Two years ago, I have come across an article written by Gary Leonard Koh, CEO of Genesis Loudspeakers, how Black CDs improved the sound of audio CDs. I had the privilege to personally met Gary because he is a former house tenant of my sister Daylinda here in Cebu. His white paper, In Quest of Absolute Fidelity: The Saga of Black CDs, (click here to view and download) details the process. I tried to copy some of my favorite selections to Black CDs. Lo and behold … I find the imaging (the location of the instruments and performers) more defined and the space acoustics somewhat widened even with my modest stereo system. Now, I end up copying almost all my original audio CDs into Black CDs.
You can try it by installing Exact Audio Copy (EAC) ripping software from http://www.exactaudiocopy.de. Use EAC to create music WAV files from your audio CD in your PC. Then, use the sofware bundled with your CD writer to write the WAV files to Black CDs using the lowest writing speed. Gary has a list of recommended brands but I have only tried those available locally - Imation, Melody and Prodisc. Just keep away from the generic CDs.
EAC configuration is critical. The most important setting is in the Drive Options > Extraction Method - it must be in Secure Mode. You can Search the Internet for configuration guides. One example can be found here.
Many critics do not believe this. According to them "In digital systems - bits is bits. Period.". But the majority are not aware that the very CD laser transport system involves analog design! Audiophiles attributed this sonic difference to timing jitter.
You may hear the difference or not. However, one benefit of this process … it keeps your prized originals in good condition.
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