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.
Good day! This is Tim Mrock developer of the new Total Contact. I have spent most of my spare time the last 15 or so years playing with contact enhancement. Early on after trying several, I tried Quicksilver Gold, top of the class for sure, actually cutting edge. The real genius in Brian's product was the binder. He was taken back with what I was enhancing.
I had nothing to do with his product development! I was the art guy, or creative applications. I also became the money guy as well for the patent pursuit. Took MY SWEAT EQUITY out of my home to go for the patents.
The problem with Quicksilver was to much binder and the fact you had to mix it. It does not take a rocket scientist to realize with that set up, that it is impossible to control the quality of the product. I never experienced degradation with it, but I poured most of the binder out before mixing.
I have very intimate knowledge with all available contact enhancers. Could go on and on, however that is not what this thread is about.
Total Contact is a engineered product. If you think it is as simple as A+B+C, and a little Cryo, and bingo, it is not, and by a long shot.
I also saw it put out there that TC cost nothing to make, oh really? You are welcome to contact me, come over and show me how its done! I cant wait!
I have loved Audio and Music since I was little kid, I hate snake oil as much as anyone. Tweaks they have to make big improvements for me or well, a no go.
I also see TC is being called goo, actually the correct terminology would be Cold Plating Compound. Goo would migrate, TC does not. I also suspect goo would not clean up or remove easily, again not the case with TC.
What happens after it has fully polymerized, and you want to remove it? Alcohol will easily break it down for removal.
If a connection is broke after it has polymerized if the connection is put back together exactly the same ,like a XLR or power plug it will self repair, at least once, I have not tried multiple times.
As far as the amount vs price, all I can say is less is more with this product it just goes on and on, like the testers have said. More than enough to do a really big system.
If TC is anything less than what has been claimed sonic-ally, It will be done within a month or less after the first tubes are sent out,that's a fact.
The only drawback with this new product is shelf life, 6 months for sure. Longer not sure. If the product is well received I will invest in a special mixer that will air-rate the compound that will dramatically increase shelf life.
I will before product launch load our system in virtual systems just to show we do have real skin in the game. I will also make the room available by appointment to anyone who would like to hear what music sounds like without micro arcing all the way to the electric meter, over 1000 connections in our case. We live 25 minutes to Manchester International Airport. Its worth the trip!
I honestly cannot be anymore transparent, or genuine then what I have posted.
The launch of TC will be exclusively through Audiogon & their Express checkout. The 9th is in 3 days not going to happen, confident I can make it by the 15th or close to it.
As a member of this community meeting the expectations of fellow audio, music lovers is more important to me than anything else!
I would like to thank everyone for their interest!
I can see how this product can fill the metal void on connectors and contacts. I try to cover with minimal amount, it spreads far and wide.
I am in trial with connections and surfaces that have a mutual boundary and share some motion and energy flow. Hope to hear a positive result with a very thin application.Tom
Perhaps this observation has been made; connectors are shafts and blades that fit snugly into tubes and sheaths and also are spades clamped down onto surfaces, all being metal that has been either drawn through dies, cast or machined and then surfaced with gold, rhodium, etc. Just how perfectly round is the shaft or the tube that receives it? How smooth are the surfaces? Under electron microscopy, you may just see there is little contact made along these mated surfaces relative to their total area, and that there are large peaks and valleys along the way. A contact enhancer that has some conductive property and the ability to conform to the irregularities mentioned would make up much of the area not contacted by the imperfectly made materials. Is this product so unbelievable as many would claim? Not if you think about what it may achieve.....I imagine it acts something like solder in a different form.........
In 1981 or so when I was in a techno pop band in Hawaii, I played rhythm ukulele on a version of "Come Onna My House" we borrowed from Rosemary Clooney, and it was released as a 45rpm single in Japan. Great song…our singer did one side in Japanese and the other in English. Love Rosemary Clooney, and I often play the 45 for people as it's a great drunken dancing song…it has a drum solo (!) that I doubt was on the original version, although I don't remember the original.
Just for clarification: The Total Contact has been referred to "goop" a few times here. That’s not an accurate description at all. Its not a "liquid" ... its more like a powder in suspension. You’ll most probably get a little on your fingers during the application. It has the appearance as though you rubbed very soft pencil lead on your fingers. Same for the contacts that you paste. You end up with a dull looking grey material that completely covers the shiny connectors. No "goop." That’s what the other guys have. :-)
How hard is it to take off? Rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab or Q-tip will do the job in short order.
My friend Robert came over for dinner and a listening session last night. We hit the 8-week point during the session. One recording really stood out ... It was an early stereo LP of Rosemary Clooney singing good old American ballads. There was that super clarity again ... a see-through presentation with RC's voice sounding more articulate than ever. The Total Contact is truly good stuff.
Dinner? Trout, mashed potatoEs and string beans. :-)
Nothing so insidious or devious. 😛 Your humble scribe is how I refer to myself occasionally. Your humble scribe and your humble narrarator are used in literature and movies. Alex in A Clockwork Orange, for example, refers to himself as your friend and humble narrarator, if I’m not mistaken.
I am responding to a couple of questions or concerns and answering with my own observations.
At a friend's home this past week before we boxed up his Dahlquist DQ 20s for shipment to resell, we listened to these speakers one last time. I took the Total Contact to his place for him to audition. Because many have asked about treating exotic fuses and myself using magnets I thought it be nice to treat his stock fuses. They are a 3amp on the bass and a .75 amp on the mid and tweet. This took maybe 10 minutes to do at the most . Treated the inside of the removable fuse caps for both values in both speakers as well as the end caps of all the fuses. The volume had been on mute as was the same cd selection used. Return to play at the same volume showed a noticeable change in sound from the midbass and down to the lowest notes that could be played from these speakers into this room space. Much better definition in that area of frequencies. My friend and I had upgraded these speakers several years ago and listened too in 4 different homes. My total exposure of time to this last hurrah was limited but left my friend and I saying yep..quick and noticeable improvement.
My second observation is that with my use of Total Contact is that a little can go a long way. I have treated most everything including some bulbs..I have probably 80% of the original container left to use. I want to go deeper into my system and remove the lids and covers and reach for basic circuit connections.. Many of you may not want to go that far so maybe there could be a group buy among friends to treat a couple or several complete systems ..all of their exterior connections. Among my audio friends one container would enhance 4 or 5 singled wired or bi wired stereo systems. As a group purchase the investment in the product may be cut by 2/3's or even more depending on the system complexity and how many friends shared. I remember when record cleaners first arrived some were sold as a group buy to friends in an area to use the cleaner amongst themselves. As I said at the beginning a little can go a long way. Tom
I read here on this thread that the new product is easy to remove. I’m not talking about other products, although I have had Silclear and Quicksilver and Quicksilver Gold, which your humble scribe found easy to remove, well, not terrible anyway. I may not have tried to remove Quicksilver Gold, you know, back when I had actual electrical connections, I would have left it in place. Looks like nice shiny silver, like silver plate. The trick is not to apply too much or go too far down a tube pin or down the male pin of an RCA plug, you know, since it’s highly conductive.
cleeds Now that the name-calling and veiled insults on this thread have been halted by the moderators, I’ll weigh in on this tweak.
>>>>Not to mention the unveiled insults. 😀
cleeds First, the notion that the absence of a money-back guarantee on this product should arouse suspicion is just a red herring. Many things are sold without a money back guarantee. If you want to buy a house, a new car or a phono cartridge, you’ll have to conduct your due diligence, and then be willing to assume some element of risk. (Although, in the heyday of the LP era, my audio dealer did offer money-back on phono cartridges. But those days are long gone, I think.)
>>>>Most audiophile products actually DO have a money back guarantee. But I’m not sure this product won’t. Did someone confirm that? In any case, I think it would be a good idea, as Brian with Quicksilver Gold fame, to offer an even smaller amount for half the price.
cleeds This not a tweak I’m inclined to try. It’s not the cost, which is less than a set of tubes for my tube amplifier. It’s that I prefer connections to be clean and tight and - obviously - this goop would violate that. And if I tried it and didn’t like the result - then what? How do I get the goop off of those connections?
>>>>But think of how good your tubes would sound after treating the tube pins. I’m not hot doggin ya. 🌭 All of the similar silver or silver and gold products, as does this one, improve the connection contact. Apparently, if you need to remove it, it’s easily removed. Chill.
cleeds Does this goop work? I have no idea but I wouldn’t dismiss it without some first-hand experience. There are some who believe that their knowledge of physics or electronics, or who put faith in what they read in magazines or online forums, allow them to divine the sound of something without listening. I claim no such clairvoyant power.
>>>>>Audiophile Contact Enhancers have been around like forever and have been well received. I’m sure Google is your friend for anyone interested in reviews on-line of Silclear, Quicksilver Gold, whatever. So, we know the basic idea is sound. Chill. ❄️
Now that the name-calling and veiled insults on this thread have been halted by the moderators, I’ll weigh in on this tweak.
First, the notion that the absence of a money-back guarantee on this product should arouse suspicion is just a red herring. Many things are sold without a money back guarantee. If you want to buy a house, a new car or a phono cartridge, you’ll have to conduct your due diligence, and then be willing to assume some element of risk. (Although, in the heyday of the LP era, my audio dealer did offer money-back on phono cartridges. But those days are long gone, I think.)
This not a tweak I’m inclined to try. It’s not the cost, which is less than a set of tubes for my tube amplifier. It’s that I prefer connections to be clean and tight and - obviously - this goop would violate that. And if I tried it and didn’t like the result - then what? How do I get the goop off of those connections?
Does this goop work? I have no idea but I wouldn’t dismiss it without some first-hand experience. There are some who believe that their knowledge of physics or electronics, or who put faith in what they read in magazines or online forums, allow them to divine the sound of something without listening. I claim no such clairvoyant power.
I must admit that this thread has certainly changed in tone since some posts were deleted. Whether they met the criteria for deletion or not the deletions certainly seem to have changed the tone for the better. So, thank you moderators. As to claims about improving electrical efficiency I would assume that any time you can reduce resistance you improve efficiency since resistance is dissipated as heat. Lower the resistance and therefore the amp draw for a given application and it will be more efficient. Now, does this paste do that? That's the big question isn't it? I remain agnostic (not a religious term) on the issue although
Graphene certainly has interesting properties.
WD40 is a penetrant although somehow it has falsely become known as the ultimate lubricant. It is also extremely flammable. Spray some into a small empty food can or other similar container (outside) and ignite it. Watch out though! I never use WD40 for anything.
How much of the fabulous effects could I get by using graphite powder (which is a multi-layered and certainly much less potent form of graphene) in a WD40 (or similar) suspension? Maybe for some of us on a budget, or just cautious, this could be a first step...and free
contact enhancement, to the extent it excludes oxygen definitely can cause distortion that can be measured (at least by Benchmark - not so sure about a small co. with fe technical resources) - it is in one of their white papers (they like Neutrix connectors BTW)
that doesn't mean it can be heard
*** the issue here is not whether this liquid works so much as whether it works _better_ than commonly available and much less expensive liquids (Caig products & Tweak)
the manf. really needs to do some testing to establish that
Whoa! Hey, relax, fellas. I’m pretty sure someone who doesn’t believe wire makes any difference would not (rpt not) use contact enhancer. Could he be a chain puller?
Anything political seems to be off limits here .... and for good reason. I absolutely love politics. In addition to music, literature (especially political history), my children, grandchildren and yes, my great grandchildren, politics is my driving force.
With that said, I don’t mind sharing with you guys that I used to belong to another site (not audiophile related) that had a politics section. I was a moderator on that forum. I thought it was great fun at first, but it soon denigrated into friends becoming enemies. In today’s political climate, it would be a lot worse. Therefore, as much as I would love to debate politics with some of you, I support the mods on this forum to keep the politics out. I think we should all respect that.
When a post is deleted by a moderator here on A’gon, the "offending" poster is notified via Email that their post was deleted and the reason why. Usually the deleted post had nothing to do with audio and everything to do with a lack of respect for another member. I think the categories for deletions are:
1. Lack of respect for other members ... like personal attacks. 2. Political discussions 3. Religious discussions. 4. Other things that don’t really pertain to audio.
There’s most likely more that I can’t think of right now ... but the key word is to watch our "P’s" and "Q’s" and for sure, try to be kinder in our dialogues.
Its fairly simple really. Just include something about audio along with your insults. *lol* That was a joke, Carp. :--)
@thecarpathian Agree with your post above. My comments about the moderators are in no way meant to denigrate the hair-splitting nature of what they do to maintain a sense of civility on the various threads.
Again, moderators, could you come up with a few categories of post infractions so when a post is deleted you can inform the A'gon community about the basic nature of the infraction to help maintain the integrity of the threads?
One more thing moderators, please don't overdue the censorship here. We're all big boys and girls and should be able to handle reasonable discourse.
I would hate to see A'gon go the way of so many college campuses where we need a "safe space" to have dialogue here.
@hifiman5 , on this thread, the only rationale I can come up with is this thread had devolved into a free for all. You know what I'm talking about if you read all 6 pages. Assumably, the moderators have decided enough was enough, allowed all the former nasty stuff to remain, but starting recently, put the kibosh on anything even remotely off color. Honestly, none of my posts violated the rules as stated, (they weren't exactly nice, and were clever as all get out, but violated no rules that I can see) and neither did the other deleted posts. Perhaps for the sake of civility this was done.
I mentioned a concern with the moderators in another thread (blue fuse?) about the lack of any rationale being provided by the moderators for deleted posts so those of us participating on the thread have some idea as to the type of things being posted that are found to be offensive.
Someone's post was deleted after Geoff's benign last post. Why? What was the nature of the infraction?
Could Audiogon moderators come up with a few categories that would give context to the reason for a deletion. I believe it would be helpful to all of us and help us to follow the "flow" of the thread.
As a hockey fan, if a penalty was called on a player but the infraction was not indicated by the ref. making the call, it would be darn difficult for players and fans alike to follow the action.
Frank, your entire demeanor has changed and now you’re posting like an absolute cherub. I applaud you for your realization that name calling, insults, and personal attacks are no way to advocate for a new product. And no, I’m not starting anything. I’m just wondering why now 4 of my posts and those of a few other members have been deleted when I cannot recall a violation of the rules in any of them, and much, MUCH worse posts were allowed to remain. Just wondering if that had anything to do with your new demeanor, that’s all. Have a productive day as well...
hifiman5 I think a lot of the controversy here was generated by obvious hyperbole. I mean claims of reducing electric bills if the TC is applied to the entire house-full of electrical connections is just silly. I’m not an electrical engineer but if anyone can actually explain the logic of that claim I would love to learn!
>>>I actually think contact enhancers, generally speaking, might very well reduce electricity bills. How much they would reduce electricity bills depends on a lot of things, obviously. Like how much energy is consumed per day or month and how many contacts are treated. Why would contact enhancers reduce cost? Because the electricity would be used more efficiently. Kinda like the Shakti On-lines, that were demonstrated to improve gas mileage when used on electrical cables in cars. And kinda like some other audiophile products, WA Quantum Chips come to mind, and perhaps certain line purifiers, act like traffic cops, organizing the flow of the electrical signal and making it flow more efficiently. 👮🏻♂️ Obviously an audio signal that is more “efficient” can measured by Signal over (Noise plus Distortion).
And perhaps contact enhancers are analogous to audiophile products that improve the efficiency of how Acoustic Waves propagate through air, e.g. tiny little bowl resonators, SteinMusic Harmonizer, Ultra Tweeters.
Yes, I’m in agreement with Carp on that issue. Graphene and graphite is already being used in industry and defense. Tim and I had a very interesting conversation the other day about Tesla cars and how their performance, as good as it already is, could totally benefit from graphene applications. Stay tuned to the thread ... Tim will be explaining things in detail soon.
Carp ...
Don’t be fooled by a softer approach. No one has "talked to me about it." The fact is, no one has attacked me here so far today. You can bet that I will be defending myself when the time comes though. When slapped, I tend to slap back.
You’re not alone, dynaquest4, I’m at three and counting, and they were laughably mild compared to what was allowed to remain on here...they even took one off asking why they took one off!
@oregonpapa I would very much enjoy hearing from Tim about his creation. Perhaps he can explain much that has led some on this forum to go on the attack against the TC claims.
Do you agree with the following statement by thecarpathian about more universal applications for TC if it turns out that it does truly increase conductivity on the scale discussed here? Here's the quote: "If this paste can do everything that it’s been claimed to do,(and I’m not saying it can’t) this product is a game changer on a global scale. Electronics corporations, electric companies, the defense and aerospace industries, battery manufacturers, the automotive industry, myriad multi-billion dollar corporations should be lining up for this product."
Thank you for the reasonable, intelligent post. Tim will be posting here soon and I suspect he and other’s will be talking about how graphene makes electrical systems more efficient. In reading the six pages, did you come across the post I made about Tim’s experience with lighting in hospital OR’s?
marqmike ...
Thank a lot for your kind words and rebuttal. Here’s the quote of the day so far:
" It is strange to me how somebody seems to get all bent out of shape over a persons sharing his joy in what he has discovered with others."
That is exactly my main point with these guys. They are out to kill that joy. What else could it be? I keep asking them what their intent is. To date, I haven’t received an answer. Either they haven’t given their intent any thought, or they know what it is and won’t dare to claim it.
Carp ...
Two of my posts were removed as well. So ... you can stop whining. And by the way, go back and read my posts. You’ll discover that I took a defensive stand against aggression in ... I think every case. Attacking the attacker, if you will.
When you guys walk into a audio store and you don't like the salesman do you treat him like you treat Frank. Do you go back and back and back to make him know for sure how you feel.
And you know what, Frank isn't trying to sell anybody anything. He is not playing salesman on this thread. He was asked to post this thread for others. Ya this thread was suppose to be for people who wanted to hear about this new thing he had mentioned in another thread. What is this thread becoming? Sounds not like an audio thread but a religious or moral thread. If you look at his hundreds of posts which I don't think most have he has given the benefit of doubt to most and he has replied in a reasonable helpful manner. It is strange to me how somebody seems to get all bent out of shape over a persons sharing his joy in what he has discovered with others. Maybe some people don't trust their own shadow.
Sounds like some people have taken their sound systems to seriously and not enjoyed them near enough to share their joy with others.
I missed this thread started on Xmas Day. I have read all 6 pages of postings and as someone who has reviewed gear/tweaks in the past, I always re-read my own reviews to check on whether my review expresses genuine enthusiasm or if I have strayed into hyperbole territory.
I think a lot of the controversy here was generated by obvious hyperbole. I mean claims of reducing electric bills if the TC is applied to the entire house-full of electrical connections is just silly. I'm not an electrical engineer but if anyone can actually explain the logic of that claim I would love to learn!
As far as I know, Total Contact may be the best Tweak since the original Mod Squad Tip Toes came out all those many years ago. I may even be tempted to try some. But...the hyperbolic statements made by proponents is not serving the manufacturer of this product well IMHO.
" I’m not bothered at all by what you consider "bullies".
You’re not bothered by the bullying? Gee, I wonder why?
" It is true however that Mad Scientist Audio’s graphene contact enhancer products are $79 tops, so that’s hard to ignore. Otherwise I have no stake and don’t care to get involved and will let my wallet do the talking."
We live in what’s left of a free market system. We still have choices in our purchases. Buy the product that fits your wallet and your prejudices. If that is what the Mad Scientist produces and it makes you happy, then I say buy it.
Old adage: "Ya pays yer money ... and ya gets what ya pays for."
"I’m sure that low road response will be coming..."
No "low-road response" from me. After all, you’re just another consumer making a free choice.
One thing to consider jaybe ... you have made the choice to NOT buy a product based upon bully tactics. This is exactly what the Negative Nellies wanted. You lose, they win.
" but I’ll be elsewhere. "
Too bad. Check in once in awhile and read the upcoming extremely positive results and reviews once Total Contact hits the market. Should be in a week or two. ’Till then, you might want to save your money.
Ha! My relatively polite counter post to Frank (the OP) referring to my post as stupid and inane has been removed. Since his consistently aggressive and unprofessional posts have not been removed, I guess we know who is responsible.
I know the constitutional right to free speech does not apply to a forum like this....but, come on, Frank!
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