"Do no harm" is the ideal standard for tweaks. Many come with tradeoffs however that we are willing to live with because of the sonic benefits they provide. Stillpoints ERS was one such tweak. Back when it was in production the noise reducing tape and sheets were popular for eliminating noise on breaker panels and inside audio components over digital circuitry. It was helpful in eliminating noise, but could also remove some of the audio signal at times, or produce an unpleasant tonal shift to the overall sonic balance. Still, when used judiciously and in small amounts it was wonderful.
ERS is no longer in production, but Oyaide has come up with a product I feel is better overall. The NRF 005 range of products is more focused on the audio signal, and not so much on reducing noise on higher voltage AC lines. They have another product (the MWA line of products) for that, but my results with it so far are that it takes away more than it benefits.
Uses of NRF 005
From my experiments so far, the NRF 005L sheets work well under my Matrix ND-1 DAC, and the NRF 005T tape wrapped around my Hapa Aero AG USB and Wireworld Silver Eclipse SPDIF cable. Placing a sheet on the Innuos' thick aluminum chassis, or underneath it did not produce any audible results. The next experiment will be to place a sheet inside.
Using the NRF 005L Tape On Digital Cables
I wrapped both my Hapa Aero AG USB cable and Wireworld Silver Eclipse SPDIF cable with NRF 005L tape and both delivered excellent results. Here's how I did it: First, I did NOT take the backing off of the NRF tape. Only a small 1/2" segment on either end was removed.
- First, peel back about 1/2" of the tape's backing on the loose end and apply it at the base of where the cable meets the connector. If you have plastic connectors, you may want to cover them entirely with another separate section of tape.
- begin wrapping the tape, with the backing on, around your cable. You do not need 100% coverage. It's okay to have some gaps to maintain flexibility of the cable.
- When you reach the end of your cable, peel back 1/2" of the backing from the end and attach to the point on the cable where it enters the connector.
- Of course you are free to cover 100% of the cable and peel off the backing if you like. But the cable will be less flexible and if it doesn't work out sonically, is more difficult to revert back to the uncovered cable.
Sonically, I get better results than Stillpoints ERS without any negative drawbacks. I hear more deeply into the music, it is smoother, more refined, and has a liveliness in the dynamic presentation.
One other important advantage of the NRF is that is it NOT conductive like ERS was. There is no risk of an electrical short when using the NRF because it cannot conduct electricity.
The cost of NRF is higher, but still in terms of Audiophilia they are negligible, especially considering the benefits they can bring about with your existing components and cables.
If digital audio is part of your audio system's playback capabilities, you owe it to yourself to try the NRF line of noise reducing products from Oyaide. Highly recommended!