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 hope the following comments are written in such a manner as to not violate any of the moderator’s rules here and not ruffle anyone’s feathers.
As many of you have read, I mentioned that I was going to order Mad Scientist’s Graphene Contact Enhancer. I have done so. I am not ready to spend $300 dollars on a product that is yet untested by fellow audiophiles or marketplace. I am willing to spend $25 dollars plus postage on a graphene enhancer product that is risk-free.
OP responded by quoting two "old adages" #1- "a sucker is born every minute"
#2-"you get what you pay for"
RE: Adage #1: I think it’s perfectly clear what OP was implying in reference to my purchase of Mad Scientist’s product. I think for OP to gloss over it is, at best disingenuous.
RE: Adage #2: I think most of us clearly know that this is not always the case.
If Mr. Mrock’s product is indeed many times better than Mad Scientist’s, or the other graphene contact enhancer(s) , I think that OP would agree that the marketplace will be the judge. I have no desire to diminish Mr. Mrock’s product. If it succeeds then I say bravo! I may try it myself someday. I have no desire to destroy the free marketplace or anything else.
But as far as sales techniques are concerned, after having been an advertising photographer for over 4 decades, I think I know a bit about that, and respectfully suggest that OP leave well enough alone.
In closing, I’d like to say that many of the Audiogon forums have been a source of information and help for me- especially when I first ventured into streaming digital files. I’ve learned a lot here and expect to learn more in the future. Again- that’s the primary reason I book marked this thread in the first place.
Oh, Frank! If I can "destroy" a product by making counter-comments about it on this little micro-forum, then it must not be much of a product to begin with.
Surely the manufacturer didn't spend 15 years of R&D on this stuff and then believe that this Audiogon forum, this little one, would be his only marketing platform? Tell me, if he really believes this product has merit, that his business focus is not that narrow and naive.
Just wanted to clarify today Is the 9th and as I stated no release. I am pleased to report I feel very confident as of this afternoon, I will be releasing as stated Monday morning January 15th.
What are we supposed to do with comments like dynquest4 just made? I know that conventional wisdom would be to just ignore him, but what has to be taken into consideration here is his attempt to destroy a product before it even hits the market. That may not be his intent, he may just be trying to be funny, but the financial destruction of a businessman is the possible result. Should he be countered? What would we do with a common arsonist? They burn down the achievements of others for some kind of weird sexual gratification, right? I have to wonder what dynaquest4's motivation is ...
Bet nobody Googled how to make Graphene in your basement. Can’t get much cheaper than that. Also bet none of the naysayers would try to make Graphene even if they could. Even if it was free. They’d rather fight than switch. 🥊 I’ve seen this movie before.
@ ps: Holy Moly! 30 times as much for 1/6th the cost!!
Perhaps the Audiogon Forum way to tell how good something is merely by how little you get and/or how much more it costs. Clearly if it is less expensive, you would be a "sucker" to buy it when there is something way more expensive you could get instead. Is the rule here that the more expensive something is the better it has to be? Hmmmm....thus the pricing on OP’s super goop.
I’d google this rule but I suspect I wouldn’t be surprised.
Read the above several posts. Randy intimated that he could buy graphene based contact enhancers either identical to, or similar to, the Total Contact for ten bucks. I simply asked him for a list of the manufactures. To date, no list has been forthcoming. Then posters chimed in with graphene products like batteries and shields. Hard to paste IC’s and PC’s with batteries and shields, wouldn’t you say? :-)
The old adage that "A sucker is born every minute" is valid. When only price is taken into account, especially with no experience with a more expensive product, disappointment is usually what follows. I challenge Randy to apply what he’s bought to his tube pins and see what happens. The binder in the product he’s buying is oil based, thin, and is a real mess, not to mention that oil becomes rancid over time. Have I tried it myself? No ... but I am relying on the information supplied by those who have.
Randy and his ilk refuse to believe the positive results achieved so far by others who are now using Total Contact in their audio systems with not just good results, but with reportedly astounding results. Therefore, my comment that there is a sucker born every minute.
