San Jose, California
"Today I received and tried the hubcabs. They work (Pioneer 563). Piano and voice sound more clear and I can hear more detail. The overall picture improves with more texture and fullness. I would put it in the clearly audible difference category."
Art Smuck, Downey, California
"I've been using your CD Mat for a couple of weeks now in my Denon 2900 and can honestly say it's a significant improvement in the sonic quality of most any cd you put it on. Improved clarity and reduced harshness has me going back through my cd collection and enjoying it more than ever before. Easily worth twice the price. Thanks!"
Bruce Jobson, Snellville, Georgia
"Ok. The grungebuster does what I hoped it would do -- allow me to listen to more music for longer periods of time. My 49-year-old ears, plus a moderate case of tinitus, keeps me from listening to some of my favorite CDs for more than 15-30 minutes. The grungebuster made previously unlistenable CDs much easier to listen to. Tonal balance, ambiance, dynamics and soundstage are noticably better too. More music is getting through with less digital hash, smearing and upper-midrange glare. Those nasty mid-to-late 80's DG, Sony and CBS Masterworks re-masters (ADD and DDD) now sound good to marvelous.
"Thanks for a great product!"
Gary Seppa, Ontario, Canada
"I received your mat in the mail last week. I slapped it on Sir George Solti and the Chicago Symphony's performance of Beethoven's 9th. What followed was extraordinary and unprecendented in my CD audio experience. The soundstage, simply, exploded and the centre became a hypnotic black hole taking me to the very rear of the stage to realize every previously hidden detail.
"You have saved my CD collection. I had been moving out of CD into SACD, DVD -- and vinyl."
Rob Thomas, San Francisco, California
"The mat continues to surprise me. At the Inmate gathering this past weekend we played a disc raw, with the Marigo and with the Grungebuster. Those with a preference chose the Grungebuster."
Michel Beauchamp, Montreal, Canada
"A few weeks ago I ordered a grungebuster CD mat for use on a modified Sony DVP-9000ES player. I've used other mats in my previous players but none of them could be used with the 9000ES because its drawer opening is too narrow.
"My 9000ES has been modified by Warren Gregoire, an authorized agent for the installation of the VSE kit (mine is the level-4, the latest). The VSE (Vacuum State Electronics) kit comes from Germany and is a creation of Allen Wright, the owner and founder of the Company.
"The 9000ES once modified is an outstanding player, so I was not expecting much improvement with the mat. But I was wrong. I took me no more than 30 seconds to notice the improvement and it never failed. The very slight shrillness that was sometimes present disappeared, the instruments gained a sharper focus, the articulation of each note was better delineated and easier to follow and, the most important, I get more involved in the music."
Jack van Kronenberg, Margraten, Netherlands
"Since a few day's use my grungebuster and I must say in combination with my Statmat Blue it does a great job. Much better soundstage and more details and a stable bass. Thank you I will tell it to all my audiophlle friends."
Daniel Erway, Prescott, Arizona
"My Grungebuster CD mat arrived a week ago and I just wanted to let you know it has proven to be one of the best improvements to my system I have experienced, which may be because it seems to be just what my system needed. I listen mostly on AKG K-1000 headphones which are a kind of auditory microscope ... revealing everything. I love their dynamic, alive quality but there were times when the sound was just too bright and harsh, and it would tire me out if I listened too long or too loud. NOT ANYMORE! The Grungebuster has smoothed things out just right without damping any of the musical detail or excitement. Thank you for your excellent product and for the reasonable price."
Mike Schneider, Cordova, Tennessee
"Wow! I've played with my new grungebuster now for a couple of hours. This is amazing! I'm listening to a guitar jazz CD right now and I can hear the resonance from the hollow-body guitar. Thanks for another great product at a great price!"
Jerry Mathews, Port Ludlow, Washington
"A happy return customer. Ordering another CD mat so I can have a CD ready to load -- I can't listen to any CD now without the mat. Great stuff."
Richard Chin, New York
"Prior to the CD Mat, I've been listening to Black CDs that have been treated with the Vivid surface treatment and with the Stoplight edge treatment. While these treatments (individually and collectively) have resulted in an audible improvement in sound, I still thought that the sound was still a touch CD-ish. (Maybe, I thought, that's just the way life is.)
