I noticed cd318 is another newcomer with a negative attitude. Maybe he's just the same troll under another name.........
New Tweak --- Its Fantastic
THE NEW TWEAK
Over the good part of this past year I’ve been beta testing a new tweak, the name of which is "Total Contact." Its a hi-bred graphene contact enhancer that is different from all other contact enhancers that have come and gone for one reason or another. I’m not new to these contact enhancers, having had quite a bit of experience with a product developed by the late Brian Kyle and his "Quick Silver" contact enhancer. The "Total Contact" is different ... a LOT different.
"Total Contact" is graphene based and is not a vibration control. It eliminates micro-arching between two contacts. Micro-arching, much like Micro-vibration smears the sound in our stereo systems. Its the type of distortion that we don’t know is there .... until we eliminate it. There is no break-in as we know it. The sound is improved right off the bat, but what you hear is only a smidgen of what’s to come.
I tested three generations of "TC," each of which was an improvement over the previous incarnation. The final mix was cryogenitically treated and made for a more effective, much smoother application. It comes in a large hypodermic needle type plunger containing 1.5 ml of product and includes a instructional DVD and an application brush.
The application should be applied with a very thin coat to all of your electrical connections .... from your cartridge pins to your power cords. I did my entire system, including the ends of my fuses.
Upon initial application, you will notice an improvement in clarity, correctness of tonal balance and a more overall organic sound. But ... that is just scratching the surface of what this magic paste does. As it cures, the improvements become more apparent. Much more!
There are two real break-through events that happen almost to the day with "Total Contact," one at four weeks and another at eight weeks . At four weeks, you’ll get a real jump in clarity and overall improvement. That’s only a taste though of what’s to come at eight weeks. At eight weeks your system’s focus will make a jump in SQ that is so real - its surreal.
After 40 years in the hobby, and a total tweak nut, I have never heard anything that does what this graphene paste does. The see-through clarity at eight weeks becomes simply amazing. The "paste" eventually cures into a kind of polymer plastic and it seems that the sound improves with each listening session. So, its important that you leave your contacts alone for the duration. If you’re the type of person that continually switches wires in and out, you’ll have to re paste until enough time has elapsed to get "the cure."
The only problem I had was with the first batch and that had to do with shorting out a tube pin in the line stage. Use the "TC" very sparingly on tube pins, if at all. I only had problems with the line stage tube pins. The Amp, CD Player and Phono Stage has had no tube pin problems at all.
Tim Mrock, one of our fellow A’goners, is the developer of the product. Its taken Tim 15 years and several patents to get it right. Tim has "pasted" every electrical contact he can find in his audio system, all of the switches in his circuit breaker box, every contact in his car ... and has used it in commercial applications such as hospital circuit breakers, surgical lights ... and other places where efficiency and long life of electrical components are deemed important.
This product is highly recommended to anyone who truly wants to get the most out of his/her audio systems. There’s enough product in each tube to do at least two audio systems as it just takes a very thin coat on each application to be effective. The last tube was enough to do my system twice and then a friend’s system this past weekend.
Frank
PS: There were a couple of other A’goner beta testers of this product as well. Hopefully, they will chime in here with their experiences for comparison. I "pasted" both of Steve Fleschler’s systems a few days ago, perhaps he will comment on his results too. We forgot to paste Steve’s power cords though, so there’s a lot more to be had from Steve’s two fantastic systems.
Frank
Over the good part of this past year I’ve been beta testing a new tweak, the name of which is "Total Contact." Its a hi-bred graphene contact enhancer that is different from all other contact enhancers that have come and gone for one reason or another. I’m not new to these contact enhancers, having had quite a bit of experience with a product developed by the late Brian Kyle and his "Quick Silver" contact enhancer. The "Total Contact" is different ... a LOT different.
"Total Contact" is graphene based and is not a vibration control. It eliminates micro-arching between two contacts. Micro-arching, much like Micro-vibration smears the sound in our stereo systems. Its the type of distortion that we don’t know is there .... until we eliminate it. There is no break-in as we know it. The sound is improved right off the bat, but what you hear is only a smidgen of what’s to come.
I tested three generations of "TC," each of which was an improvement over the previous incarnation. The final mix was cryogenitically treated and made for a more effective, much smoother application. It comes in a large hypodermic needle type plunger containing 1.5 ml of product and includes a instructional DVD and an application brush.
The application should be applied with a very thin coat to all of your electrical connections .... from your cartridge pins to your power cords. I did my entire system, including the ends of my fuses.
