It’s 8 weeks today since I treated the connections on the speaker side of my SCs. This means I have finally reached the 8 week mark on all the connections in my system. Sound is amazing. Prior to TC, the only way I would have envisioned myself hearing reproduction like this, is through someone else’s megabuck system, hoping I could afford it some day.
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
Grannyring ... Its great that you’re enjoying the benefits of TC. As tommylion said above, its helping a lot of us, including you and me, to attain heights in our modest systems that can only be achieved by the mega-buck systems. Tim Mrock deserves every bit of success he can garner from his product. Why? .... Because he is helping a whole lot of other people get what THEY want first, which is a much better sounding audio system at a very reasonable cost. With that said, and with all due respect, I’d like to address your post regarding Wolf Garcia: This is a public forum, not unlike a public square. Imagine someone standing on a soapbox spewing untruths, outright lies and making derogatory remarks in order to discourage everyone listening in the public square from doing business with Costco for example. Can you imagine Costco putting up with a person shouting to the rooftops in that public square that Costco sells rotten meat and has their registers set to overcharge its customers? That is slander in its purest form. At the very least, the liar in the public square would receive a cease and desist order from Costco’s attorneys. If that didn’t put a stop to the slander, then a lawsuit would ensue. Truth is one thing, lies are another. Yes, Wolf Garcia is entitled to his personal opinions, but when those opinions are based upon nothing but hot air and lies, and subsequently hurts the bottom line of a business, well, its time to put a stop to it. Why? Because the business is damaged by being financially hurt. I’m sure that Tim Mrock isn’t blowing smoke. I’m also sure he has contacted his attorney to come up with the opinion he posted above. I’m also certain that if Wolf Garcia knows what’s good for his own bottom line, he’d better cease and desist with statements that have no basis in fact. Frank |
Problem is this. I agree with everything you said. However, Tim would be wasting his time and money legally as it common and usual to have skeptics in these hobby forums and no harm is being done legally. Go back and read Wolf’s posts and see it is just like all other skeptic posts here and throughout the net. That simple. His posts are common and usual. I think his posts are in poor taste, but legally he has the right and freedom to be a skeptic in this medium. Tim is not blowing smoke, but he will be blowing money. He would be far better served having his product tested for safety and then acting accordingly based on the independent results. This is the only place Wolf comes near to causing harm. Since this testing has not been done Wolf is fine. The legal standard of proving harm is a hurdle Tim cannot come close to clearing here. |
Other than noting the carcinogenic properties of the graphene in TC, I've simply taken to task the lack of any ethical boundaries regarding the promotion of TC in a discussion forum, and noted that I'm clearly just not interested in the product as it's expensive, carcinogenic, and something I feel I don't need. People who have spent 300 bucks on it state it's "fabulous" using the hyperbole typical of this sort of magic audio panacea, and if others need to believe these claims I simply don't care as my ears are used to the din of micro arcing. So now old Tim is threatening me with libel? Nice try, and I utterly welcome such a claim as any third party looking at this thread would likely be astonished at the hard sell and marketing here that goes far beyond typical audio conversation. Hey, I might look into the licensing, regulation, postal or shipping regulations, and consumer protection laws (after all, it's carcinogenic!) that may apply to selling TC in your state. Could be fun! Keep your personal threats to yourself Tim, as you're only further damaging your own credibility with unhinged and irrelevant comments. |
Geez, guys. You don’t seem to understand how the internet works. You have to learn how to play the game. All y’all are feeding the trolls. Just because someone says it’s carcinogenic doesn’t mean it is. Relax. There is no evidence after many years of Graphene safety research that it’s carcinogenic. That’s why I said it’s the last resort of the dedicated troll to use the cancer ploy. |
What carcinogenic properties are you referring to Wolf? What testing have you done to come to the conclusion that anything about TC is carcinogenic? Surely, you have ordered a tube yourself, taken it to a lab for testing in order to come to your conclusion, no? Please post your lab results.
Again, you sound really sure of your position ... post the lab results. If you can't supply your lab results, then your "opinion" has no relevance here.
Really? You don't care? Well, okay ... if you don't care, other than being an attention whore, why do you continue spewing out your nonsense in this thread? Frank |
Look up graphene and you can see piles of studies and lab results including very disturbing carcinogenic properties...you're welcome. And to be specific regarding "not caring" about the fanboy responses, it was clearly said in the context of my opposition to using a discussion forum for an inappropriate hard sell opportunity led by you, Frank. Tim gets 3 grand for every 10 packs of TC he sells so I imagine he eats...I just hope he washes his hands first. |
The point is anyone can talk out their rear like the liar fear monger stalking this thread. All he has is the BS cancer scare. "Look it up" I did, but let me guess he's not a good enough Doctor for you, RIGHT? Andrew Maynard, Director of the Risk Science Center at the University of Michigan is not entirely convinced that there is an issue. “Donaldson's work certainly demonstrates the potential for graphene flakes to present a health risk if they are able to be inhaled and enter the lungs, or penetrate to the region surrounding the lungs. But that is a big ‘if’,” he told Materials Today. Pharyngeal aspiration delivers particles – or platelets flakes – to the lungs within liquid droplets and the droplets determine where the material is deposited. “This allows early experimentation on what could occur if the material could enter the lungs under handling and use,” Maynard adds. “But it doesn't provide information on the plausibility of exposure occurring.” We do not yet know whether graphene flakes can become airborne and inhaled in a form that is dangerous during use.” Questions concerning health risks – while important – remain speculative,” Maynard says. |
Read my lips. Risks are speculative. “Andrew Maynard, *Director of the Risk Science Center at the University of Michigan* is not entirely convinced that there is an issue. “Donaldson’s work certainly demonstrates the potential for graphene flakes to present a health risk if they are able to be inhaled and enter the lungs, or penetrate to the region surrounding the lungs. But that is a big ‘if’,” he told Materials Today. Pharyngeal aspiration delivers particles – or platelets flakes – to the lungs within liquid droplets and the droplets determine where the material is deposited. “This allows early experimentation on what could occur if the material could enter the lungs under handling and use,” Maynard adds. “But it doesn’t provide information on the plausibility of exposure occurring.” We do not yet know whether graphene flakes can become airborne and inhaled in a form that is dangerous during use.” Questions concerning health risks – while important – remain speculative,” Maynard says.” Case closed. - Your friend and humble scribe |
Wolfie sez ...
Dude, you wouldn’t know a true "hard sell" if it hit you upside the head. A truly skilled salesperson can apply so much "pressure" in a sales situation that blood streams down the walls. As the prospects leave, their final comment to the salesperson is ... "Do you know what we like about doing business with you? ... You are so calm and low pressure. Thanks for helping us make the right decision." I don’t expect you to believe the above Wolfie ... but its coming from someone with 50 years of experience in the selling field. I’ve seen ’em come ... and I’ve seen ’em go. :-) Frank |
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What surprised me was a facebook video of the use of a graphene web filter system for water purification. It is being tested for use in impoverished areas whereby filtering seawater is instantly made into fresh, potable water without using a pressure system such as reverse osmosis. Engineers are thinking that graphene can be used without adverse health effect. Interesting. https://www.nature.com/articles/am2017135 There are many other references one can google too. |
I think Wolf left the forum for a while when other slanderous trolls inhabited it earlier this year. Now he's back and their gone (or just gleefully enjoying him). Who would want to know a person with his attitude? Only others like him might tolerate him. He spews invective against a product he hasn't tried and claims absurd medical "facts" that are blatantly untrue. Yech! |
Hi fleschler, I don’t understand why you need to talk so negatively about Wolf and the "other slanderous trolls", he seems like a experienced and honest person. To judge someone by their view of a material object seems closed minded. I guess another way to look at it is that viewing the TC A’gon sales ad, if I understand it correctly, 56 vials of the product has been sold as of now. Yet there have been over 80,000 views and 2,000 posts on this thread. So it appears that some of the 56 people who bought the product are repeating themselves, and are not really convincing many others to buy the product. The majority of viewers and posters appear to not care enough about micro arching to spend $300 on it, not unlike Wolf. And for the record, I hope Tim and TC continued success, but what you 56 people think about anyone on this forum who is expressing their opinion is not relevant, that is why this forum exists. Just one person's opinion. |
To be clear, I am not saying that if I had a fine, highly resolving system like many here, that I would not hear the difference and love the product. My system is just not resolving enough at this time for me to worry about my connections. I do believe that when Tim recoups his investment and if he can lower the price a bit that sales will dramatically increase. A lower price, even if for a smaller volume of product, has been requested by a number of the posters. |
@jetter Smaller quantity, yes it has been requested several times. It is under serious consideration. As far as your system not being resolving enough, I will share this with you. I have been recently working with a top manufacture, who has been implementing TC into one their top tier pieces of equipment during construction. The manufacturer called me a few weeks ago, and shared as a experiment he went to Best Buy and purchased a $199 Sony receiver. He went through it, mechanical connections, painted cap tops, fuse. I think he said he spent about a hour or so inside. He was very taken back as to the sound. Same type of relaxed organic sound signature that you get with better components. |
All- I am tired of wasting my time reading posts about whether a product can possibly work, or how stupid people are for buying it, or whether it is being advertised, etc. I am very, very interested in reading posts about how to get better sound from my system, usually from someone who has already tried a product, or made a comparison between products. There is a lot of collective experience, knowledge and intelligence here that i value and want to tap into. Right now, both types of posts are intermingled in a given thread. I'm not just talking about this thread, but this phenomena is very common here on Audiogon. I propose that we as Audiogon members separate out the two types of posts into two separate threads, and if a post is off-topic, it is flagged and deleted by the mods. E.g., New Tweak --- Its Fantastic: Discussion on sonic effects and uses New Tweak --- Its Fantastic: Discussion on topics other than sonic effects and uses That way all the voices can speak and be heard, but those of us that have productive things to do to help society, but want to come home at the end of the day and listen to great music reproduced at a high level, don't have to wade through the BS. -jim |
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Being an avid DIY guy modifying all manner of gear and building several tube preamps, amps and such, I can tell readers that TC is just wonderful sounding. I find the result as good or better than spending 5x the amount on upgraded caps like Duelund and Jupiter. It also surpasses other mods I have done including resistor, rectifier, and tube rolling upgrades. The qualitative posts from folks who have not used it are useless for the Audiogon community. Most of us don’t know how it is possible for a paste to improve sound quality so dramatically, but that does not change the fact that is works wonderfully. I have treated my speaker crossovers, internal speaker wiring, all outlets, power conditions, amplifiers, source, cabling and LPSs. The result is stunning. All my recordings sound better. All of them. TC avoids the pitfall of causing your system to only sound great on great recordings. TC manages to help your system play all recordings with greater musicality and improved listener engagement. This is a huge benefit. I find myself playing artists that in the past sounded just awful, but I loved the music. I can now say I enjoy these these recordings in my home and not just in the car! For me this attribute is the real benefit of the product. My system is less fussy now. The Audiophile part of me can relax and just enjoy my recordings with sonic contentment. I have cap rolled, tube rolled, gear rolled, part rolled and tweak swapped for decades. I build and sell cables and spend many hours listening for those fine tonal nuances as I try different wire, dialetrics, and build designs. Through all of this, and as a result of all of this, I can confidently say TC is a music lovers best friend and ally. This product and other innovations that spin off from it will become an indispensable tool in both manufacturing and in our homes. No, the owner of TC did not pay me. Actually, I tried to pass along some advice and he seemed a tad agitated with my sage advice😕 |
tlong1958 sez ... Of those who have bought it, a number of them have shared their TC with friends, so the number of people using it exceeds the 56. I know that I've shared mine with two other friends so far. As of this date, I haven't heard anyone complaining ... except of course those who haven't used it, haven't seen it and haven't heard the results. If you haven't a clue, then why make the post? Frank |
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Grannyring, Even as consevative as I have been in the application of TC, it is quite stunning that the amount of sonic gains that can be achieved with such a minimal investment. My biggest gain in SQ has been in my digital front ends. I never thought that I could sit through an entire cd or my computer based office system and listen to two or three songs without getting tired of it. I have been a vinyl lover for about forty years, but after upgrades to interconnects, power distribution and the TC application, I now enjoy digital as much as my vinyl front end. I did not ever think that could ever happen. I just wanted it to be more bearable. Now after these upgrades I am so impressed with the removal of the digital glare from my system, that I am seriously looking at a reasonably priced server and dac. keep on listening, rc |
Well Frank, the reason I make the post is because that’s what the forum is for. You’re putting your thoughts here, and I’m telling you what I think. Maybe you only want people to post that agree with you that TC is really fantastic. If you don’t buy into the TC cult, go away because you don’t have a clue about our goo. Maybe if the hype wasn’t so over the top... ok I’ll go away post-wise. But I’ll keep watching cause you guys are really funny |
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Using a forum as your "telemarketing outlet" is sleazy and wrong, and that's my main beef. As to Fleshler's odd comment, I've never left the forum for any particular reason except maybe for an internet free vacation. Note again that if you think about what connections in an audio component pile are doing, and if the signal is getting through to you somehow due to gold connectors or any other reliable plugs or spades or whatever, you likely don't need to enrich some paranoid and tasteless stranger by spending 300 bucks on this stuff. Micro arcing is something that nobody should worry about, and outside of this thread I doubt anybody does...the hyperbole oversells this product for obvious reasons, the salesmen who rave about it are clearly thin skinned and paranoid about the possibility the money stream could be slowed somehow, and deeply concerned that perhaps some individuals could criticize their motives and "fabulous" reporting, and on it goes. I don't care if personal attacks are aimed at me as I can take it, but if TC is ever to be taken seriously I suggest Tim Mrock simply man up and do real marketing instead of relying on fanboys and magic tweak addicts...and let the forums be for discussion. |
If the posts “seem over the top”, then perhaps the product is that good. It just may be that simple. It seems easier for some to attack the posters suggesting we, me included, are not credible, trustworthy, suspicious and not worthy in their minds. Fascinating behavior really. I am only here to help others enjoy great sound by sharing my knowledge and first hand experiences. I hope to also learn from others. I thought that was the main reason for this community? It is illogical to claim a product cannot be that good or hyped when the person saying so has never experienced it first hand. Right? This is common sense is it not?! I know folks are just trolling, but this site has evolved to a sad place. Early adopters who shared about great new products used to be thanked and then post experience comments and questions filled the thread. Today an early adopter shares and then is basically told directly and indirectly they are liars, paid cronies or just silly and stupid. In this case near universal praise has been shared by actual users and the more positive reviews that come in the more the trollers attack the judgement and character of the posters. Strange behavior indeed. Perverse in the sense that this attitude tears apart the very fabric this community was built on. There can be no real community with all the attacking of good natured early adopters simply sharing. I know several folks who won’t share their positive experiences here because they feel it is not a friendly and safe place to do so any longer. They have opted out. Just the thicker skinned remain. |
Finally got around to treating all my terminals and interconnects with Kontak cleaner and then cardas contact conditioner. Very happy with the results. All the usually improvements for $60 and 30 minutes of my time. Also noticed that had to turn down gain of amp for same previous volume. Have you TC users noticed that too? Looking forward to trying TC someday. |
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Ok I am sorry in your case. Troll like behavior is more accurate for your surprising post. Some other posters were from the T word however. No, not Wolf either. Just some newbee posters here looking to derail and agitate. I did not say it was perfect, simply one of the very best additions in our imperfect and flawed systems. You can speculate as to the degree of its sound quality improvement powers, but in the end you simply cannot know until you try. When you do I would love to read your humor infused review. As for your statement “When the praise turns into nonsense, someone has to say enough.” Again, how can you possibly judge what is nonsense from truth or anything in between without actual experience with it over the long run? I have used it in several systems and in many different pieces of gear. I have listened over time and invested real time and effort to know for myself. |