"Then with the arrival of the CD Mat, I started by A-B'ing certain CDs -- first without the Mat and then with it. Clearly there was a noticeable improvement over the treated Black CDs.
"After the first few A-B tests, I skipped the A-B process and listened to other CDs just with the Mat. I thought to myself, 'Well OK, that sounds like a piece of music. So what?'
"But that's exactly the point! It sounds like MUSIC! (Maybe there is an audio version of Lake Woebegone after all -- where all CDs sound like music and where there are no digital artifacts. Where we can all be forever young -- where we can go to Never Never Land and where -- but then I'm straying from the point.)
"The Mat is great stuff."
John Holman, San Mateo, California
"I received the CD mat yesterday and just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with it. I am using it with a moderately priced Samsung DVD player and it certainly seems to provide a lot of added clarity/refinement to a variety of music/vocals.
"Somebody in the audio asylum suggested applying the mat while the CD is still in its jewel case. I also am finding this to be a good way; I just centralize the mat over the center of the CD and everything falls into place. Thanks for a good product."
Roe Fleenor, Leander, Texas
"WOW! It's not usual for me to send an email raving about a product, only done it twice counting this one. I must admit that when I first opened the box, I felt like an idiot paying almost $200 for some small parts. Don't get me wrong, I realize your products are not mass produced and most likely hand made, so I'm sure that justifies the price. I am amazed at the added performance they have given my system, and consider it to be a real bargain in the end. I've never realized near that kind of improvement with a $190 upgrade. I knew that there would be some improvement, but considering the damping I've already done, I thought the improvement would be subtle.
"I found there was much room for improvement. First I tried your tube dampers, and like everyone else says, there was a definite improvement. See a big old smile on my face! Next went on the GrungeBuster CD Mat, wow more improvement! Finally I added your isolation feet, even more improvement! All in all the accumulative effect of your products elevated the performance of my system with a cheap CD player above what I've heard with my SACD player (which I have in the shop for repairs).
"Before, the performance of my system wasn't even close with the CD player compared to the SACD player, the SACD player being night and day better. I'm now hearing things I've never heard before on the CD layer of my hybrid disks. Your products have elevated the performance of my system, with a cheap CD player, beyond what I've heard with the SACD player! I can't wait to get the SACD player back and install the isolation feet on it.
"My system has improved in all areas, tighter bass, more dynamic, smoother yet more detailed (those two
things usually being mutually exclusive), truly amazing detail in the extreme highs, and even better imaging. I am one very happy camper! Congratulations on your really surprisingly effective products. I'm sold, and have a feeling you're going to see a bunch of orders from the Austin TX area after my buds hear this."
Roger Jones, Wilmington, Delaware
"The grungebuster 'SP' CD platter mat has really taken my Pioneer PD-65 to another level in resolution of music, a more solid bass, and clarity. I had the opportunity to audition one of Chris Own's dAcK! digital audio converters in my system over the last few weeks -- all I can say is WOW! This $399 non-oversampling DAC with the grungebuster delivers music as close to high end analog reproduction these ears have ever heard."
Roger Jones, Hockessin, Delaware
"The grungebuster works great in my modified Pioneer 563A combo player."
Michael Patrick, Pennsylvania
"Thank you! I use the grungebuster EVERY TIME, and need extras for the 5-disc changer."
Anand Raman, Orchard Park, New York
"Thank you very much. Your tube dampers are the icing on the cake. That CD mat you sent me has over 400 hrs of disc spinning on it already. Washed it a few times since I was spinning discs for at least 72 hrs at a time when I was breaking in my amp. The tube dampers definitely provide an 'ease' to the musical presentation, while the cd mat does exactly as asked ... a GRUNGE BUSTER. Little grunge, more music. Construction quality, especially for the tube dampers borders on the absurd. Very durable. Looking forward to purchases in the future."
Simon Dery, Asnieres, France
"Your CD mat works. The increase of bass and dynamics is patent."
Scott Faller, TNT-Audio
"Wayne from Bolder Cable tossed this one at me and said 'Here, try this out' back at MAF (Midwest Audio Festival). The Grungebuster CD Mat is this thin mat that gets placed on the label side of your CD, then inserted into your deck to be played as usual.