Like I said before, one can buy a very nice Kia SUV for under 25 grand. A new Ferrari will set you back 250 grand. I believe folks like Randy, assuming he’s not just trying to stir the pot in this thread, is expecting Ferrari performance from a Kia. Ain’t gonna happen my friend. Just ain’t gonna happen.
Not trying to start anything here either ... just countering ignorant statements. And, I’m not calling anyone here "stupid" either ... just "ignorant." Big difference between the two. And ... I’ve learned that unless I’m VERY explicit in this forum things get painted with a broad brush. I’m not referring to everyone here as ignorant, only a select few, and only on the subject of one product, and that is Total Contact. Well ... maybe the improvements afforded by upgraded PCs, IC’s and certain room treatments also. Same guys, same ignorant statements. Do the research on their previous posts over time and you’ll see what I’m driving at.
@oregonpapa, perhaps Randy-11 will answer your question when you answer the question ps posed to you. The one where he posted that he was purchasing a different product and you told him there's a sucker born every minute. You can't have it both ways, sir. If you're going to call someone out on what they posted, have the intestinal fortitude to answer when you're called out...Not starting anything moderators, just making a truthful observation and expressing an opinion...
This just in! Graphene structures. Hurray! Let’s see, what can be look forward to constructed with Graphene, ten times stronger than steel? I’m thinking tweeters and midrange drivers, tonearms, isolation platforms, speaker cabinets, what have you.
“Researchers design one of the strongest, lightest materials known Porous, 3-D forms of graphene developed at MIT can be 10 times as strong as steel but much lighter.
A team of researchers at MIT has designed one of the strongest lightweight materials known, by compressing and fusing flakes of graphene, a two-dimensional form of carbon. The new material, a sponge-like configuration with a density of just 5 percent, can have a strength 10 times that of steel.
In its two-dimensional form, graphene is thought to be the strongest of all known materials. But researchers until now have had a hard time translating that two-dimensional strength into useful three-dimensional materials.
The new findings show that the crucial aspect of the new 3-D forms has more to do with their unusual geometrical configuration than with the material itself, which suggests that similar strong, lightweight materials could be made from a variety of materials by creating similar geometric features.
The findings are being reported today in the journal Science Advances, in a paper by Markus Buehler, the head of MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the McAfee Professor of Engineering; Zhao Qin, a CEE research scientist; Gang Seob Jung, a graduate student; and Min Jeong Kang MEng ’16, a recent graduate.”
“Graphene appears to be the most effective material for EMI shielding (Nanowerk Spotlight) Sensitive electronic devices like cell phones and computers require shielding from electromagnetic interference (EMI). Such shielding – which must be electrically conductive – has traditionally been made of metal, which poses a weight problem in the push to miniaturize and lighten electronics.
Previous research has already demonstrated that ultra-lightweight carbon nanostructure-based nanocomposite materials outperform conventional metal shielding due to their light weight, resistance to corrosion, flexibility, and processing advantages ("Towards cost-efficient EMI shielding materials using carbon nanostructure-based nanocomposites").
In new work, scientists in Korea have now demonstrated that single-layer graphene is an excellent choice of material for high-performance EMI shielding. They found that CVD-synthesized graphene shows more than seven times greater EMI shielding effectiveness (in terms of dB) than gold film of the same thickness.
Reporting their findings in a recent online edition of Nanotechnology ("Electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of monolayer graphene"), a team led by Byung Jin Cho, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), suggests the feasibility of manufacturing an ultrathin, transparent, weightless, and flexible EMI shield by a single or a few atomic layers of graphene.”
Note: Graphene LiPo Batteries only require a standard Lipo battery charger.
Advantages over traditional Lipo batteries. • Power density: 0.15-0.17kw/kg (5Ah-16Ah) • Power density: 0.13-0.15kw/kg (1Ah-4.9Ah). • Stable High pack voltage through duration of use. • High discharge rate, giving more power under load. • Internal impedance can reach as low as 1.2mO compared to that of 3mO of a standard Lipoly. • Greater thermal control, packs stay much cooler under extreme conditions • Higher capacity during heavy discharge. • Maintains higher pack capacity even after hundreds of cycles • Fast charge capable, up to 15C on some batteries. • Longer Cycle Life 600+
Going right along with the great economist Adam Smith, the invisible hand of the free market is already driving prices down. Randy-11 is going to supply us with a whole list of manufactures who are offering graphene contact products intended for audio at only ten bucks a pop.
Randy-11 sez: "
where are the listening tests showing it is better than the products that cost $10????"
Randy? Where's the list? Inquiring minds want to know.
For folks asking a lotta questions, good on ya mates!, but you guys should really do some due diligence beforehand. You might not appear to be so out of it. You know, Google is your friend. I know what you’re thinking, sob, but I haven’t run across Graphene applications anywhere. 😳 In certain areas of science, audiophiles lead the way. Lead, follow or get out of the way.
5 seconds after a Google inquiry by your friend and humble scribe, the first hit is,
“Potential graphene applications include lightweight, thin, flexible, yet durable display screens, electric/photonics circuits, solar cells, and various medical, chemical and industrial processes enhanced or enabled by the use of new graphene materials.[1]
In 2008, graphene produced by exfoliation was one of the most expensive materials on Earth, with a sample the area of a cross section of a human hair costing more than $1,000 as of April 2008 (about $100,000,000/cm2).[2] Since then, exfoliation procedures have been scaled up, and now companies sell graphene in large quantities.[3] The price of epitaxial graphene on Silicon carbide is dominated by the substrate price, which was approximately $100/cm2 as of 2009. Hong and his team in South Korea pioneered the synthesis of large-scale graphene films using chemical vapour deposition (CVD) on thin nickel layers, which triggered research on practical applications,[4] with wafer sizes up to 30 inches (760 mm) reported.[5] By 2017, graphene electronics were being manufactured in a commercial fab on a 200 mm line.[6]
In 2013, the European Union made a €1 billion grant to be used for research into potential graphene applications.[7] In 2013 the Graphene Flagship consortium formed, including Chalmers University of Technology and seven other European universities and research centers, along with Nokia.[8]”
@dynaquest4, that’s exactly what I wondered in a previous post. Why spend so many years developing and perfecting your product, then selling it as a simple ’tweak’ for our stereo systems and house electronics when this appears to be a game changer on-literally-a global scale?
The bigger corporations, institutions and industries are always going to be slower to adopt new ideas and technologies, for a variety of reasons. Of course they are going to want extensive testing. Meanwhile, us individuals can try things, and take advantage of those that provide us with benefits, without waiting for all that.
If this stuff actually does all that is claimed (not just audio connections) and you were slick enough to market it to national/international electrical equipment manufacturers, you could be the next Bill Gates.
Only problem is that these manufacturers would actually test the stuff in a scientific way. None of the graphene products heretofore seem to have made any industrial impact.
I know. Nevertheless, that why I posted some things people might have overlooked. Thimk outside the box. I’ve been doing this longer than the average bear.
That was addressed earlier in this thread. If memory serves, the post mentioned treating virtually every electrical connection in the house including service circuit breakers. The claim was made that the collective improvement in all of those electrical connections led to a reduction in electricity used by the house. Green!
Question for Beta testers or anyone else, has anyone tried using contact enhancer on non audio connections such as power plug for refrigerator, TV, and light bulbs, including refrigerator bulb, and bulbs in bathrooms, closets, etc.?
@oregonpapa: "ps ... Did you click on the link and read the review? If so, what say you?? And yes, its that good. Maybe even 10x as good. :-)"
Yes sir, I did. But I'm waiting for the definitive review, one which compares tc to the Mad Scientist's Graphene Contact Enhancer.
Meanwhile I am looking forward to trying the Mad Scientist's product, and at no risk since the company offers a 30-day money back warranty (less shipping of course)
And I will have invested about a tenth of what Mr. Mrock's stuff costs.
After applying TC to the contacts of my power cord and power conditioner for example, how long do we need to wait for TC to set before connecting the power cord and turning the system on?
If you read this thread carefully, you’ll discover the differences. Its true, in general we do get what we pay for.
I’m not here to knock someone else’s products, not at all ... especially when I haven’t tried them in my system. That’s what the looters and the destroyers do. I’d say that if you’re curious, try both products and then do a comparison review.
I’ve heard about the Mad Scientist’s enhancer from some who have tried it ... maybe they will chime in here. I find it interesting that they haven’t taken the time to do so already.
I have no further comment on the Mad Scientist’s enhancer as I have had no personal experience with it at all.
forum member ozzy tried the Mad Scientist graphene enhancer, and, I believe, stopped using it because of some issues. You can do a search to find the details.
Frank wrote: "ps sez: " Meanwhile, I’m gonna order some of Mad Scientist’s graphene- even with shipping it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than the high-priced spread .."
Frank said: " Old adage .... "A sucker is born every minute."
I have ordered some of Mad Scientist’s graphene contact enhancer and am awaiting delivery. So Frank, does that make me a sucker in your opinion?
Frank then wrote: "Another old adage ... "You get what you pay for."
Frank, can you assure me that if I were to pay close to 10x more for Total Contact, it would prove to be approximately X times better than what Mad Scientist is selling?
I mean this sincerely, because I’m having a tough time understanding contact enhancers in general, and why one product would cost so much more than another, which appears to be quite similar, especially since they both contain graphene suspended in a special solution.
I definitely have heard improvements in my stereo rig from cleaning contacts including tube pins with Deoxit and treating with Deoxit Gold, but apparently the graphene contact enhancers are (far) superior. To me, and many other audiophiles, that’s an exciting development!
It’s my hope that some brave and qualified audio person(s) will eventually do a comprehensive and rigorous comparison between the best contact enhancers now on the market. Personally, I’d love to learn a lot more about these things.
I used Furutech's NanoTech, the squalene-gold solution years ago when I built some power cords. It's a good anti-oxidant for bare copper in a crimped connection.
I’m not trying to hot dog anyone but can contact enhancer be applied to HDMI cables? I just bought my first HDMI cable, the Audioquest Carbon. Controlled for directionality with all the buzzers and whistles. Yeah! 😛
More on the Furutech product that, and I don’t like casting dispersions, appears to be a copy of Quicksilver Gold, with some familiar sounding innovations, I.e. cryo and “electromagnetic field processing.” I trust the translation is not exact as the Furutech product almost certainly uses pure silver not sterling silver particles. Gee, one wonders if Furutech is following this thread. 🙄
From the US eBay seller,
”Gold and silver nanoparticles will do at the same time stalwart of the unevenness of the contact surface.
A mixture of pure gold and sterling silver of ultra-fine particles of a maximum diameter of 8 nanometers (8 / 1000000mm) by high concentration dispersed in squalane oil.
Furutekku α (Alpha) Process processing subjected to (minus 196 ℃ ultra-low temperature processing and a special electromagnetic field processing), pure gold and further up sufficiently demonstrated by conducting the advantages of sterling silver.”
You're quite welcome, and thank you for the mention. I look forward to using your contact enhancer on all my connections--I believe the results will be very enjoyable.
Yes, and thank you for the question. On the connections as log as its left on. The base metal under the connection will not oxidize either.
Yes 6 months and counting because that's the most time I have had with the 3rd revision. eventually it will harden. That's the number I feel comfortable with. Air-rating would improve longevity. Keeping it in the freezer will slow it, vacuum sealer to store it in would extend it the most.
Hello , Do not know if you are taking questions as of now but I have one . The shelf life is only 6 months , How long will it work on the connections ? Its the 6 month shelf life because it will Harden to the point it cannot be applied ? Or does this product stay in a moist state ?
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