Upon initial application, you will notice an improvement in clarity, correctness of tonal balance and a more overall organic sound. But ... that is just scratching the surface of what this magic paste does. As it cures, the improvements become more apparent. Much more!
There are two real break-through events that happen almost to the day with "Total Contact," one at four weeks and another at eight weeks . At four weeks, you’ll get a real jump in clarity and overall improvement. That’s only a taste though of what’s to come at eight weeks. At eight weeks your system’s focus will make a jump in SQ that is so real - its surreal.
After 40 years in the hobby, and a total tweak nut, I have never heard anything that does what this graphene paste does. The see-through clarity at eight weeks becomes simply amazing. The "paste" eventually cures into a kind of polymer plastic and it seems that the sound improves with each listening session. So, its important that you leave your contacts alone for the duration. If you’re the type of person that continually switches wires in and out, you’ll have to re paste until enough time has elapsed to get "the cure."
The only problem I had was with the first batch and that had to do with shorting out a tube pin in the line stage. Use the "TC" very sparingly on tube pins, if at all. I only had problems with the line stage tube pins. The Amp, CD Player and Phono Stage has had no tube pin problems at all.
Tim Mrock, one of our fellow A’goners, is the developer of the product. Its taken Tim 15 years and several patents to get it right. Tim has "pasted" every electrical contact he can find in his audio system, all of the switches in his circuit breaker box, every contact in his car ... and has used it in commercial applications such as hospital circuit breakers, surgical lights ... and other places where efficiency and long life of electrical components are deemed important.
This product is highly recommended to anyone who truly wants to get the most out of his/her audio systems. There’s enough product in each tube to do at least two audio systems as it just takes a very thin coat on each application to be effective. The last tube was enough to do my system twice and then a friend’s system this past weekend.
Frank
PS: There were a couple of other A’goner beta testers of this product as well. Hopefully, they will chime in here with their experiences for comparison. I "pasted" both of Steve Fleschler’s systems a few days ago, perhaps he will comment on his results too. We forgot to paste Steve’s power cords though, so there’s a lot more to be had from Steve’s two fantastic systems.
Frank
2,514 responses Add your response
fazee"Which leads me to believe they are either jealous competitors or sad people with nothing better to do in life than trying to discredit a great, wonderful product" There are many people hear like that you can tell from what they post they are angry, disappointed and frustrated so yes you could say they are "sad" although commonly I think they do not know this which is actually a major part of they're ongoing trouble and problems! |
As the first person in the entire Far East to order and use this product, it amuses me to see all the naysayers ganging up, trying to knock down OP and Tim,without even trying it out. Which leads me to believe they are either jealous competitors or sad people with nothing better to do in life than trying to discredit a great, wonderful product. For those of you still debating whether or not to give this a shot, what is 300 bucks in your currency compared to the tens of thousands your system cost? I am also a user of SR Black fuses and they are great, but TC is playing at a different league altogether. Peace Amigos |
There is a whole lot of frantic trick cycling going on here and subsequently a damn lot of persistent peddling. Zero clock times though. Or evidence of any kind other than anecdotal. A $10 CD player sounding like a $10,000 one after contact cleaner? Why shouldn't it when distortion levels measure the same? Before or after CC. So much bait being offered here for the unwary audiophile to bite upon. Buyer not only beware, but make sure you have a cast iron no quibble return agreement in place first. |
I’ve provided feedback about how much further TC has taken my reviewing system is past posts but I finally took the plunge and treated the insides of my Ayon Audio S-5 Network Player/DAC/Preamp. Painted the R-core transformer center sections, center section of fuses, signal and dc power hook up wires, tops of metal caps, and DAC chips. Try to remove the main pin connectors to treat the pins has been troublesome. If anybody does this, I highly recommend that an illuminated magnifying glass be used to verify your work. Will report the results on Saturday. I have eliminated all competing products including one of those mentioned by geoffkait in my reviewing system. I previously had 14 of the same competing devices in my system until recently. TC works as advertised. |
docknow"But you have to admit that this was humorous ... " Have you ever thought about offering your product in Sex shops? With Total Contact, every men will gratify his partner with a complete ( TOTAL ) inner contact, no matter the size of your connector!" That is is not likely to be considered "humorous" to anyone who has advanced beyond the first or second US "grammar school" grade. |
I can’t begin to understand the Stein or Stillpoint tweaks. The only thing I can imagine about the disks is they contain Lead in something that might attract RF and keep it out of the system. I use to own a musical instrument store and sometimes when I bought a vintage amp with a two prong plug I would get radio stations and cell phone conversations while playing thru it. Electric wires that lead to a house will act as a big antennae. |
perfectpathtech @stoplitz Glad you tried the Black Discus, other makers of the same device include Stein, Bybee, Albat, and others. >>>>Really? That’s very interesting. How so? Are you saying these manufacturers and others all discovered this same type of device independently? Who are the others? What is it about all of them that makes you say they are the same? |
Geoff sez ...
