General Asylum: REVIEW: IsoTek Full System Enhancer &Rejuvenation Disc Other by David Aiken

Model:	Full System Enhancer &Rejuvenation Disc
Category:	Other
Suggested Retail Price:	$35 US
Description:	Burn in and demagnetisation signals
Manufacturer URL:	IsoTek

Review by David Aiken on October 21, 2007 at 22:09:39
IP Address: 211.27.153.203 Add Your Review
for the Full System Enhancer &Rejuvenation Disc

So Clark Johnsen asks if this could be the most cost effective tweak ever and says it's supposed to be better than the Densen disc I've been using.

I couldn't find a local Australian distributor so I ordered a copy from Acoustic Sounds. They advertise 3-6 day shipping times to Australia and that's how the shipping worked out. Of course, it did take about 10-11 days for them to ship it so FedEx gets the kudos but Acoustic Sounds could do a little better on their service.

It's Monday afternoon here and I normally run the Densen disc on my system every Monday morning. While I noticed an improvement in sound after using the Densen disc for the first time, I tend not to notice differences after using it on a weekly basis. Since FedEx tracking indicated it would be delivered today, I didn't run the Densen and waited for the IsoTek disc. When it arrived I played part of a familiar trackâ€”"Light My Fire" on Patricia Barber's "Modern Cool", Mo-Fi hybrid SACDâ€”then played the IsoTek rejuvenation track, it's equivalent of the Densen signal, then replayed the Barber track. I thought there was a slight sense of more presence and breath to Barber's voice, a bit more string tone to Michael Arnopol's bass, and maybe a slightly tighter sound overall. I wouldn't swear to it but I did think there was a little improvement, and I don't get that feeling after playing the Densen disc.

I then played the whole of track 2 of the IsoTek disc, the full range burn in track, followed by the rejuvenation track through once, a total of 35 minutes for the 2 tracks, before repeating the Barber track. Pretty much the same impression again but a little stronger.

I don't have any new components to burn in as I think I've just finished burning in a new integrated amp so I really don't have the opportunity to give the disc a real workout with a new component. I also didn't want to try a long, overnight session with it before commenting because I really don't think my audio memory is good enough to be reliable for subtle differences after an overnight gap between playings. Some people may well argue that I exceeded the reliability of audio memory with the 35 minute gap, or even with the 5 minute gap when I played the rejuvenation track for the first time. Be that as it may, I think that I've given the IsoTek disc the best stab I could at some kind of before/after comparison and I think it makes a difference and that it's a little better than the Densen disc, but I also think the differences are subtle. If the IsoTek disc is like the Densen, I would expect someone trying it on a system which hasn't had a demagnetisation disc used on it would notice a bigger improvement on the first use but I don't have such a system available to me to try it on. My observation that I think it makes a subtle improvement in my system is as good an assessment as I think I can make and there will definitely be some who question the reliability of that assessment.

I'll continue to use it on a weekly basis instead of the Densen and I may do a long session with the burn in track at some point to see if I notice anything more after a longer run with it.
David Aiken

Product Weakness:	None apparent
Product Strengths:	Seems to do what it claims

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: NAD Masters Series M3
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Arcam FMJ CD33
Speakers: Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SE and Dynaudio stands
Cables/Interconnects: Kimber Select
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Patricia Barber %22Modern Cool%22
Room Comments/Treatments: DIY acoustic panels, bass traps, and diffusors very loosely based on Argent Room Lens. See my system listing for more details including room details.
Time Period/Length of Audition: See description in review.
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	NAD Masters Series M3
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Arcam FMJ CD33
Speakers:	Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SE and Dynaudio stands
Cables/Interconnects:	Kimber Select
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Patricia Barber %22Modern Cool%22
Room Comments/Treatments:	DIY acoustic panels, bass traps, and diffusors very loosely based on Argent Room Lens. See my system listing for more details including room details.
Time Period/Length of Audition:	See description in review.
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner