The audio signal encoded onto CDs is a digital signal, and on a correctly operating CD player the signal should be recovered 100% accurately, each and every time. However, a working audio system has to not just recover the digital signal, it then has to turn that into an analog sound pressure level, and there are several stages in that journey.
In theory audio CD players should sound the same providing they meet certain objective criteria. The many customers of the high-end audio industry would beg to differ, and it is easy enough to hear the difference between a cheapo $10 CD player and something a bit better.
What Does the Bedini Quadri-Beam Audio Clarifier Do?
The Bedini audio clarifier aims to take this a stage further. According to the manufacturer, Bedini Electronics:
"As a result of the disc manufacturing process the disc has inherent noise distortion which becomes more apparent as the disc is played over and over again; coupled with the polymer ability to hold electrostatic charges, it acutely masks the true dynamics of the digital media." [1]
There is otherwise very little detail about what actually happens. Some write-ups indicate that the clarifier is a CD demagnetiser - there was apparently at one time a penchant in audiophile circles for using tape bulk erasers on CDs.
Experimentation shows that the polycarbonate of the CD can hold an electric charge just as vinyl records could. However, to discharge electric charges you would expect spikes, or carbon-fibre brushes, or something other than shiny plastic in the clarifier.
The clarifier is a fairly moulded plastic device a little larger than the CD, which takes a 12V wall-wart power supply. The CD is placed on the white plastic spindle, then the red button is pressed and the lid closed.
A revving sound is then heard as the Bedini Audio Clarifier spins up the CD, while some process happens. This takes a little under a minute, then the clarifier spins down again and the treatment is done. The CD can now be taken off the machine and put in the CD player.
Bedini Audio Clarifier Listening Tests
The Bedini Audio Clarifier was used in a friend's high-end Naim reference system which consists of active Naim Ovator S-600 speakers fed with the Naim Reference CD555 CD Player and NAP500 power amplifiers. He described the improvement wrought by the Bedini Audio Clarifier as:
"improved low-frequency definition, better clarity in the voice band and improved stereo imaging"
The sonic improvement was considered well worth the $400 that the Bedini Quadri-Beam Ultra Clarifier costs. It was retained over several playings but would eventually need redoing after a few plays or after a couple of weeks.
Using the Bedini Audio Clarifier - Conclusion
The $400 Bedini Quadri-Beam Audio Clarifier delivered satisfaction in the particular system used. Prospective purchasers should definitely go out of their way to get a demonstration of the effect, preferably with their own CDs played in their own hi-fi system.
The reason for this is that the results obtained with the Bedini Audio Clarifier seem to be very variable between different listeners and situations. It may be that the 'charges' that the Clarifier is meant to address have different interactions with different audio equipment and even equipment positioning, however the listening test showed at least one satisfied customer!
Bedini make lower-cost alternative models, ranging from the $49 Compact Disc Clarifier which is hand-held, and the Dual-Beam Bedini Audio Clarifier which sells for about $200
Bedini Audio Clarifier - Author's Note
The author was present during the test, but unfortunately did not have the sophistication to be able to hear any change whatsoever. Although experienced in listening to high-end audio, this Naim Reference System sounded excellent to him both before and after the CD was treated. The Reference System is a considerably more high-end system than the author's so the more critical listener's results are reported.
The owner of the system clearly felt there to be a major difference, as described.
Sources
- Bedini Electronics, Bob Neill Review
Richard Mudhar - Originally from London, now enjoying a less hectic pace of life in Suffolk, Richard Mudhar is a keen wildlife sound recordist and ...
