It’s 4 weeks today since I treated my first AC plug with TC. Sure enough, the transparency of my system has taken a leap forward. I spread out treating most of the connections over a week, so we'll see what the rest of this week brings. I am VERY pleased so far, though.
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
I have treated just my IC's and speaker cables, with Frank's help around one month ago. I have not yet pasted my power cords. I think all of these tweaks are beneficial to certain degrees. My system was pretty resolving, but now that this tweak has 'burned in', I too must respond with positive comments about a 'lifting of a veil' of digital grunge, more open sound stage, better detail, and more accurate bass. The question now is how dramatic....I wouldn't say I was gobsmacked with improvement like say from a component upgrade, but everything in this hobby matters, and for the price, and the minimum effort involved, it helps me enjoy the music more, and listen to my gear less. It is clearly a definite improvement, more than subtle, but less than big bucks change up in gear. I would say its on par with the improvement I noticed by adding the SR black fuses to my gear...so slowly, and steadily, I am adding to sound quality, and enjoyment. I will try to paste my PC's soon. I have tried the product, and found it to be a positive improvement. I hope my comments will not result in attacks, as I am trying to be fair and balanced in my review and results. I'm glad Frank has brought this new product to my attention, I would not have tried it otherwise, and missed an easy tweak with positive effects. |
Now that I've reached the 4 week point, after treating my system with TC, I realize I had no clue how good my system really is, or what it is capable of. Others will share their own experiences, and I am confident they will be similar. I have no control over what some may believe or say about this, nor do I really care. I can sleep well at night, and look myself in the eye in the mirror, because I know I am telling the dead honest truth about my experience with TC. |
just my $.02 on all this back-n-forth, I just ordered a vial and will report back in a few weeks. I've used Caig De-oxit and QuickSilver contanct enhancer in the past with just very modest minor results, when this thread first surfaced, I was startled to see contact enhancement being recommended due to my experience with the mess of QuickSilver and the marginal results. One of things that changed my thinking on this was just type into google 'wiki Graphene' and read the science behind this material. There's something electrically unique about this stuff imo. I have a PS Audio Audio outlet power filter with good VH Audio Power cord. Was reviewing my connections and noticed I'd plugged CD player and Preamp into this PS Audio and the amp into another power strip. Since I'm 99% vinyl nowadays, I unplugged the CD player and plugged my Conrad Johnson MF2250 amp into the PS Audio filter and relegated the cd player to the regular power strip. Very suprised what that little change did to improve imaging and noise floor reduction, so I'm optomistic that the contact graphene will convey more of the same. Rest of the system is VPI Prime with Audio Technica Art-9, Supratek Chenin preamp, Revel Performa M22 bookshelfs. Hopefully this will scratch my upgrade itch, was eyeing the Paradigm Persona B which would set me back 7K so 300 is a bargin. I'm drinking the kool aid nellies! |
tommylion ... So now that you know what the four week phenomenon is all about, be prepared for the eight week encore. You’re gonna love it. richmon ... Welcome to the TC Paster’s Club. If you’ve read through the entire thread, you know that there is a history between Total Contact and some of the other contact enhancers. TC is different, a LOT different as you will soon find out. At $300 its a total bargain for what it does to enhance an audio system. Good choice on the cartridge by the way. As you may know, there’s a bunch of us here who use the AT ART-9 ... another bargain if there ever was one. :-) I'd love to try out the ART-1000, but its a little too expensive at this point now that I'm retired and not working any longer. Please, would someone buy one so the rest of us can live vicariously through your reviews and listening experiences? Frank |
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I am pleased to make a announcement regarding longevity of Total Contact. I originally stated I would guarantee at least 6 months. In all the years I have been making contact enhancers, I have never offered a product for sale. I always made up what I needed as I went along. I only started putting it in a syringe after a friend recommended it. I had sent a tube to a friend many years ago, and while recently talking. he mentioned he still had it, and it was still good. He received it from me in early March 2014. He is sending it back to me to analyze. So it looks like 3-4 year shelf life easily. Tim |
audiosens ... Here's the link to order: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8f49a-perfect-path-technologies-total-contact-electrical-contac... Its not "oily." Its more like a smooth paste that brushes on in a thin even coating. Easy to apply, easy to remove ... and does an incredible job of improving the SQ of your audio system. Frank |
Okay, I decided to use the TC on the barrel of the single ended RCA connectors (the ground) on the CD player, SUT and preamp inputs, DO NOT put TC inside holes which Mr. Mrock said NO! to in his instructions. I was really surprised at the result. As usual, the result was improved bass and greater resolution. Just fabulous result for a little dab of TC around the barrel (the instructions didn't mention it). So, now I have about 15+ more pairs of connector barrels to apply TC to (all the connected pre-amp inputs, output, amp input, other equipment outputs, second audio system and video system). |
Over the last several weeks myself and a few others who post here have discussed their experiences with using TC applied to materials and surfaces that are considered "not to be in the electrical conductive path" such as described and experienced by "fleschler". While the evaluation of such applications are somewhat difficult because of the curing cycle of this product...it none the less shows promise as I heard today..I am really excited about what I saw and heard this afternoon..Yea what I saw with my mind's eye. The surfaces I have treated are far away from anything electrical..but of course everything is conductive in some manner. There are many small products that sit on the wall or hang from the ceiling that may provide a benefit to an audio experience but I have never read of any that detail why they really work. I think we are about to understand the why and the how such surface treatment and placement can better describe why different materials and shapes interact and coexist to the benefit of all in the audio community. And probably other places. More to follow...Tom |
HiFiman sez ...