That’s exactly it. Of the contact enhancers I’ve tried/used over the years, nothing reduces noise and distortion like Total Contact. Admittedly, I haven’t tried them all. I have used Caig DeoxIT ... both the Red and the Gold. Also had a long term bout with Xtreme AV’s Quicksilver Gold. TC comes out the winner here by far. To date, no one has reported on their results with the Mad Scientist’s product. At least not in this thread. I’m looking forward to an in depth review of both products ... TC and the Mad Scientist product by "stoplitz." I’m hoping he will cover everything from ease of application to the ultimate improvement in sound quality, especially after the eight week curing process of the TC is complete. I’d suggest that he apply the Mad Scientist product first. Then, when satisfied that all is working to its ultimate, remove the product completely, and then apply the TC. My prediction is that he won't want to go back. Frank |
@stoplitz Glad you tried the Black Discus, other makers of the same device include Stein, Bybee, Albat, and others. They do produce a large effect, and have been around for quite some time. One or two will give the illusion of a more lifelike presentation across the board even a big wow factor. However as more of the devices are are added, they do not compound well at all, to the point of the sound becoming a sonic cartoon. I heard a rumor that someone has taken the technology in those devices to a new level. I was not told much, just that if and when it's released it would really shake up the world of tweaks. |
cd318 wrote, “Before we get carried away by the wondrous qualities of various contact enhancers etc please bear in mind the size of the electrical tracks on circuit boards, coil wires inside loudspeakers crossovers and cartridges etc. Somehow, miraculously the signal still gets through. Even 50 year old wires. Amazing isn’t it? (Another post headed towards deletion methinks).” >>>>Actually when you say “the signal still gets through,” that’s not completely accurate. What gets through is a combination of signal, noise and distortion. As enthusiasts we try to maximize signal and minimize noise and distortion. There is no substitute for signal over noise plus distortion ratio. That’s why we use contact cleaners and enhancers, to help accomplish that. Of course you guys are free to do whatever. It’s no skin off our noses. ”No matter how much you have in the end you would have had even more if you had started out with more in the beginning.” - Old audiophile proverb |
Jafreeman Mad Scientist does have a sense of humor. Like I said it’s all hocus locus to me. Even if they explained how it works I probably wouldn’t understand it anyways. Besides every manufacture has an explanation why their product is the best. I let my ears and heart do the explanation. Also appreciate the free sample and gurantee. |
Before we get carried away by the wondrous qualities of various contact enhancers etc please bear in mind the size of the electrical tracks on circuit boards, coil wires inside loudspeakers crossovers and cartridges etc. Somehow, miraculously the signal still gets through. Even 50 year old wires. Amazing isn't it? (Another post headed towards deletion methinks). |
How does Caig DeoxIT Gold work? from Caig web site, “To avoid detouring into a discussion in physics, simply stated, electrons travel from one side of a thin film of DeoxIT® Gold to the other without passing through (this is the same effect that gave the tunnel diode its name). DeoxIT® Gold fills the gaps in the contact surfaces, increasing the surface area and current flow (conductivi- ty). DeoxIT® Gold penetrates the plated surface and molecularly bonds to the base metal to seal and protect it (see FIGURE 1). Unlike other products, DeoxIT® Gold provides long-lasting protection and will not gum-up, evaporate, varnish, char or breakdown.” and, DeoxIT® GOLD is effective on stationary and moving contacts and connectors with similar or dissimilar metals. When a treated and untreated connector mate, DeoxIT® GOLD migrates to coat both surfaces. When connectors separate, DeoxIT® GOLD recoats both exposed metal surfaces (see FIGURE 7). DeoxIT® GOLD's unique formula contains conditioners, deoxidizers, preservatives, conductivity enhancers, arcing & RFI inhibitors and anti-tarnishing compounds. |
More on electrical contacts from our good friend Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_contacts Excerpt: Electrical contact theory Edit Ragnar Holm contributed greatly to electrical contact theory and application.[10] Macroscopically smooth and clean surfaces are microscopically rough and, in air, contaminated with oxides, adsorbed water vapor, and atmospheric contaminants. When two metal electrical contacts touch, the actual metal-to-metal contact area is small compared to the total contact-to-contact area physically touching. In electrical contact theory, the relatively small area where electrical current flows between two contacts is called the a-spot where "a" stands for asperity. If the small a-spot is treated as a circular area and the resistivity of the metal is homogeneous, then the current and voltage in the metal conductor has spherical symmetry and a simple calculation can relate the size of the a-spot to the resistance of the electrical contact interface. If there is metal-to-metal contact between electrical contacts, then the electrical contact resistance (as opposed to the bulk resistance of the contact metal) is mostly due to constriction of the current through a very small area, the a-spot. Contact force or pressure increases the size of the a-spot which decreases the constriction resistance and the electrical contact resistance.[11] When the size of contacting asperities becomes larger than the mean free path of electrons, Holm-type contacts become the dominant transport mechanism, resulting in a relative low contact resistance.[12] |
I like the Mad Scientist's invitation to submit the kookiest theory behind the BlackDiscus because, due to commercial considerations, the Mad Scientist is unable to explain how the BlackDiscus devices work. Examples are "The Alien Technology Explanation", "The StarFleet Explanation", and "The Dark Matter Explanation". Not so with Total Contact. Everything is explained so the user can understand why they are spending their money. |
Little Band Big Jazz is a favorite of Robert's audio check out CDs. When I first purchased it about 8 years ago, it didn't sound great, with a hashy horn section. However, after installing myriad Stillpoints on all my equipment, it cleaned up. Then the SR upgrades and upgraded cabling really made it sing. The Bryston BIT-20 was of lesser improvement (talk about price/performance-not). If this CD doesn't give you a sonic and musical lift, your system needs a lot of work. |
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Just a quick note from a skeptic. I just received Graphene Contact Enhancer ordered from Mad Scientist in New Zealand. Paid $25 as an experiment before considering ordering TC. I have not applied it yet but they gave a sample of a product called BlackDiscus. You can put the discus on any terminal or on top of any component. They said it will work just putting it on a table within 10 ft and the only way to shield it’s effect is to put it in a tin box. I put it on the red post on the speaker.The effect was huge. Bass sounded more stringy less thumpy,clearer vocals,better imaging,better separation and resolution. I had to bring my wife and 16 year old daughter to listen to see what they heard. Mad Scientist said the disks that you buy are even more effective than the free samples. It’s all hocus pocus to me but my ears did not lie. Wondering if you folks clean your terminals first before applying TC? Still think having a trial size to purchase might be a good marketing strategy for TC. See what it does first before shelling out $300. |
Glad you asked. I just found this tidbit from the original blurb for Xtreme AV’s Quicksilver Gold contact enhancer that was introduced about 12 years ago. In addition, there are at least a few technical papers from IEEE etc. addressing arcing and micro arcing in electrical contacts. Ditto the dissimilar metals issue I mentioned. “Machined and/or plated electrical contacts, when viewed under a microscope, actually have a rough surface finish allowing less than 5% of the contact’s surface to actually make contact and transfer vital energy to your electronic components be it AC Power, Audio or Video signals. In addition, these rough contacts cause micro-arcing to take place generating noise which is then transferred and amplified in your system along with the complex, multi-frequency Audio and Video signals resulting in a dramatic loss in resolution, low-level information retrieval and a less natural 2-dimensional presentation. It does not have to be this way!” Also, this is from Mapleshade’s website regarding their Silclear contact enhancer, circa 20 years ago, “Technically, the SilClear engineering objective is simple: to create the thinnest possible continuous layer of silver between the two mating surfaces of any electrical connection. The test results are unequivocal: SilClear improves sound. The reasons are not so obvious. We hypothesize two mechanisms. One is the beneficial effect of a near-monomolecular layer of silver in reducing skin effect (i.e., the velocity disparity between signal propagation on the surface and in the interior of a conductor). Second is eliminating the distorting diode effects (i.e., unequal resistance to the + and - halves of a music waveform) of the inevitable oxide films on any conductor surface.” |
Another problem contact enhancers such as The Product solves is the dissimilar metals phenomenon. One reason why people often say they can find no evidence of such and such on the web is because they don’t know how to search properly or thoroughly. 😬 Who knows, a competent pseudo skeptic might not even search at all. He’ll just say he did. 🙄 |
Hi maplegrovemusic. Actually, Caig uses the term arcing, not micro arcing anywhere I can find on their site. I certainly could be mistaken. I don’t think it was debated that the maker of TC coined the term. Regardless, I can’t find an explanation anywhere on the web of what the heck micro arcing is as it pertains to audio. If any fellow member can help me out I would appreciate it. The reason I have repeatedly asked Mr. Mrock what it is, is because he claimed that his product will solve the problem of micro arcing. He also states that he spent all his spare time for the last 15 years studying this ’micro arcing’. I’m extremely curious how one ’studies’ this phenomenon when there seems to be no information about it anywhere. I am also at a loss as to why he refuses to explain what it is since he’s spent a decade and a half learning about it. |
Micro arching is not a term coined from the maker of this contact enhancer . I seen it in a Caig advertisement . I believe goergehifi linked Caig on a forum post and it can be seen there . Cant seem to find it now after 10 minutes of looking . Anyhow Caig uses the term in its ad. Will keep looking to ad a link . |
grannying ... Thanks for the positive encouragement ... its much appreciated., With that said, I don't believe "innocent" describes their actions ... however, "ignorant" is much closer to the truth. I have never discouraged honest and respectful descent on these pages, but out and out insults, threats and slander is where the line must be drawn. As you know grannying ... TC is a marvelous product. How anyone can sit back, spew insults, make demands and threats without experiencing what we know to be a trans-formative product is beyond me. I have some suspicions as to the causes however. Among them are ... 1) Jealousy. 2) Envy. 3) Evil intent. 4) A missing chromosome. 5) Lack of a social filter caused by some sort of autism such Asperger's 6) Some sort of a chemical imbalance causing bipolar-ism. 7) At the very least, a totally warped, negative sense of humor. Frank PS: I've recommended this CD before, but as the users of TC have found out, their digital playback has been transformed. I played this last night and it was simply amazing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Conte-Candoli-All-Stars-LITTLE-BAND-BIG-JAZZ-Crown-Records-CD-FSR-1629/1130... |
Well, we have to remember these folks have not even tried the product, have only been on Agon for less than 1.5 years and really are young and not experienced in all things home audio. They just don’t know and are mere babes in audio experiences beyond what is normative and old news. They are rather funny however in their innocent and ignorant ways. |
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sbayne Good point. Maybe my system will sound worse as the solution continues to dry. Based on what I’ve read, graphene oxide is used in the manufacture of many products including graphene itself, batteries, and solar cells, for example. Total Contact is some type of graphene solution. I highly doubt its pure graphene and from what I can tell they don’t claim it is. >>>>Graphene is the super conductor, not Graphene oxide. Graphene oxide is a super non-conductor. If something looks too good to be true it’s probably not true. I’m not sure I’d call TC a Graphene solution, either. And it’s obviously not pure Graphene since Graphene is a solid. Whatever it is, it acts as a super conductor. But perhaps @teo_audio would be interested in the Graphene oxide suspension for his liquid cables, who knows? Of course, it’s not my intention to rain 💦 on your parade. For the record I’m not convinced putting water solutions on electrical contacts is a recommended practice. 🙄 |
Good point. Maybe my system will sound worse as the solution continues to dry. Based on what I've read, graphene oxide is used in the manufacture of many products including graphene itself, batteries, and solar cells, for example. Total Contact is some type of graphene solution. I highly doubt its pure graphene and from what I can tell they don't claim it is. |
That’s interesting but in the application we’re talking about, I.e, electrical contacts for audio, the water disappears, i.e., dries. Then you’re left with only the Graphene oxide, you know, the non-conductive stuff. It’s the suspension of Graphene in water that’s conductive. Am I missing something? 🙄 |
geoffkait - Based on what I've read, as you indicated, graphene oxide is not conductive in and of itself. However, it can be made conductive with distilled water which is much cheaper than pure graphene. Here are excerpts from what I have read: GRAPHENE OXIDE NANOFLUIDS CHARACTERIZATION AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY K. SAKTIYARAMANA*, G. AZADEH, M. T. HAJIBEIGY School of Engineering, Taylor’s University, Taylor's Lakeside Campus, No. 1 Jalan Taylor's, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor DE, Malaysia *Corresponding Author: Saktiya.karu@gmail.com Abstract Recently Graphene Oxide (GO) Nanofluids has become one of the emerging topics discussed in engineering applications due to its favourable characteristics in thermal and electrical conductivity. The substance is a combination of nano-size particles of graphene oxide dispersed in a base fluid, commonly distilled water. ..... In terms of electrical conductivity enhancement it was shown that samples with 0.03% volume fraction of graphene oxide had the highest electrical conductivity with a value of 161.44 μS/cm. The ability of the colloidal suspension to conduct electricity is basically due to the formation of dielectric layer and the presence of surface charges around the nanoparticles. In terms of electrical conductivity enhancement of the base fluid, sample with volume faction of 0.03% produces an enhancement value of 106%. The samples did not show any significant enhancement when the temperature is manipulated. |