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.
^^^ Thank you, ronrags. Your support is very much appreciated. Conveying my enthusiasm is exactly what I did.
Yes, for the most part, these are the same guys who tried to crap all over the original Red fuse thread, then the Black fuse thread ... and then the Blue fuse thread.
They seemed to have missed my positive reviews of the ARC Ref 75-SE, the Hebie’s tube dampeners and the Audio Technica ART-9 cartridges. Actually, as i think about it, they attacked Audio Research, the company, over and over in the REF-75-SE review. Same Negative Nellies, give or take a few.
OK. It's been pretty close to exactly four weeks since I applied the magic stuff. I pasted approximately 100 connections. And before you go "no way..." there are 30 connections included in just my two main front speakers. I built them from a GR Research kit, so I know it. Oh and Oregon? My main amp is the 75 SE. How in the world can anyone say anything negative about it? It is superlative. Amazing. Also have the Herbie's Super Black Hole and Big Sliders under the speakers. Anyway, my system is sounding better than it ever has. It just keeps blooming as the magic stuff cures, and I wanted to wait the four weeks before I wrote anything.
However, back on February 12th, immediately after I initially pasted and listened, I sent Tim the following : "Hi Tim. I spent several hours applying the secret sauce to approximately 100 connections, and that's not counting, for instance, the four separate connection points in a Speakon connector as more than one. So I have a few. I think I'd best describe changes as subtle at this point. Not a huge smack in the face. Which is just fine with me, 'cause I already really like how my system sounds. Greater or lesser degrees of: lower, blacker noise floor, more presence to low frequencies, more depth and width to the sonic image, coming further to the sides of the speakers than before. The highs seem smoother and my missus said she could hear more highs that were buried before (her ears may be a bit better than mine...). It seems as though some vocals are easier to understand. Seems like it took the edge off of some female voices that could occasionally be a tiny bit grating. What the missus (Cindy) and I also agree on is that it in no way diminishes the sound. No dulling, losses, or smearing. So if it only gets better, and it's a linear process, then I say: yayy!"
And Yayyyyyyyy it is boys and girls. The soundstage has continued to solidify and spread at the same time. And the "seems" statements that I sent to Tim definitely "are".
One thing that no one has mentioned that I have found is that it makes the connections more electrically efficient on top of everything else. What do I mean? Well, my speakers are stupid efficient. 97 dB. Which means I should by running about 6 watts, not the 75 that the AR puts out. So every change is easy to pick out. Which can really suck if I make a bad choice. I've seen the meters on the 75 SE hit 15 watts on stupid loud Tool or Sevendust, but they barely move at normal listening levels, like now, with Tori Amos and her piano. She is solid, and the piano is THERE. Really awesome. But my volume shows 9 o'clock where before I used to listen to the same stuff at 1030 or 1100. Anyone else notice this? I tried attenuators to get further into the volume, but they killed dynamics.
Tim and I sent each other photos of our respective systems. Let me tell you: he is serious about his setup. Very. I'm lucky that I have a lady that allows the speakers well into the living room without complaint. She is awesome as well.
The only connections I didn't paste were the tubes in my AR pre-amp and the 75 SE. I figured I'd be okay with the benefits of the other connections, and opening the nearly $20K in amps to paste the pins scared the hell out of me.
OK, back to the music. Vienna Teng is filling my soul.
Oh, this is the best 300 bucks I've spent on anything. Ever.
Going on 4 weeks. I think it is hard if you have high end components to hear major differences. I have said that about fuses and now TC. I ordered a custom set of Sonus Faber Amati Tradition speakers about 3 months ago. The dealer gave me a brand new pair to listen to while my speakers were being built. I had treated all of my plugs and RCA cables. I am not sure I really heard an upgrade in quality. The borrowed speakers were broken in and sounded great. My new speakers came in and I hooked up the system. It sounded lifeless...meaning they were not broken in yet. I was bummed. I had not treated the speaker cables yet. I treated the bare wire and the spade. As soon as I turned it back on my speakers came to life. So, despite my reservations, I did hear an improvement and I suspect it will get a lot better once the speakers break in a little. I have also treated all of the components of my theater room including my Epsom 10500 projector and 75 inch TV. I can honestly say I have not experienced an improvement in picture quality. I was hoping to see a change. I have not treated the tubes of my Raven integrated amp. I did treat the Blue fuse and Power cord. I just am not comfortable doing the tubes. Finally, I called Tom on a Sunday Afternoon and he spent a lot of time with me teaching my how to apply and what I could use it on. I was impressed that he took the time. Was it worth the $300. Yes. I just spent 5 figures on a new media server and I know I won't realize the kind of upgrade in performance of my two channel system as I did with TC for $300.