1. No degrees other than over 50 years in the people business. 2. Haven't been had at all. As a result of being a beta tester for the product, it has given me an audio system that is way beyond what I ever imagined it could be. As another bonus, Tim Mrock, the producer of TC has become a friend. How does one put a value on a new friend?? Frank |
@oregonpapa Glad to hear it. If you are satisfied with the sum total of your TC experience then so be it! The folks here who have been using TC do seem quite genuine in their praise for the product. I've tried original Tweek, Quicksilver Gold and Torumat, and did feel after cleaning and treating all of the system connections that I realized a benefit. Lately I've leaned toward clean connections with a very thin application of G100. Everything sounds a little smoother and more highly resolved after doing so. I do hope that some non-Audiogon member reviewer will become aware of Mr. Mrock's creation and perform an independent review. Tricky for most "regular" reviewers because of the 4 and 8 week threshold marks. Probably a review with follow-ups would work. |
theaudiotweak, are you crazy? 🤪 I never copied Peter Belt. He gave me some of his ideas, gave me permission. Some are my original ideas. You have no idea. He helped me with some articles I wrote. That’s about it. The rest of my 30 or so products are my own ideas. Sorry to disappoint you. But you’re funny when you get all riled up. Something’s eating Gilbert Grape. Maybe you should go for a walk. 🏃🏻♂️ |
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If you like Ike Quebec, this is a good one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ike-Quebec-Grant-Gr-Complete-Instrumental-Sessions-New-CD-Sp/142175844029?e... Two disc set featuring Ike on Tenor sax. Grant Green on guitar. Excellent duo with really good sound. This seller has a lot of nice imported CD's. Frank |
Without science we are back in the days of superstition and magick. In other words, lost. Luckily there's usually some kind soul with a homemade map which he'll let you see. For a fee of course. Scientific pioneer or fraud? That's the question we need to ask when confronted with any new 'fantastic' tweak. They mocked Einstein and tested his theories hundreds of times. Almost disproved him a few years ago, but it turned out to be a problem with, pause for laughter, faulty cables. |
While visiting my podiatrist last month I was informed I have a mild case of micro-arching. After reading this thread, regarding Total Contact and that it prevent micro-arching, I purchased a $300 unit. I then “pasted” approximately one half of the container in my $60 tennis shoes. The improvement was nothing short of miraculous. Both my girlfriend and her husband, as well as my mother, immediately noticed the improvement in my step and stride. But that’s only half of the story, after 4 weeks there was another (second) round of improvement. I am now training to be a hurdler in the next Olympic track and field events. I am a little bit nervous regarding the upcoming 8 week improvement, but all I can say is I am having a red suit sewn up with a big golden lightning bolt on the front! Before you Debbie downers and nervous nellies doubt me, you have to try it yourselves. Forget the science and non science behind my claims, I know for myself, having used it in my house, in my shoes. I have recommended it to my friends, who have similar micro-arching problems, and there experience has been similar to my own. |
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Papa if the product is selling well you should get at least some credit. This thread appears to be Total Contact Central. Not much else if anything out there yet. Just this and the agon ads which do not show or tell much and refer people back to this thread. Myself I’m waiting for the certified electron microscope images showing those beautiful single atom lattice sheets that we all know is the form of graphene before I could even start to buy in. But that’s just the naysayer tech geek in me speaking. |
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^^^ jetter ... Its all in the presentation my boy, all in the presentation. ;-) Now then, when are you going to come out of the Caverns of Doubt and buy a tube of TC for yourself? There's still a few tubes left, so a word to the wise ... get while the gettin' is good. Is your system up to the challenge? Do you even have a system? You don't list one. Trust me lad, even your Pioneer receiver will take on a new life after an application of TC to the connections. Frank |
How do you know that ? Too much graphene can drive you to be extra lucid ? Or the name « contact » is a reference to this sf movie with the Great Jodie Foster ? And you are an Alien ? 😃 Yes I bought 2 Bybee ARN a week ago and so happy with sound enhancements I bought two more. Received them this day. Not installed yet. I will receive your TC on Tuesday Will let you know. I think Jack Bybee is kind of a genius. Am I the first french client ? |