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.
I understood extremely clearly - TC is amazing and nothing beats it not even an electronics upgrade! This is the wonder product of the millennium - and only $300 for a huge quantity! What a bargain. The fact that it only works fully after exactly 8 weeks to the day just proves how amazing TC is.
Frankly, the absurd marketing claims are back firing heavily. And the more extreme testimonials that your promoters add, the more dubious everyone is becoming.
The rest of the two systems consist of power cords, three prong and the units IECs prongs, the insides of IEC plugs and speakers terminals and wires. The result was multiplied from just treated the ICs 3 weeks ago. The sound is more focused, 3D sounding in width and depth, more dynamic in both micro/macro dimensions and superior bass. That’s the immediate change. It was thrilling to hear both micro changes in quiet music playing against loud, simultaneously loud music. Music sounds more like a live performance as opposed to canned music/sound. My wife and I listened for 2 hours this evening to 70s rock cd collections on the secondary music system which previously sounded less than enjoyable (probably not from original sources). The change in sound was so profound that the music had a live performance quality like never before. Then, I spent the rest of the evening listening to LPs in my main listening room. The dynamics on LA 4 jazz combo LPs was immense, as the best LPs can do to equal uncompressed CDs. I am very happy. When I purchase TC next week, I will do my secondary equipment (PC on cassette, VPI 19 78 rpm TT, masterlink alessis CD mastering piece, VPI TNT/VPI speed controller) and 2 video systems with all of their PCs and ICs. For $300 to be able to improve multiple audio video equipment systems so much, I think TC is a bargain. I will be treating a cable manufacturers own system. I bet he will recommend it to all his customers. He already recommends upgraded fuses and circuit breakers where possible after experiencing the improvements in my system.
We spent the afternoon at Steve Fleischer’s home pasting his two systems with Total Contact and listening to music. We’re waiting for Steve’s comments.
I have no CD collection any longer. When I saw the end in sight, I ripped everything to MP3 (I had never even heard of FLAC way back then) and then sold them off to the used CD store, while it was still open. Maybe I had a vision, but when Napster was a hot ticket, I realized the music industry was about to make a shift in its way of delivering music. My CD collection was not that extensive--maybe 100 discs or so. When I figured out FLAC and had a public library card, the majority of my digital library was gained 10 CDs at a time (The limit I could borrow from the library) Hence, on the Cheap. My street cred as 'being cheap' got a solid broadside when an audiophile friend gave me a pair of Nordost Valhalla Reference speaker ribbons. The total value of the Computer Audiophile on the Cheap system went from several hundred dollars to $4,000 plus a few Hundred dollars. Such problems to have...
I have to tell you, this little Kenwood CD player is pretty amazing. It lacks low bass, but the mids and highs are really good. Right there with some of the best I've heard, including my temporarily defunct ARC player. All I did to the Kenwood was to paste the PC and IC's with Total Contact, put some good footers under it, and a VPI brick on top. Another "cheap" player to consider is the old "Sharp." Similar in sound to the Kenwood, and maybe even a little better. Usually available on Ebay for under 100 bucks. These old CD players can be problematic, but when working right, can be pretty amazing too.
Today, Robert and I are going down to Steve Fleischer's house to finish pasting his system. We still have all of his PC's and speaker cables to do. So ... more smiles for Steve. :-)
Your comprehension is both arbitrarily selective and defective. Like the poor rendition of a so called news channel editing material that only suits their blind side beliefs. Good job at describing who and where you are. Blind in a tunnel. Tom
“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.”
8 weeks before it works fully? Sure and I was born yesterday. A $300 Audioscam is what this TC thing is.
I had Robert over for pizza and a listening session last night. We had a blast listening to Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman recordings. Robert’s constant comments: "I knew these recordings were good, but not THAT good!" Yep, the system continues to improve with each listening session. Like Tom’s post above, I hadn’t listened to the system for a couple of days and yet the improvement was definitely there. The latest Total Contact treatment is still maturing with the sound improving as it does ... leaving me and Robert wondering just how much better will the system get.
For those of you who have not discovered Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman recordings, here’s what you’re looking for:
Both mono and stereo versions are good. One CD we listened to had the first 13 cuts in mono. It was fantastic. If you like Tropical/Exotic/ Polynesian music from the 50’s & 60’s with all of the drums, gongs, rattles, voices and great sound, give them a try. The entry price certainly is right.
Here is my first experience with the application of Total Contact to solder joints.
Waiting out the storm that never really occurred I decided to treat my Altmann hybrid dac and its add on 12 chip tower. Inspecting the board connections and their close proximity I had to choose the joints that had safe and easy access. Those joints were the input filter caps as well as the output caps all the naked Vishay resistors I could reach short 2 inch jumpers between each board and the zenors in the power supply and finally the dc input pins from the battery and cap box.I used a fine tip artist brush but mostly a toothpick to place and spread the Total Contact on these tightly placed solder points. I checked my work with my phone magnifier tool and light to see if there was any bleed over between joints. Application of this solution was safe because it stays on the tool and there is no drips or spills across terminals. I probably treated 20 joints total.
I turned the dac on first by itself hoping for no bombs bursting in air..there were none. From there I powered the rest of the system on which had been off for 2 days. Before I could get to my chair 9 feet away I knew something was for the better. The system sounded as if it had been on and playing for hours and not off for 48 hours or more. The dac especially, always sounded best after it had signal running thru it not just on at idle. Out of the gate it had that 2 hour window of sound now even more transparent than ever before.
