Change of sound with Deoxit G100
Hi folks!
Yesterday for the first time I took the time to clean and treat a lot of electrical contacts in my system: all RCA connectors (electronics and cables), banana plugs, fuse holders and fuses, IEC receptacles, DC umbilical cables of external power supplies... the only things I haven't treated yet are the AC power section.
For my preamp I first used Deoxit D5 as it's vintage and the RCA connectors were tarnished, then I used Deoxit gold G100 (100% solution, no spray). For all the rest I only used the Deoxit gold G100.
My system is actively tri-amped so there are a LOT of connections and a LOT of contacts. It is also extremely revealing.
This is my first foray into contact treatments, so I thought why not start with one of the cheapest and most widely used products and go from there.
Well, I have to say, the effect after treatment is quite dramatic: more extension in the highs, more fluidity, less "grunge" BUT the sound is also much colder and flatter than it used to be before treatment. Weirdly, bass seems a bit anemic (I have two 13inch Focal subs in vast reflex enclosures for sub bass, and two 15inch hornloaded drivers for upper bass and lower midrange, and the bass is rather tactile / physical even at lowish volumes, usually). I have double checked all connections.
I've read similar comments and a few stating that it all comes back to great sound after a few days of "settling in" (I do not dare to speak of "burn in" for a contact enhancer, even if I'm a fervent believer in burn-in for cables, electronics and speakers).
Can anybody chime in? I just did it yesterday morning and didn't have time to listen much, I guess I'll see how it evolves, but I'm curious!
Showing 2 responses by dpop
@rolox @jdub39 These days I only use DeoxIT for pots (potentiometers), and only when *absolutely* necessary, because I do feel that even though applying it will fix the scratchy sound of a pot, it can (and most times will) also have a degrading muffling audible audio effect too (like who put a sock over my tweeter). Yes, after a while, the sound will probably come back to what you had been used to hearing, but why even go through that wait time? And what's really going on there for that to happen in the first place?! I've never thoroughly researched it, but I recommend *only* cleaning contacts with 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol. I do side with jdub39, but if contacts are not that oxidized to begin with, pass on the DeoxIT process, and go straight for the 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol. You may not be able to find this pure of a mix at your local store, but go the extra mile, and seek it out. You'll be glad you did, and you won't believe your ears once you start cleaning a few contacts. Night and day difference. Really unbelievable, for those that have never tried the 99.9% route yet. MG Chemicals 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol
|