This is a good subject and thread. Most people never thnk of doing this and might be amazed at what they find coming off of the contacts and connection points if they did clean them.
I recently pulled apart my HT system and am still working on getting it dialed in again. While i had it all apart, i took the time to clean all of the rca jacks on both the equipment and the cables. I used Caig Pro Gold liquid that comes in a little bottle along with some Q tips. For the record, they also make little "wipes" that are small squares and are already treated with the chemical. The wipes are woven cloth and as such, would have a slight abrasive action to them. I have some of these also and you might not believe the "gunk" that comes off of what looked like a "clean" connection.
The problem with using alcohol is that, while it does clean the surface, it does nothing to treat the metal. As such, the fresh and porous metal surface is now open for oxidation and pitting. Using a good cleaner with a mild metal and electical lubricant prevents this from happening and prolongs the need to do it again. This can even cut down on distortion that has been measured and verified under labratory test conditions. Jim Johnson ( JJ over on the Asylum ) has verified this and stated that ANY connection that has been terminated for over 30 days without some type of initial treatment WILL show measurable distortion as compared to a "clean" connection. He also stated that just pulling the connection apart and reseating it can drastically reduce this. Sean
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I recently pulled apart my HT system and am still working on getting it dialed in again. While i had it all apart, i took the time to clean all of the rca jacks on both the equipment and the cables. I used Caig Pro Gold liquid that comes in a little bottle along with some Q tips. For the record, they also make little "wipes" that are small squares and are already treated with the chemical. The wipes are woven cloth and as such, would have a slight abrasive action to them. I have some of these also and you might not believe the "gunk" that comes off of what looked like a "clean" connection.
The problem with using alcohol is that, while it does clean the surface, it does nothing to treat the metal. As such, the fresh and porous metal surface is now open for oxidation and pitting. Using a good cleaner with a mild metal and electical lubricant prevents this from happening and prolongs the need to do it again. This can even cut down on distortion that has been measured and verified under labratory test conditions. Jim Johnson ( JJ over on the Asylum ) has verified this and stated that ANY connection that has been terminated for over 30 days without some type of initial treatment WILL show measurable distortion as compared to a "clean" connection. He also stated that just pulling the connection apart and reseating it can drastically reduce this. Sean
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