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 have been lurking here and reading all the posts regarding this product. Do you have any information on how the ordering process is? Will there be a product website to order from?
I tried the SR black fuses on my system after reading all the good reviews from the users here and it sure is one hell of a product, will probably try the Blue fuses and TC soon.
Thanks once again for taking the time to test out the product and putting your neck on the line in this forum to inform everyone here about the improvements in SQ you hear.
"You are correct, Geoff. I’m not saying it doesn’t work. I would never make that statement without verifying it in my system with my own ears. But given what I’ve read so far and the hefty claims about the product, plus the fact that I can’t get a single answer to any fair and basic question about the product, I’m quite skeptical that it works."
I tend to believe that even after answering each of your questions in detail, you still will remain a skeptic. You may buy the product, but you certainly won't be first in line. You'll wait a few years, read about the success that others have had with the product, then possibly jump in. You need concrete data and proof beyond proof, remember? Where 90% of the audiophile population can tell within ten seconds if the product is an improvement or not by just trusting their ears, you'd need extensive spread sheets full of data until your eyes bleed before you'd actually part with any of your dollars. Its okay. We understand. Its a mental condition. :-)
"
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 .."
Old adage .... "A sucker is born every minute." Another old adage ... "You get what you pay for."
Sorry they removed your post. Were there personal attacks in it, or perhaps a little bit of a political discussion? What were your thoughts? Can you reword them to be acceptable to the mods?
1. "As evidenced in some of your posts, one could be led to believe you’re prone to hyperbolic prose. How are we to distinguish fact from hyperbole in your original post?"
How? Learn the difference between hyperbole and enthusiasm.
2. " What the heck is micro-arching? You wrote it twice so I don’t believe it was a typo."
A typo is a typo. You are typical of an Internet keyboard warrior. Find one error, make a big deal out of it, and you win the argument, right? Hell man, Dan Quayle is still getting flack over his misspelling of the word potato. He spelled it as ’potatoe," the very same thing you did in your text. Should I discount everything you’ve said because you don’t know how to spell potato correctly?? If you need an explanation as to who Dan Quayle is, just ask and I'll explain.
3. "Tell me again why this ’magic paste’ (your words) doesn’t even come with a money back guarantee?"
Human nature is what it is. Take off the rose colored glasses and enter into the world of reality. You’re still fairly young yet, correct?
4. "And what is most curious: It appears by your and Tom’s and the reviewer’s posts that there’s nothing in the way of electrical equipment and electronic products that this paste doesn’t vastly improve upon."
So far everything I’ve used the product on HAS improved. This would include my audio system (three times), my 73" Mitsubishi TV, and the Mark Levinson audio system in my Lexus. Haven’t done the refrigerator yet though. I suspect that when I do, it will operate more efficiently and it will be a savings on the electric bill. That would be a benefit, wouldn’t it? Plus, I’m really looking forward to pasting the circuit breakers. From what I understand, this is a huge improvement not only for the stereo system, but the entire electrical network in the house.
In your own experience, what applications have you made with the product where it didn’t work??
5. " Mr. Mroz and associate spent 11 hours cleaning and polishing every singe electrical contact all over his house, including the meter box, service boards and circuit breakers."
I must have missed that post. In fact, cleaning of contacts is NOT necessary prior to the application of Total Contact. I believe I made that statement here somewhere. You can do the research.
6. "There would have to be concrete scientific data to prove that it actually does what it’s claimed to do. There would have to be proof of measured improvements."
Oh my God ... another engineer! Measure 20 times and cut once, right? How about just trusting your ears? Dude! I don’t need an extensive spread sheet full of data to tell me what I hear and what I don’t hear. <Geeze!>
7. "I honestly hope it works as you and Tom described. I really do. It would benefit society and our environment in so many ways...."
No you don’t ... If you did, you’d be first in line to buy the product. But you won’t because you wouldn’t have "all of the data."
You are correct, Geoff. I’m not saying it doesn’t work. I would never make that statement without verifying it in my system with my own ears. But given what I’ve read so far and the hefty claims about the product, plus the fact that I can’t get a single answer to any fair and basic question about the product, I’m quite skeptical that it works.