The first cd that was at hand was Beggars Banquet..always liked the Stones music but the recordings always sounded like they were congealed and grungy. Sympathy for the Devil now had transparency and a grunge free see thru window. The sound stage on my system has always been big and wide and now even more so. The stage left and right of each speaker was that of the room width 21 feet. The sound from each speaker extended down each side wall towards the back of the room about 4 feet in length on either side. These instruments and characters were more than just the normal phase components mixed on many recordings. Never before was it so apparent on this disc that the background vocals on the right side being a distinct group of multiple figures standing in a separate space when recorded..This disc has an excellent mix now not what I ever heard or saw before. With this experience I will continue to remove covers and plates on all my components expecting full well a continued increase of transparency a reduction of grunge and the addition of flesh and bones to the musical experience. What I just described was nearly immediate and not over days or weeks..pretty darn cool. Tom
Also, deep, the fact is that all 16 of your posts since joining A'gon are defending this product from us naysayers. Do you have a financial or other interest in it, or just really jazzed by graphene?
Hey deep, the fact that you are putting your vastly superior intellectual abilities to use discussing the merits of "sparky tonic" kind of indicates that maybe you are taking this all a little too seriously. There are plenty of us who use our writing and reasoning skills in real jobs and don’t have the need to research and write long winded dossiers about tweaks in our time off. But, I will look forward to reading your well thought out, grammatically correct review of this product after you purchase it and wait the required two months for it to activate and start working.
”On the 8th week to the day, phone rang and Frank was a very happy camper. The 8th week must be experienced, no amount of words can convey what takes place.”
And on the 9th week he saw it was good and rested well satisfied with his work.
”On the 8th week to the day, phone rang and Frank was a very happy camper. The 8th week must be experienced, no amount of words can convey what takes place.”
No amount of words? Not even the compete works of William Shakespeare? 😛
Randy-11 [
but he said micro-arching, not micro-arcing
maybe he likes keystones]
So your response in the face of the the linked articles and ongoing discussion is to pick holes in a spelling mistake? Can you actually contribute anything of any value to this thread?
[The claims for this pseudo-product have reached such a high level of lunacy that, though it keeps me chuckling, I’ve just run out of interest. And I just don’t need the extra 20 emails a day.
Most here will not be unhappy to see me go...also, unlike a few here, I just have other interests in life beyond Audiogon.
Adios compadres!! ]
What "new level of lunacy"? The one where I presented evidence of the science behind Graphene? Scurry off now!
[
Does it cure warts? ] No, you're on your own with that one.
[Does it unblock drains?] No, use Draino.
[What about Erudite Disfunction?] That's a potentially embarrassing ailment and you should consult a medical specialist rather than seeking help of an audio forum.
[Surely this magic substance does so much more? How many weeks to cure cancer?] No, it can't - but I don't remember that claim being made on this thread.
I actually don’t feel the same way. I welcome dissenters, whether they’re sincere or not. After all sometimes you can’t tell the trolls from the shills without a scorecard. Or the real skeptics from the pseudo skeptics. And sometimes, there’s a very thin line between science and pseudo science, between physics and metaphysics.
The claims for this pseudo-product have reached such a high level of lunacy that, though it keeps me chuckling, I’ve just run out of interest. And I just don't need the extra 20 emails a day.
Most here will not be unhappy to see me go...also, unlike a few here, I just have other interests in life beyond Audiogon.
The quotidian fluctuations in power delivered at the wall far outweigh and swamp any power fluctuations resulting from micro-arcing in audio system electrical connections. if indeed there any, which I actually think there probably aren’t. Besides audio electronics are designed to account for fluctuations in power. So, cut me some slack, Jack!
<"Total Contact." Its a hi-bred graphene contact enhancer that is different from all other contact enhancers
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.
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.
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.
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.>
All good stuff so far but then comes..
<A 1.5mil tube with applicator brush and DVD will retail for $299.99. Buy it ... like the SR Blue fuses, its a real winner.>
For a product which has no science behind it whatsoever? And even less consumer protection? What are we dealing with apart from a bunch of empty slogans that could have been taken out of any marketing handbook.
Actually,when Frank hit the 4th week he called me right up very excited. At that point there was no way it could improve anymore he felt. I assured him that as good as the 4th week was, it was a taste of what was coming.
8th week to the day, phone rang and Frank was a very happy camper. The 8th week must be experienced, no amount of words can convey what takes place.
@geoffkait Nobody ever said micro arcing results in a loss of power. Nor does it.
Actually it does. easily measured with a lithium battery, a ESC, and a brush less in runner or out runner motor. However that pertains to a different hobby.
>>>>>>Huh? What? That’s NOT the basic assumption at all! That is actually a perfect example of a Strawman argument - ranting about a false assumption, or a made up assumption. Nobody ever said micro arcing results in a loss of power. Nor does it. What micro arcing does result in is noise and distortion.
Oh right, when the power or signal passes from one connection to another it makes little sparks and sparky noises that you can hear (either at the connection or through speakers). I can see how cleaning a dirty connection could improve things, but it takes a true tweaker to buy and swallow sparky medicine.
@theaudiotweak I look forward to hearing the results of that. It will be interesting to find out if you hear a difference right away or if it takes the aforementioned eight weeks to realize TC's total impact?
With the winter storm coming thru I will take this time to treat my dac including pins and solder connections. Will get back and post to this thread. Tom
tommylion It is common knowledge that the RCA is not an especially well designed connector, but it is the standard that designers are stuck with, if they want to be compatible with other equipment.
>>>>While that might be true, there are many other electrical contacts that are not RCA. To whit, fuses, audio power cord plug into wall outlet, EIC connector, refrigerator and other appliance power cords, light bulbs, ribbon cable connectors - I dare anybody!😀 - circuit breakers, headphone connections, tube pins, batteries, TV connection to power cord. Did I miss any?
pop quiz: Has anyone tried painting solder connections in electronics with the Graphene stuff, you know, just for grins? 😛
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