"The results of this are really interesting. There is absolutely no doubt in anybody's mind that something has changed in the sound. When you listen, the soundstage takes a solid step if not two backwards. The Ssss's and Chhh's are definitely smoothed a bit. Some of the edge is taken off of recordings.
"Is this something that you would want to use on quality recordings? It's doubtful BUT, is it something that you would use on marginal recordings? Absolutely. Mine hangs right next to my Tjoeb so I can slip it on anytime.
"Is it worth the money? Absolutely, just take a look at the cost. Heck, it's less than the cost of a new CD. Best part is, it works. Whether you like the results will really depend on the recording and your personal tastes. How does it work? I don't have a clue. I'll leave that one for the discussion boards."
TNT Tweak-O-Meter Scale: 8
( http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/tweakometer_e.html )
Byonghoon Lymb, Chonan, South Korea
"The Mat works great!"
Mike Carroll, Massapequa, New York
"My Grungemaster CD mat is fantastic. Thank you so much for a product that delivers what it promises. My Creek CD 50 MKII is a great machine, but it's helped by the grungemaster -- even more my Marantz DV8400 -- my SACD's just sound more real."
Mark Sestak, Bokeelia, Florida
"I just wanted to let you know that NONE of my CDs are played until the CD Mat is placed on them. It's as if it has become a requirement. Automatic. And you wouldn't believe how fast I can do it now. Thanks."
Bob Mitchell, Westminster, Colorado
"Kudos to you for your product, it is much more effective than the CD Blacklight I used to use."
Mario Reyes, Wilmington, Delaware
"I recently purchased the CD Mat and I'm floored by the improvement it made. I spent a some time A/B'ing with and without the mat. I picked a track from a CD that had a really clean, close-miked vocal line without any accompaniment. With the mat, the vocals were shockingly clear and precise. I was able to pick up a lot of subtle things such as inflection, tongue against teeth, breath against microphone, etc. Without the mat, a lot of these subtle things aren't heard. Even the 'tone' of voice was better. A definite winner, especially for $20!"
John Kwinn, Oak Lawn, Illinois
"I received my CD mat in yesterday's mail. I used the mat later that night when all the chores of the day were done. This is on an old Theta Data II. The results were stunning! Instruments that I never realized were heard; this is on a standard red book disc. Separation, improved sound staging were immediately evident. I played well into the night. The best $20 I've ever spent."
Greg Gresham, Beaufort, South Carolina
"This dang thing works great. I have used one of them Crossbow things, but the grungebuster is just dang better."
Sam Disney, Cincinnati, Ohio
"I tried many CD mats including the Audioprism Blacklight which for me had no positive effect I could detect. I do own a Marigo Crossbow and previously thought this the best CD mat available which seemed to make a very slight improvement.
"Herbie's surpasses the Crossbow and is the best CD mat I have ever used. There have been many expensive CD rings/labels that you could apply to CD, but cannot be removed (this breaks my golden rule of never apply a tweak which cannot be removed). Herbie's is a very pliable thin rubber-like material that firmly adheres to CD, but can be removed after use. There is no slippage/spin of the mat, and it seems to do the best job of any mat of cleaning up CD grunge from sound."
Randall Thomann, Coralville, Iowa
"The grungebuster does a very good job of taming overly bright CD’s."
Mark Blackburn, Chicago, Illinois
"The Grungebuster Mat is not what I would call a tweak du jour. It is The Bomb! Its use for CD play is now mandatory, and found that I got a subtle improvement playing DVDs. Slightly less grain made for a smoother video performance on an already great disc like The Fifth Element. The improvement with CD play is, however, not particularly subtle. The palpability factor increased as a distortion factor that I had blamed on other equipment decreased. Timbre seems truer, etcetera, etcetera. Music is certainly more riveting in my audio lab these days. Oh yes, the tube dampers certainly help my system to properly serve the music. Thank you for these fine creations."
Ed Quintens, Koksijde, Belgium
"Better and sharper image on our modified Sony DVP 9000 ES; even the sound is more accurate. Good job, man."
Mark Latkowski, Salt Lake City, Utah
"Received the Grungebuster SP yesterday. All I can say is that upon first listen it is a great product! Detail, depth of soundstage, both dramatically improved.
"Thanks for a great value product!"
Barry Schultz, Englishtown, New Jersey
"For the Mat itself, I have one word....'WOW'
"I currently have an Aurex CD mat, which I am unhappy with. The Aurex mat seems thin and flimsy. It curls up around the edges, which makes it very difficult to load it into the player. I love the fact that your mat sticks to the disk.
"My son had his Jimmy Neutron DVD in my DVD player, so I figured I would throw the mat on, to see if I can notice a difference. The color and the sharpness were amazing! The surround sound in my 7.1 setup was significantly better then before, with a more spacious and open sound stage. If the improvements were this good on an animated children's movie, I couldn't wait to try it out on my DVD Audio, SACD, and DTS disks."
Ed Strelow, San Jacinto, California
"I have tried several mats over the years and given up on them. This one is much better. The improvements were evident on all equipment, but somewhat less obvious on the better CD player (CEC belt-drive) and a memorex portable but very obvious on a standard Teac. It helped a dvd player, somewhat more I felt in the sound than picture, but there was some increase in picture clarity and edge, giving somewhat more of a 3-dimensional effect to the picture. All listening was done with Koss ESP 950 or Stax 404 electrostatics. I am getting several more."
Jim O'Neill, Dubuque, Iowa
"Oh my God, you wouldn't believe how much better. What it does to the soundstage and upper frequencies is phenomenal. They really work."
B.B., California
"It was a pleasure finding something local in the Central Valley. It arrived next day. Here's what I found: My DVD player and car CD player didn't like it AT ALL. My new NAD 541i CD player loves it! I attach the grungebuster to the disc, do the air bubble thing then attach my hideous little AUREX wafer-thin stabilizer to add some extra damping (I have to do something with the AUREX). The AUREX sticks to the Grungebuster! Anyone who knows, understands the improvement to the digital sound by removing the strident, harsh edge CD's exhibit during playback. This product is great! Thanks again!"
Jay Carlberg, Modesto, California
"I got the tube dampers hooked up and the CD mat working, and boy it's amazing what an improvement it was. Thank you very much for such fine products, I got a good value and I appreciate it."
Mark Kirby, Baltimore, Maryland
"Just wanted you to know what a winner the grungebuster cd mat is. One of those upgrades that gets you hauling out old music to hear it for the first time. I tweak my cd's to the max, and they sound pretty good already. And I'm used to improvements both incremental and dramatic for tweaks. This one was special. I've spent hundreds of dollars for less. In terms of bang-for-the-buck, this thing is in a class by itself. Any disc that goes into either of my DVD/SACD players has a Grungebuster riding it."
Robert Matthews, Fairfax Station, Virginia
"With this mat, I can hear more of an improvement than with the tube damping rings. This mat definitely works! All the GLARE is gone! I played my Andre Bocelli, Tuscani CD from start to finish, and it sounded the best I've ever heard it. The hardest part was lining up the center hole, so the mat would be centered. I still don't think it is centered perfectly, but it is good enough to realize all the great benefits.
"All I can say is that now the music is so glare free, that I find myself turning up the volume more, because all the glare and grunge is gone! This is the smoothest my system has ever sounded. The bass is much improved, (tighter and more precise). And the sound stage is much more open than before. It's like I'm finally hearing all the stuff that's on this CD for the first time! I can't think of any more adjectives to describe my new sound. All I know is that I really like it! The music is much more pleasing to me than any other time that I can remember! And I think I'm finally realizing all the good benefits of my Golden Tube SE-40 amp. The mat makes my tube amp sound like solid state on the bottom, and the best of tubes on the midrange and top! I have tried the black CD rings that fit over the edge of the CD, and they seemed to clean up some of the glare, but with this mat, I think I wouldn't even have to use those rings that fit around the edge of the CD anymore."
Damon Newman, Hurst, Texas
"Although the concept made sense, I was rather skeptical. However, you'll be glad to know I found myself pleasantly surprised."
Bob Zurcher, Spokane, Washington
"Yes it does work! The music seems to come from a darker space or a quieter background. The bass is crisper and the midrange is cleaner. With some CDs the change wasn't subtle. It works on DVD's too (as you know), the sound is improved and I'll be darned if the picture doesn't seem improved."
B. D. B., Oregon
"I just did a mini-comparison on a few recordings with and without the mat. Here’s what changed when I slapped the mat on:
"Mozart: Die Sonaten Für Klavier und Violine (Sonatas for Piano and Violin) (Deutsche Grammophon) -- The instruments seemed richer and clearer, especially the piano, with more separation.
"Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed SACD -- I noticed slight improvements in clarity and focus, but the biggest difference was deeper bass.
"John Coltrane: A Love Supreme SACD -- There was more texture in the symbols, more separation, and deeper bass.
"White Stripes: Elephant -- Again, I could hear more texture, and I also noticed better decay of the instruments. There was deeper, more present bass as well."
Ad van Rooij, Netherlands
"There is more focus of the instruments and a better 3d stage. Voices have more contour, there is more space around the instruments and the instruments which are further behind are better defined. The mat is a big step ahead. To change the mat is easy but it takes time."
Alan Olan, Sidney, Australia
"I was not prepared for the improvement in the sound. I played the new Ataris CD which sounds quite harsh at high volumn and instantly noticed that the vocals are more focused and the instruments were easier to discern. The harshness was also gone, I think the silences are darker and the music more dynamic. I've been really enjoying the music. Great product."
Yovo Komlan, Linden, New Jersey
"It works more good than Marigo."
Scott Peters, Scottsdale, Arizona
"I have the Herbie tube dampers and love them. A real improvement in my amps and tube dac. So, I thought I would try the grungebuster, especially after reading the review that said it was definitely better than the Audioprism mat. Well, guess what? The review was way right. The grungebuster is way better … and it doesn’t take much to hear the difference. I heard it immediately. Better detail, definition and smoother, more musical. I can’t imagine playing a cd without it. My wife even heard an improvement in about two minutes of a/b’ing vs. the Audioprism. For $20 you can’t go wrong. Thanks for the great product!"
John C.
"It makes much more difference in my cheap cd/dvd player than it does in my nice transport. I'm assuming its because the transport has better damping built into it."
Matthew Trom, Portland, Oregon
"I like it! On first impresion, the sound is much smoother. It was easy to place on the CD by leaving the CD in the case, getting the grungebuster centered, then laying it down across the CD. Easy!
"The grungebuster works partly to moderately fantastic. It's one of those items that is not obvious, but you find out you miss it when it's gone. I have used the Marigo Crossbow, CD Stoplight and other tweaks, but I think the grungebuster works best."
Frédéric Laglaive, Paris, France
"The Tenderfeet and the Grungebuster CD Mat are nice; they improve the CD player sound."
David Shuck, Escondido, California
"The CD mat sounds great -- more warmth, bass, less glare, more dynamic, quieter."
Paul Finn, Downey, California
"I've got the German Audio Desk that trims the edge of CDs at an angle to improve performance. It works very well. I then got the grungebuster to compare. Well, it's hard to say which is better -- they both do an excellent job, and I think they make improvements in slightly different areas. But it's easy to say with absolute confidence that using them both together is one hecka buttkickin' improvement over an untreated CD, especially the better ones. I've now treated all my CDs with the Audio Desk, and use the grungebuster with each CD as I play it. Wow!"
Geoff de Brito, California
"So far I'm pleased with the mat. Lower noise floor with yes, less grunge is the first thing I've noticed. Second impression is that somehow the music is more relaxed."
Blake Palmer, London, Ontario
"First, let me state that I do not have a $3,000 digital front end and I do not know how this product will function with a really high end player. That being said, the tweaked DVD player that I use currently sounds better in my opinion than an Arcam Alpha 8SE which I sold a few years ago.
"I have used an Audioprism CD Blacklight for a few years now with decent results. The improvements with the Blacklight were subtle, and I would use it regularly, except when CD or DVD playback simply would not function with it.
"I recently read a thread on Audiogon which stated that the Marigo mat was the best of the bunch. I have no experience with the Marigo simply because I didn't want to spring the $80 for it.