I see one of my posts was removed. Looks as if the only one left here with a sense of humor is Geoff. Audiophiles can be so terribly earnest at times. 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, and if nothing else, it may very well make my lights burn brighter.
Well Frank, since you don’t mind bantering back and forth with the detractors and I’m all out of ’safe places’ to hide, I would appreciate your opinion and answers to a few questions and concerns regarding your posts about this product since Mr. Mroz has evidently appointed you spokesperson by proxy. Let’s begin: Do you agree that there’s merit in the old saying "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"...? As evidenced in some of your posts, one could be led to believe you’re prone to hyperbolic prose. How are we to distinguish fact from hyperbole in your original post?
What the heck is micro-arching? You wrote it twice so I don’t believe it was a typo. I can’t find a definition or explanation for it anywhere. Did you mean micro-arcing as the retired audio reviewer said in his review? So, what the heck is micro-arcing? I can’t find that anywhere either. You stated the paste eliminates it (well, micro-arching anyway). So, surely you must know what it is besides, you know, tiny electrical arcs (or arches?) that no one on the internet I can find has ever discussed. Please correct me if I am in error. Tell me again why this ’magic paste’ (your words) doesn’t even come with a money back guarantee? Wait, I remember. To paraphrase your words, it’s because (Tim?) would end up with a bunch of returned half used tubes that he couldn’t resell. What are you implying? It appears that it means Mr. Mroz finds ’bunches’ of his fellow Audiogoner’s and well, people in general (if in fact he is marketing his product elsewhere) to be inherently dishonest. They would use it in their systems, reap the benefits of its ’magic’ then dishonestly return the unused portion for a refund. Is that correct? Does he feel that way? If not, what did you mean by your words?
And what is most curious: It appears by your and Tom’s and the reviewer’s posts that there’s nothing in the way of electrical equipment and electronic products that this paste doesn’t vastly improve upon. It can even reduce your electric bill and help save the environment! I find it interesting the audio reviewer attributed all these electrical benefits to the paste and didn’t even consider that at least some of the improvements might have come from the fact Mr. Mroz and associate spent 11 hours cleaning and polishing every singe electrical contact all over his house, including the meter box, service boards and circuit breakers. 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. And yet, you’re here on our little forum touting it as a simple ’tweak’ to our stereo systems, and Mr. Mroz is busy putting it in tiny 1.5 ml tubes ("that come with a large syringe"...!) Don’t you find that odd? Isn’t that ridiculously small potatoes compared to its potential for such large scale industrial applications? No sane entrepreneur would miss out on such lucrative sales potential. Wouldn’t you think it’s more economical production wise to sell it by the drum to these corporate giants as opposed to packaging it in such minuscule amounts? Is large scale production in the works? Oh, right, I forgot. There would have to be concrete scientific data to prove that it actually does what it’s claimed to do. There would have to be proof of measured improvements. There would have to be a guarantee that it works as promised. But, as far as I can tell, until Mr. Mroz states otherwise, there isn’t any of that. Silly me. I forgot this, too. You Don't need proof of anything if your just selling it to audio enthusiasts. Do you see why there is skepticism? I honestly hope it works as you and Tom described. I really do. It would benefit society and our environment in so many ways....
To all, especially the Beta testers - you can probably appreciate that I‘ve super minimized the number of electrical contacts in my system by going to an all battery power portable system. The way to get better than enhanced contacts is eliminate the contacts! Hey-loo! So I’m isolated mechanically AND electrically. I also eliminate ALL room acoustics issues with one swell foop. The easiest way to solve a set of simultaneous equations in X unknowns is to eliminate the unknowns. 😛
Sure, I still have battery contacts and the headphone 1/8” mini-plug (good thing I still have Quicksilver Gold!) but that’s it. No more house AC. No more AC ground. No more wall outlets. No more power cord plugs. No more speaker cables, interconnects. No more tube pins. No more fuses. No more teacher’s dirty looks. 👀
The best way to reduce distortion and noise in electrical contacts is get rid of the contacts. There’s no reason to address a problem that’s non existant. If thy eye offend thee pluck it out! It’s a paradigm shift! You could call it Total Non-Contact. 😁 There’s no substitute for Signal to (Noise + Distortion) Ratio.
Slap that paste on the terminals of your Tesla battery. No kidding...bet you can do zero to 60 in less than 3 seconds. Being serious here. If super-goo can make LED lights brighter, there is no limit to the possibilities!
Frank wrote: "As far as I’m concerned, they are attempting to destroy those with an entrepreneurial spirit and even the free enterprise system itself."
Yikes! Things are startin' to get mighty scary around here.
If I make a post, or start a thread, to share my positive experience with a particular product, I pretty much know ahead of time who is going to show up and spew their negativity. I dearly wish this forum had an “ignore list” feature, like some others.
For those who are stricken by the banter going back and forth in this thread ... surely you can find a ’safe place’ to hide out until the vapors pass. :-)
By the way, with thousands of dollars invested so far and years of research at stake by the producer of "Total Contact," I find nothing wrong with pointing out who the destroyers and looters are. They need to be called out for what they are, who they are, and what their intentions are.
As far as I’m concerned, they are attempting to destroy those with an entrepreneurial spirit and even the free enterprise system itself. Again, they are destroyers and looters.
This particular thread is not the first time ... they do it every time. Want proof? Go back and reread the Red and Blue fuse threads. These are sick individuals who want to tear down anything positive that comes their way. Why else would they be so vehement in their efforts to knock products they haven’t used, haven’t seen or haven’t heard? Not to mention individuals they haven’t met.
I’ve been around a lot longer than most who post here. Over the years, I’ve seen this same type of yahoo in business ... always knocking the more successful person and continually undermining everything positive in their pathway ... and then being angry about their own lack of success.
It never seems to occur to them that they are being out-worked and out-learned by the more successful. They attribute the success of others to luck or perhaps even something nefarious, while they remain the pathetic victim.
It never occurs to them that money is nothing more than a scoreboard reflection of one’s service to others. They can’t fathom the thought that they would get what THEY want by helping others get what they want FIRST. They sing their "whoa is me" sad song where ever they go and to whomever will listen ... as if anyone really cares.
Oddly enough, upon careful observation, one finds that they usually wear their hats on backwards to boot.
Enthusiasts get enthusiastic when they find something that really makes a difference, and they want to share it with other enthusiasts. It's that simple. Do we go over the top a little bit sometimes when sharing our experiences? Sure, but it's because of our genuine passion for music and it's reproduction.
I've been around enough to know a shill when I see one, and Frank is definitely not one. I'm getting awfully sick of people coming in here for no other apparent reason than to throw around these accusations and disparagements for their own amusement.
When you see someone has a history of making these kinds of posts in numerous other threads, what other conclusion can you draw?
This is the greatest tweak ever! 😲 No, wait, THIS is the greatest tweak! Whoa! I take it back! OMG! THIS is the greatest tweak! Three years time compressed for brevity. 🤠
“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” - Chicken Little 🐥
Wow. I'm with falconquest and his very wise post. Perhaps certain parties should read and/or re-read it at the top of this page. This thread has degenerated into nothing but petty insults, sophomoric name calling and personal attacks from both detractors and advocates alike. It isn't fazing the detractors, but it is, in my opinion, crushing the credibility of the advocates. I came on here looking for facts about this new product. So far, four pages and counting of nothing but bickering...And as falconquest said, if I was at all interested in this product, after reading this thread, I too would just walk away...
Come on, Frank. This discussion is not about me it is about the super-goo. It's not about my system, it is about the super-goo. It is not about how you rate my credibility it is about...get ready...the super-goo.
Hey, BTW...I went out to my garage and noticed my air compressor. Think the super-goo on it's contacts (both ends of the power cord) would get me an extra 10PSI in the tank?
The only pot I'm stirring here is a vat of...yep, you got it...super-goo!
Well, of course any cleaning of contacts, especially with Cramolin or Deoxit, even humble rubbing alcohol, but especially with the more advanced stuff like Quicksilver Gold, will have the same or similar results as the LED ceiling lamps. Glad to see someone experimenting.
Holiday Tip: Don’t forget all of the non-audio wall outlet contacts around the entire house, you know, refrigerator, TV, Stove, computer, air purifier, humidifier, microwave, etc. 📺 🖥 🔌🎛 By no small coincidence I just came back with brand new LED FHD TV under my arm.