When I received my REF-75-SE, replacing an older REF-75, I really was enthusiastic. After changing out the KT-120's on the REF-75 for a set of KT-150's, I stated that I had never heard such a grain-less amp ... until I took delivery of the SE version. I was so enthusiastic that the A'gon naysayers were calling me a "shill" for Audio Research. Then, I was "a shill" for Synergistic Research. Then I became "a shill" for Total Contact. All I can say is that there are a lot of shill detectors who visit this site. :-)
willgolf ...
I pasted the contacts on my 73" Mitsubishi rear projection
TV as well, including the male plugs on the "lamp." I experienced improvements that included blacker blacks, a brighter picture and better colors. In order to get these improvements, I had to go into "settings" and re calibrate most of the settings. Don't know if you've done that or not, but its worth a try.
ultimatezap, willgolf ... and others who have invested in TC: On the 4 week breakthrough ... I'm smiling because I know what comes at eight weeks and I can hardly wait for your reactions to that.
I totally agree with you concerning the increased volume after applying TC. The volume setting on my PL integrated amp is lower than usual plus I had to re-adjust the volume setting on my sub since it became too over powering.
I must also add that I can now listen at a lower volume and still hear the finer detail and dynamics of the music. I now enjoy listening without having to increase the volume.
BTW- I applied TC to the tube pins without any consequences. Just apply to about 1/3 and you should be fine.
And Oregon: I try not to think too much about the criticism of others, but it's difficult at times.
AR really took care of me on the amp. I had an HD220 that went kaput and they couldn't fix anymore. They gave me full credit for what I'd paid towards the 75SE. They sure didn't have to, as it was four or five years old. I'll always have their equipment.
Yesterday I applied the TC to only the tube pins in my hybrid modded Bada Purer 3.3 integrated amp and WOW!! I recently purchased an older modded version of my Bada Purer 3.3se. This amp replaced expensive separates so I know that it is an overachiever. When I saw the modded one up for sale I had to try it. Well to make a long story short after one weeks time I felt the recently acquired one, older modded one, was sweeter but just didn't have the bass or portray the density or weight of the instruments like my present amp and I was disssppointed. After listening one day later after applying the TC to the tube pins, two 6922's, the increase in performance of the amp was startling. Bass is about equally powerful but more refined in comoarison to my old amp but now tonal density and layering of instruments is well beyond my old amp as well as soundstage depth and especially depth. Imaging is also wonderful now. I had good luck putting Quicksilver Gold on the pins of the 12au7 tubes of Bada Purer 3.3se so I new that this could help bridge the bass gap between the two amps. However the extant of the change was pretty shocking! Already psid for itself! Thanks Oregonpapa now I will buy a couple of new SR Blue fuses for my modded amp. This new TC is really easy to apply and has such a nice homogenous consistency to it. I can't wait to apply to some other connections next weekend!
I just spent over $6000 on SR products, 2-10 packs of HFTs, 2 packs of speaker HFT/2.0/X kits, a Blackbox and an Atmosphere XL4. After an agonizing 2 weeks placing the HFTs 90% in the recommended positions and 3 which drove me nuts to find out how to balance the room, I was finally able to add the Blackbox and Atmosphere to the mix and achieve the soundstage, dynamics, tonal warmth and detail that I wanted.
However, prior to adding the SR products, I spent $300 for TC and applied it to nearly all contacts in my main listening room system. The TC brought out detail, bass and soundstage that I lacked in that room but not in my living room. Now that I have incorporated the SR equipment, there is no need to experiment and see what would happen without TC. I’m satisfied with the end result.
My friend who is an audio engineer told me that it was the TC that was messing up my sound. Well, now that I finally got the SR tweaks to work correctly (the Blackbox is 5’ from the front wall, not along the walls as in the instructions and the Atmosphere is behind me on the back wall, not in front of my speakers which does provide the most profound differences but blocks the soundstage in my room), I think he is wrong. The proof is in the pudding. His system is a small, 8' high room with acoustic tiles with a 2 way mini-monitor speakers with 4" woofers (they go down to 20 Hz but don't slam you with bass) with the same equipment/wiring as mine. Sure he has a fantastic sounding system but a grand piano doesn't sound as big in his room as in my room. My speakers are 4 way with 7 drivers and 6-12" woofers. Really tough to adjust that type of speaker to my larger room
As for the SR tweaks, Dave at Weinhart Design said these tweaks and tuning each individual room is an art, not a science. It takes a great deal of commitment to work on achieving the right balance. I kept experimenting until I got the tweaks to work. My music room has problems which needed solving (slap echo, wide front wall windows mid-wall height, large cathedral ceiling).
I highly recommend trying the TC. If you are lacking in bass, soundstage and resolution, it appears to cure the ailment.
I also want to give my sincerest thanks to Frank for his introduction to tweaks which enable me reach this high level of audio reproduction. Spending $7500 in the past two years on SR, TC, Mapleshade products is a lot less expensive than trying to upgrade my speakers. I thought the speakers were holding my system back because they are older engineering at 25+ years. They were not the problem. The room and micro-vibrations were the problem, just like I treated the electronics with stillpoints back four years ago.
And you are a troll. I only inform readers concerning products I purchase and use in my audio system. You have many negative posts which do not relate to trying the products, just being personally negative towards posters like me. I am wealthy and I have no need or desire to post unless I feel it is informative to readers. I am obsessive concerning music, not equipment as I want the simplist audio system with only a volume and selctor control. Now I have added the IPad. I sit for hours at night listening and reading. I share my music collection with friends and colleagues That's my great enjoyment. What does a troll do for fun? He writes nasty personal diatribes against people and products on audio sites.
Most people are not so wealthy and will have to discriminate to a greater degree whether or not to throw hundreds or thousands of dollars at "esoteric" tweaks.
For a balanced perspective, they will have to look elsewhere. Too bad!
I don't know which troll you were referring to as a few posts were removed but I enjoyed reading your reviews and experiences with regards to TC as well as SR products, as I do have the HFT's and Black fuses in my system.
I especially like the part where you said you were wealthy, :) that sounded so refreshing. I look forward to reading whatever tweaks guys like you and Frank discover and share from time to time.
As for me, I am loving my simple system everyday and how TC has taken it to new heights.
I don't want to put words in fleschler's mouth, but it sounds like he's saying that TC, at $300, made a difference comparable with spending $7500 elsewhere?
Most people in this hobby can find, or save up, $300 within their budget.
Well, thank you fazee and tommylion. It was Shadorne who called me a shill and/or fanboy. I am not a billionaire but am actively operating several businesses/investments and have the cash to buy Magico's (which I dislike upon hearing them maybe 15 rooms in four years of the LA Audio show). I don't like to swap equipment. Most of my gear/electronics/analog/digital are 12+ years old with the oldest being my 1989 purchase of the SME IV tonearm. There are bargains for middle income people to hear great sound at reasonable cost of used gear such as EAR Acute CD players. The EAR sounds like analog with NOS tubes and a high end power cord ($450 from http://www.groverhuffman.com/empress-1 whose cables I do plug on forum sites as they are superior for the price).
TC did not cure my room acoustic problems that SR passive devices did. It is tremendously cost effective for what it does do, electronically.
Steve is being modest about his systems. Yes, that’s plural. He has two really fine audio systems plus his TV system. I haven’t watched his TV, but both sound systems sound fantastic to my ears. Its Steve’s music collection that I covet. Its fantastic too. The very last person who should be called a "shill" or a "fanboy" would be Steve.
I always enjoy my visits at Steve’s home. And by the way, if anyone is considering swapping equipment, I’d give Grover Huffmann a call. His amps, line stages, cables and CD players are "killers." He has mods for the Dynaco ST-70 that are to die for if you have efficient enough speakers that like 35 wpc.
I’ve heard Steve’s ST-70 in his living room system a number of times and can vouch for the fact that Grover has turned it into magic.
Its ideal for the Legacy Signature III’s (94db) which Steve has in his living room system. I use the same speakers for my main system. They play WAY beyond their price point, with the tonality of the Harbeth 40.2’s, except the Legacy’s get deeper bass.
I had Grover build me a CD player. He uses a Pioneer Elite DVD player as the basic unit, then upgrades the caps and beefs up the power supply. How good is it? It is replacing my ARC CD-7se that has to go in for repairs. How good is Grover’s player vs the ARC? Well the ARC retailed for $10,000. Grover’s CD player is actually more enjoyable to listen to because it has better bass and highs. The mids are right there too. The only drawback between the Pioneer and the ARC is that the ARC is a tube unit, so with the Pioneer, you'd be lacking the last vestige of the 3-D artifacts that tubes provide. The trick is to find a good working, reliable Pioneer Elite DVD player. You’d be looking for a Pioneer DV-05 like this one:
Morning fellow Agoners. Frank, thank you for this thread. After treating driver connections inside the speaker cab, speaker cables, power cables and assorted other places I am left with my jaw on the proverbial floor. Frank has not exaggerated his claims of this product based on my system’s net result. In my system it took a couple of days for things to settle in.
Right now the improvement is across the board. Here is a recap of what I hear for improvement ..... not change... but improvement.
- more powerful and full mid and deep bass. So much so I feel I no longer need to consider a sub - improved body, weight and bloom to the music - improved dynamics - improved resolution - far taller, wider, and filled in stage - greater scale and ease - smoother upper mids and highs - stage depth is also improved - reach out and touch you realness that is so gratifying
One word seems to sum it up best. This same word was used on this thread by another poster. Bloom. Glorious bloom. The music unfolds with improved beauty and bloom.
This is certainly a game changing tweak that should be tried by any open minded Audiophile. My Living Voice speakers sound about twice as large as they did prior to the TC tweak.
Well done Tim! Now you need to sell a half or third size so more would in fact buy it. A half size is more than what 99% of audiophiles would ever, ever need. This paste goes a long way.
I want to publicly thank @ronrags for letting me use some of his TC stash to learn first hand about this wonderful music making tweak.
@antiwolfe. Thanks to you for turning me onto TC also!
I am now ordering more to finish out my system and split with three other Agon Audiophiles. Great community. This is what the Audiogon community is all about at its best. Thanks again Ron!
You're description is right on. There is no way I would want to go back to pre-TC days with my system. Well, maybe I would give it up for a couple of days so I could get some sleep. :-)
Guys, I always hesitate joining such discussion as my experience with TClargely parralel those of Tom, but I know virtually no one has most of my equipment. My amp, line stage, and phono stage are all of Roger Paul's innovation at his North American H-Cat shop, my speakers from BMC, my grounding unit from Tripoint that is very labor intentsive and expensive, and my ICs, PCs, and speaker wires from High Fidelity Cables, in the Tripoint's Troy grounding unit, and in a Avari DAC, a DSD music server runnind Synalyst software, and finally a Ikeda Kai cartridge on their 407 Long arm and a Nantais/Lexon tt.
I have an essential tremor in my right hand and am right handed so I have been hoping it would go away to allow me to paint the signal cables and PC spades.
I have heard high end and bass end improvements with my treated speaker cables, but nothing with my treated grounding connection of the Tripoint grounding unit.
When I treated my system, I delayed doing my digital cable because I was nervous about painting XLR pins. When I finally got up the courage a couple weeks later, I realized it was no big deal, and felt silly 🙄 I believe tube pins will be the final frontier for me. I definitely want to treat them, but I've got over a grand invested in 6 tubes 😱
Anyways, my DC is behind the rest, and passed the 4 week mark a couple days ago. Another nice bump up in TC goodness. What stood out to me was how the overall presentation got even more relaxed and airy.
My system will be passing the 8 week mark (except for that pesky DC) next week, and I am really looking forward to it. Not changing anything in it for this many weeks feels like a real accomplishment 😉
It’s a fine bunch of nervous Nellies we have here. I painted the pins of my Audioquest Carbon HDMI Cable a few weeks ago. I used the brush. No problem. Faint heart ne’er won fair maiden. 💃🏻
I used to cut up Stillpoints ERS paper and wrap around some power cables using electrical tape. I had heard that these cables were unshielded. It did seem to make a difference but it was ughly. I also still use copper plumber sleaves over the plugs on my power cords as I heard this is an area that was supposed to be unshielded on power cables.
Frank was kind enough to invite me back to his house for a brief listening session; its been a while since my last visit, and as has been described, Frank has been busy pasting everything in his rig. When I first sat in his listening chair, and enjoyed the sweet spot, I heard the best bass and deepest sound stage that his system has ever produced. The changes and improvements were not subtle. I am a believer, and all the tips that Frank has been kind enough to share regarding technique and patience are spot on. I will get some TC and now start pasting my power cords, fuses, and HDMI cables, which have not yet been treated. Thanks, Frank...from a believer. Bob P
Once again Bob, you are more than welcome. I'd like you to come back for another listen. "Things" are breaking in nicely here. As a result the transparency is better than what you heard last. I mistakenly had the line stage set on "mono" the whole time you were here. I discovered it after you left ... Once switched off and turned on to the stereo mode, things really opened up. Sound stage galore!
Eight weeks on my CD player and power chords on my main system and tommylion has it right on. Even coming off a left ear infection where I can not fully hear out of that ear, it is highly noticeable. I have been able to turn down the volume and still get the detail.
As I get my full hearing back I will be more specific.
I don’t wish to be rude but are you guys saying you’ve done nothing to your systems in all that time except wait around for the contact enhancer to cure? Most of us audiophiles are trying something every single day. Maybe two things in one day. 😃 There’s not nearly enough time in the universe.
Did you guys remember to paste the outside of the grounds on all of your female ends of your RCA jacks? How about pasting the ENTIRE binding posts on your speakers? Lower noise floor happens when you do. :-)
Do you paste all of 3 prongs of the power cable ? All the way from tip to the base or is it better to paste just half of the length and let it paste itself when plug it in?
I hope red pill doesn't cause diarrhea. My matrix...my reality. Maybe, I should have taken blue pill.
Paste all three prongs on AC plugs. Directions say 3/4 of the way down, and that works for me. I did the grounds on my male RCA plugs, but not the female chassis ones. Probably need to break everything down and do/redo all the connections at some point.
Seems there's always more you can do, but I'm pretty darn happy with what I've done so far.
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