Digital Drive: REVIEW: Ayre Acoustics Irrational, But Efficacious! CD Accessory by robertopisa

Model:	Irrational, But Efficacious! CD
Category:	Accessory
Suggested Retail Price:	unknown
Description:	System Enhancement Disc
Manufacturer URL:	Ayre Acoustics
Model Picture:	View

Review by robertopisa on January 16, 2010 at 23:51:25
IP Address: 82.57.141.129 Add Your Review
for the Irrational, But Efficacious! CD

I'm a computer scientist, and my job is to be skeptic and try to explain, prove, and experiment. I was indeed very skeptic on the fact that a sequence of bits may change the sound of the hi-end rigs. It does...

It's over an year that I have been using the Ayre and the IsoTek CDs. I have experimented on the following settings:

Quad 99cdp2, Quad 99pre, Quad 909amp, Zingali Overture speakers

Marantz cdp SA11-S2, Marantz pre SC11-S1, Marantz amp SM11-S1, Zingali Overture speakers

Marantz cdp SA11-S2, Marantz pre SC11-S1, Marantz amp SM11-S1, Kef 104/2 speakers

Marantz cdp SA11-S2, Marantz pre SC11-S1, ATC SCM 50ASL active speakers

Chinese USB valve amp with high quality NOS tubes (Telefunken, Sylvania), Grado SR225 headphone
You may like the resulting sound or not, but I have no doubt at this point that the sound changes. (I'm not connected to the CD companies.) I'm getting crazy since I cannot find an explanation (I'm not an EE). Before getting into the review, I want to talk of the implications.

Let me pose a question: if a sequence of bits can thus change the sound of your system and you listen twice the same track, are you listening exactly the same sound at this point? Is AB comparison still useful? I think so as first impression, but I also need to listen over long periods (days). Surely, using one of the two CDs before a listening session can help to level the initial setting.

Let's switch to the review. Each of the CDs has several tracks, but I found useful only one or two tracks each:

Ayre: the seven track (5' full glide tone) is the one I'm running with some regularity.

IsoTek: the second track (30' complex signals) can be run when you change configuration in your system, and the third track (5' rejuvenation) is the one I'm running with some regularity.

Do you think your sound has become a bit dull and the soundstage is less open-air than usual? Run track #7 in the Ayre CD.

Instead, is today your sound a bit thin and bodyless, on the bright side? Run track #3 in the IsoTek CD.

This is it. I'm running the above tracks when I need them, so my regularity is not scheduled in advance. I know that this is a succint review, but these are the effects that I consistently noticed over an year. I could not find a useful application of the other tracks in my situation.

Product Weakness:	You may like it or not.
Product Strengths:	It actually changes the sound.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Marantz SM11-S1, Quad 909amp
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Marantz SC11-S1, Quad 99pre
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Marantz Sa11-S2, Quad 99cdp2
Speakers: ATC SCM50AL, Zingali Overture 2
Cables/Interconnects: custom cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classical, Pop, Rock, Folk, Jaszz
Room Size (LxWxH): 4m x 3.9m x 2,8m
Room Comments/Treatments: Cathedral sound panels on the top corners, GIK Monster Bass trap on the back, carpet, curtains
Time Period/Length of Audition: Over a year
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Marantz SM11-S1, Quad 909amp
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Marantz SC11-S1, Quad 99pre
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Marantz Sa11-S2, Quad 99cdp2
Speakers:	ATC SCM50AL, Zingali Overture 2
Cables/Interconnects:	custom cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical, Pop, Rock, Folk, Jaszz
Room Size (LxWxH):	4m x 3.9m x 2,8m
Room Comments/Treatments:	Cathedral sound panels on the top corners, GIK Monster Bass trap on the back, carpet, curtains
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Over a year
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner