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.
wolf_garcia"I’m an atheist who thinks ALL religion is silly and utterly dangerous"
That is a hateful, bigoted, vile remark that reflects your ignorance but explains your incessant intolerant, judgemental and presumptuous remarks which you repeatedly post here with a self-centered pride that reveals profound character weakness you must be a very unhappy and unfulfilled person.
That anybody follows religions is a head scratcher, but as long as they don't impose that stuff on others I simply don't care...you like Leprechauns? Than enjoy yer Leprechauns. My making a point about Atheism or Secular Humanists or standing against religions generally isn't hateful or vile or anything other than a response to an ill advised Jesus post that could be seen as offensive to Jews, Muslims, and athiests. That religions are generally dangerous requires only looking around the planet and seeing that the most religious places are generally the poorest and most violent. If you're religious, simply keep it to yourself and out of chat forums not related to mythology regarding deities, or somebody not sharing that view may upset your apple cart. Or do the Christian thing and turn the other cheek...love man...it's about love...right? Mythology regarding tweaks is normal.
It's funny people say wolf is being hateful vile and bigoted for not buying into religion buts its you that are attacking him and showcasing those traits.
Can anyone point out where "religion" was mentioned? It wasn't. "Religion" involves ritual. Was there any mention of facing east and praying five times a day? How about incense smoke and stained glass, any thing said about that? Any mention of stomping on a wine glass at weddings? Nope, no mention there either.
The Spirit lives within each of us, within our heart of hearts. That has absolutely nothing to do with "religion." Nothing. The fact that a person has never tapped into it is their problem or lack of discovery, not mine, tommylion's or Tim's.
The fact is, its not natural, its supernatural ... and that's why its so hard to identify ... especially to those with logical minds. Its hard to accept on faith that which is non-logical. There's an old saying: If you want to see the Spirit of God ... just look into the face of a young child. Scripture tells us that "what is hidden from the most learned is revealed to mere children." Simple, but so well hidden unless we seek it out.
I have to laugh at the responses. Here we have guys who claim to be anti-religious spouting and touting their non-religious religion. *lol*
Okay, I'm done. Back to the Total Contact and what it does to improve the SQ of our audio systems. :-)
Do you ever have anything positive to say? You continue beating the dead horse. I mean, if you can't see it, touch it, feel it, experience it ... it either just can't work, or it doesn't exist at all, right?
Without getting into a “religion” debate one must be carefull throwing out a bunch of conventional “wisdom” not rooted in the facts on the existence of God, Jesus, and the real origin of human violence, wars, violence and poverty.
Lot of false/misleading arguements being typed here as if they are truth. Honestly Wolf, better diligence and effort would help sort out these broad brush statements as they are based on lazy and biased conventional “wisdom”. Not saying you are lazy, but you have bought into a superficial, lazy and incorrect pantry of notions.
It it would be nice if you stopped your remarks on a topic not suited for these forums. It is not productive, can be offensive and really goes well beyond the scope of this thread and site.
will this substance be recommended for internal selector switch contacts- e.g. for source and speakers ? - as for the off topic part- here are facts on historical record- no opinion (if interested). in the history of the world, there have been (4) spiritual leaders that have led the pack and spawned the largest religions still in existence. one was a warrior that committed murder in battle, had a fierce temper and had multiple wives claiming a special dispensation from Allah. two were basically collectors, publishers and distributors of wise and ethical codes of conduct. the final one was known to be amazingly gracious to everyone he encountered regardless of race, gender, affiliation, background, status, past record or wealth. he was regarded as a teacher with incredible incite. he was known to have never uttered a bad word about anyone nor committed an offensive deed or act. his following grew large to the point that the religious leaders of the time grew increasingly threatened and worried- to the point of sentencing him to death. after his death and burial, there is record of his continued existence and teaching for an additional 40 days. there were a number of competing religious sects at the time of these events, yet his following grew exponentially in the years after his reawakening. Our calendar begins on the day of his birth. His burial tomb remains empty to this day. The other three leaders have tombs that remain occupied. i hope you found this post non offensive and informative. peace.
I'm almost sure that contacts or connections subject to multiple swipes will only benefit if you leave it be (do not switch) or until it has wiped off.
If you can find some, The old (now discontinued) Cramolin Red produced by Caig Laboratories had literature I remerber claimed it migrated so well the only way to completely remove it was to remove part of the material itself. Ideal for switch contacts. I loved that product. Its replacement, Deox-It, does not perform as well imo.
On your off-topic comment, I believe you hit the nail on the head. Were his teachings and the example he set easier to follow and live by.. much strife would disappear.
Grannyring...I haven't "bought into" thinking that religious mythology and superstition are silly, it's simply that to anybody over the age of 5 or so they should be considered as such...If you think that sort of thinking is lazy you're weirdly misguided, and this entire pile of time wasting dialog was simply a response to an utterly inappropriate diety post that clearly does not belong in this forum. Believe what you wish, but please keep it out of audio mythology, as that's a different subject altogether.
If you don't want the subject discussed, why do you continue to bring it up? Also, if you're finding this thread to be so offensive, why do you continue clicking on it and/or any other thread that you find offensive? Not dissing you, only trying to find a simple solution to your dilemma.
I have no dilemma, and I have a right to object to public displays of nonsense and commercial shilling, and I also have a right to respond to posts directed at me...you may want to try to understand what "public forum" means.
If you define "getting along with others" as accepting nonsense as fact and following that line by joining a flock of subservient sheep incapable of critical thinking, you're the problem. Shill away papa, and keep hoping your misplaced commercial enterprises don't engender any criticism, however unlikely that might be.
^^^ Constructive criticism is always welcome in these parts, wolfie. The problem arises when loudmouths demean a product without ever trying it for themselves. That's when "criticism" becomes nothing but lies .... especially onerous when accompanied with personal attacks.
It's like the other troll on the Omega E-Mat thread who claims that he has the finest sounding equipment and room in the world and we are fools for tweaking our systems at exorbitant costs. Of course, he won't share his secrets with us, just berate us.
Why do I hear the ghost of P.T.Barnum laughing...........a sucker born every minute.....yet another magic elixir that will make such an improvement in your total system that you absolutely HAVE to have it. Regardless of the price, it's a STEAL.
I just take my gear outside every full moon and power wash it........the results are nothing short of amazing..., but the key is to do it only when the moon is full.............YMMV..........your $$$, your choice.
shadowcat2016 Why do I hear the ghost of P.T.Barnum laughing...........a sucker born every minute.....yet another magic elixir that will make such an improvement in your total system that you absolutely HAVE to have it. Regardless of the price, it’s a STEAL.
>>>What’s the matter, are you afraid of clowns? The Barnum & Bailey Circus was one of the most successful enterprises in history. Hey-loo! Besides, PT Barnum never said, there’s a sucker born every minute. Why would he? What he did say was, people would generally be much better off if they believed in TOO MUCH rather than TOO LITTLE.
Have to take your word for the P.T. quote geof, too early in the day to google it. Color me skeptical as far as tweaks............Yes, some of them work, to varying degrees in different systems, done it myself , but the difference is often subtle at best.... I also believe in the power of suggestion.............If you THINK it will make an improvement then you'll be more likely to HEAR an improvement and the more you pay for the tweak, the more you'll WANT to hear it.........But you have to admit, the sales hype for some of this stuff is laughable........bring in the clowns :)
Well, you've admitted that some tweaks are really worthwhile and that you've tried a few them in your system and had good results. Question: What were the results when you tried Total Contact and the Omega E Mats?
Were you simply hawking a new and (possibly) better contact cleaner, I might be willing to give it a shot. Your absurd rants about micro-arcing, etc. are little short of ridiculous, smoke and mirrors for the great unwashed and ill-informed masses. Tight contacts do not arc. Any decent fitting cable or properly working switch does not arc. I spent 45 years working in electronics, so no BS please. The stronger the sales pitch, the less I'm likely to buy into it. Hope you makes lots of money, but you won't be getting any of mine.
To whom it may concern, NASA tech brief abstract on electrical arcing. When you know what to look for it’s not really that difficult to find. 😛
Technique eliminates high voltage arcing at electrode-insulator contact area NTRS Full-Text: Click to View [PDF Size: 91 KB] Author and Affiliation: Mealy, G. Abstract: Coating the electrode-insulator contact area with silver epoxy conductive paint and forcing the electrode and insulator tightly together into a permanent connection, eliminates electrical arcing in high-voltage electrodes supplying electrical power to vacuum facilities.
At the risk of not having read the referenced text, it would seem to refer to high voltage arcing. Audio gear, with the possible exception of tube gear, primarily operates at low voltages, so I don't see the relevance.....perhaps I should read it before commenting........sounds apples and oranges to me.......but I haven't read it, so perhaps I am mistaken.................In any case, if NASA says it's so, whatever "it" is then I'd have to take them at their word, that as opposed to somebody "selling" something.
OK, found and read your referenced paper. They're talking about voltages in the hundreds of thousands of volts.......................Uhhhhh, call me stupid, been called worse, but I'm pretty darn sure audio gear doesn't usually fall into that category...............so if that paper was meant to reinforce the sales hype...........ummmm, it pretty much has NOTHING to do with audio gear, hence completely irrelevant............Please tell me that was a joke.
Of course the paper was referring to high voltages. That’s why it referred to arcomg. In audio the scale is smaller, but the phenomenon still exists, it’s called micro arcing and produces noise. Noise that is audible. Well, maybe not by pseudo skeptics, but to most people. Whew, for a second I almost thought the psedo skeptics had me there.
Next up, psedo Skeptics will tell me papers on micro arcing don’t exist. They will say, I’ve looked everywhere but can’t find anything on micro arcing.
shadowcat2016 ... Another self described genius who just knows in his heart of hearts that, which he hasn't heard for himself is nothing but sales hype.
In case you missed it, shadowcat, this was the question I posed to you:
Question: What were the results when you tried Total Contact and the Omega E Mats?
geoff, just for fun, to humor you and to possibly learn something I don't know, which is always useful, I'll google micro arcing.
Frank, dear man, I think I answered your question without pointedly doing so. Pretty sure I never referred to myself, nor implied that I was a "genius", although statistically I only missed it by a point or two...... That and 5 bucks will get me a cup of coffee at Starbucks on a good day..... Nor did I claim to be an expert. I'm a jack of all trades........Master of none.
More to your point, my good man, no I haven't tried, nor even heard of either until this blog. The world is full of things that I haven't heard of. Some of them even have merit. However, the more overblown the sales hype for a product, any product, the less inclined I am to believe it, that simple.......If your snake oil............said that just to Pss you off, and to lighten the conversation a bit.......does half what you claim it does, I'm sure that you will sell gallons of it and make a ridiculous profit doing so.
Tell you what, I have a fairly simple system, two amps, bi-amp'd pair of speakers, CDP and TT. Send me a sample of your magik elixir and I'll try it on my system. If it does anything useful, that I can actually hear as an improvement, I will come back to this forum and happily relay the benefits of my experience. If I do NOT hear anything useful, I will agree to say nothing more on the subject....scouts honor........I have no axe to grind and even if your goop doesn't do anything in MY system, perhaps it will in someone else's, so unless I have something positive to report I will just get on with life and forget we had this polite conversation............You have nothing to lose Amigo.....If I like the stuff, I'll be an advocate. If I don't, I'll just go away quietly.......I have bigger concerns in life than arguing over something like this.....................What say, my man, you in??
In spite of your snooty attempt to demean me ...( I am not "your man"), and the product at hand, I believe you have merit and are probably a very nice person.
If I were the manufacturer of Total Contact, I would be more than happy to send you a sample and then listen to your experience of being reduced to a puddle of tears of joy at the improvement in your sound system. . You’ll have to contact Tim Mrock for that.
If you can work it out with Tim, I’m sure you would be as over the top with enthusiasm for the product as I am. As I have said repeatedly, I have nothing to do with the product, other than being an avid fan who wants to share the experience with like minded people hell bent on getting the most out of their stereo systems.
All you know so far is what you’ve read ... and I completely understand why you would doubt what I’ve written in this thread. Its in your nature. You know ... measure ten times and cut once?
I know you believe that I’ve over-hyped the product. No doubters among most of those who have tried it and are currently using it though. What some have told me is that I’ve actually understated the effects of TC on their systems.
And by the way ... there is no way you could "piss me off" in these threads. I don’t even know you. And besides that ... after 50 years of working in a 100% commissioned sales job, my skin is about two feet thick. For all of those years, I ate rejection for breakfast ... and came back for more at lunch and dinner. I would imagine that that type of occupation would just about destroy you. It would most people.
Please don’t make the mistake that I’m trying to disrespect you in any way here, because I’m not.. Its all about personality types. I make split second decisions and I’m right about 95% of the time. You analyze everything to death, suffering from analysis paralyses ... and are right almost 100% of the time. Correct?
Be sure to contact Tim and let us know what you think of the product after you apply it. Hype, or no hype?
Frank
PS: If you’re drinking Starbucks coffee ... why? www.sweetmarias.com
Apologies to all the tin-foil hat folks! I have news. Sorry but micro-arcing doesn’t exist in normal well designed and properly functioning stereo usage at all.The required voltages necessary to break down typically used insulators, air and components in circuitry is always orders of magnitude higher than in everyday use. Only in a terrible design, overdriven circuit, a lightening strike or a faulty burned out component would arcing even begin to occur. For example Arcing occurs in burned out voice coils once the kapton former and insulation burns (200+ degrees)...in this case contact is often made between voice coil wire and magnet assembly in the narrow gap - a short and an arc. For example, overdriven components can break down (transistors etc) and lose insulating properties - subsequently a damaged component may be susceptible to micro-arcing under normal use if it did not initially fail completely.
So if you suffer from micro-arcing, as many here seem to do, I would recommend getting your equipment serviced or repaired or replaced. You can paste as much goo as you like but it won’t address the root cause of your problem.
Poor contacts are a common enough issue but micro-arcing is not the issue there - it is poor contact between the pins or wires. Vibration, temperature, oxidation etc. can all contribute to a contact problem. For this, a conductive goo might help in severe cases of poor contact. The biggest problem in contacts is the machined tolerances of cheap connectors and user misuse (bent plugs, pulling on cables etc) - leading to poor alignment and bent pins that don’t make good contact in their female counterpart. This aspect of stereo connection is a really common issue. Many connectors are poorly assembled and if you pull on the connector lead then the pins inside the plug actually move around. Micro-arcing is not a real problem! Just marketing hype.
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