"The Herbies mat is $20, not exactly a huge sum. I would highly recommend it, particularly for those with cheaper digital gear; whether it brings about as much of an improvement with higher end gear, I cannot say.
"The 'Grungebuster' is simply far superior to the Audioprism Blacklight. Audible improvements could easily be heard on music where vocals previously seemed to 'trail off' and not be easily understood (Bob Dylan's Love and Theft and Emmy Lou Harris' Wrecking Ball for example). The Grungebuster imparts a clarity which was simply not there before with the Blacklight mat (which itself improves very slightly upon a nude CD). The good thing about this clarity is that it comes about without a 'thinning out' of the performance. On the contrary, background becomes noticeably darker, instruments are more fleshed out, bass performance is slightly enhanced and the top end is noticeably cleaned up as well. One thing that I cannot stand is an increase in clarity that is accompanied with any lean aspect being applied to the music. This is not the case with the Grungebuster; in fact just the opposite occurs. Both Pat Methney's guitar and Charlie Haden's bass (Under the Missouri Sky) really filled out and have never sounded better in my system with the Grungebuster. On certain tracks (certainly not every one on every CD), I can actually hear info that I have not heard before. Ironically, this usually occurs in relatively quiet 'solo' passages where there is a background accompaniment from one or two other instruments (Jimmy Smith's 'Damn' comes to mind here).
"In short, the Grungebuster lives up to its name, for all of $20. There is a newly found smoothness, a noticeable improvement from top to bottom (bass midrange and high frequencies) a removal of grain and edge, and a revelation of more musical info and increase in clarity."
Mathieu Marcil, Toronto, Canada.
"I actually already own one grungebuster mat, and got a second so I can listen to one damped disc while preparing the next one for play. This really works."
David Bauer, Perry, New York
"Fantastic!"
Chris Binkley, Silver Spring, Maryland
"Well, I wasn't expecting much but wow -- I think I'll have to buy some more to permanently attach to my favorite CDs. I've been thinking of upgrading my Rotel RCD-961 to an Arcam to go with my Arcam A75, but I think I can hold off for quite a while now for a $25 investment.
"Soundstage dramatically improved, bass a bit tighter, definitely a cleaner overall sound. Trying it right now with an absolutely great rock band -- British Sea Power. Pretty damn cool."
Julius Moshinsky, Alameda, California
"Thank you! There is a definite improvement in digititis level, with less pain to the ear and more detail audible. Its physical attributes are outstanding also--easy to apply, remove, and store.
"The best mat I have used, and I have tried a number over the last decade."
David Aikens, Parkinson, Australia
"The Grungemaster CD mat produced a very noticeable change with more precise imaging and added weight to the sound. I had problems with my first disc, first getting the mat reasonably centred and then with the player not recognising the disc for a while. I got it on much easier with the second disc and had no problems with the player recognising the disc, and with the third disc again no problems with the player. Obviously there's a bit of a knack to applying the disc but it doesn't seem difficult and the results justify the effort involved in developing the knack
"This is basically my first experience with a CD mat, apart from a brief trial of the TNT Audio DIY mat made from a 5.25" floppy disc which I didn't regard as particularly successful. I was therefore very pleased to find your mat works as advertised."
Fred Muskal, Stockton, California
"Works like a charm. Thanx."
Larry Welsh, New York
"Your Grungebuster allowed me to listen to a Linda Ronstadt CD that was so harsh I couldn't play it. Now, it's very pleasant. Since I ordered the Grungebuster some months ago, I've never played a CD without it."
Isaac Perry, East Orange, New Jersey
"It works very, VERY good, especially on the top end. I'm really happy with it."
Mark Kirby, Baltimore, Maryland
"I'm very happy with my grungebuster. With the grungebuster riding them, CD's and SACD's invariably sound better."
Jorge Ramirez, Lerma, Mexico
"Your CD mat has proven to work for me as advertized. It's a really nice improvement for only 20 bucks. Thanks for the great product."
Nedeljko Miljevic, Freising, Germany
"This device is wonderful. Works great in my player (Vacuum State mod 5 Sony SCD-555ES) -- beats anything I've heard yet regardless of price. Just amazing!"