I find it very interesting that when researching your posts here on A’gon, one finds oneself emerged in a cesspool of negativity. According to you, nothing ... no cable, no tweak, no anything can make an improvement .... even those things you have never heard or never even seen before.
Here’s a little recreation of some of your past posts. This record speaks volumes about you:
What’s up with you dynaquest? Do you travel through life spewing crap everywhere you go, or is it just on the Internet? Do you ever have anything positive to say .... to anyone ... about anyone ... or about anything at all?
No pics of your "system" either. Do you have an audio system? If so, why not post pics?
Take a hard look at your above posts ... then try to convince the folks here that you are not a destroyer and a looter of the dreams, the accomplishments and the hard work of others.
LED lamps brighter, rear projection TVs better colors and blacks!! Wow! Amazing that Mitsubishi and GE were never smart enough to think of using this stuff.
And, holy moly, we’re not talking subtle differences like what you achieve with $37K worth of Nordhost Odin connects...we are obviously talking about night and day improvements via any connect that conducts electrical energy or audio signals. Wall Street look out when this paste goes public. It will not be denied!!
I treated one only of my LED ceiling lamps in my audio room. This one now burns brighter so I need to drag my ladder back out so I can treat the others. Dimmer on each set of 3 so that 1 remains brighter at any setting. Tom
Uhh .... I believe you brought up the subject of "well read," did you not?
By the way, I just replaced the bulb on my 73" Mitsubishi rear projection TV. I pasted the connectors of the bulb with Total Contact. I'm getting the brightest picture with the best color and blacks its ever had. Close to an LCD but sans the cartoonish look that bugs the heck out of me with the LCD TVs.
Thank you for the excellent review and verification of exactly what I’ve been trying to convey here. :-)
Geoff ...
Yes, it must be true that you are more well read than I. After all, you’ve been to my home several times and have checked out my library of books. Oh wait! I forgot ... you just automatically know how well read I am, or lack thereof. Forgive me as I forgot that you read minds.
By the way Geoff .... do you have any comments regarding docgaw’s post?
Notwithstanding the assumed humor in your comment it’s only fair to point out I must be better read than either you or your assumed brother. Frank must be referring to a younger brother, one naturally assumes.
I am a retired reviewer for www.enjoythemusic.com who, for the first time, because of this product, regrets not being able to spread the word on what I consider to be a no-brainer for improving all sound systems which have any electrical contacts that are not hard wired or soldered. I have to say that this product has produced the greatest improvement in the sound of my system since the addition of my $17,000 Vacuum State tube amps many years ago.
I first met Tim through a local audiophile group several years ago while still reviewing. Tim had applied his original paste to just a few of the ac contacts, and even that made an improvement to the sound. Thus, I had him paint up my system and my house ac from the service contacts, the result of which can be found at http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0112/aa_chapter_146.htm . He worked for several years on tweaking the paste and each time there was an improvement in reducing the noise floor of the system and, as another advantage, appearing to drop by about 10%, my electric bill after painting my service and most ac contacts in the house. The present iteration is the best to date, and is in my opinion the least expensive way of significantly improving the sound (and for the videophiles, the video) of your system, while saving the environment by lower electricity usage. Also, for those who live on the ocean or in high ozone environments, it does help to prevent corrosion at ac contacts. Thus I used the original paste several years ago on my Caribbean house which used to need replacing every five years or so. While the quantity appears to be low for the cost, the equivalent amount was enough to paint all of the contacts from ac to speaker of my 7.9 surround system with active crossovers and 22 amplifier channels. A very thin coating, just enough to make a smooth even contact surface to produce a smooth even surface, which probably works by stoping the microarcing and ionization which occurs in any metal connection.
It does take about 6 to 8 weeks to completely break in, probably due to the need for the binding agent to allow the graphene fibers and silver molecules to bridge the gap. But one can immediately hear an improvement which only improves with time. At about the sixth to eighth week there seems to be an overnight significant drop in the noise floor and increased clarity and uniformity in the sound field.
The only disadvantages I've found are: 1. the need to take several hours to paint the whole system 2. It colors dark gray anything it touches and is difficult to remove, so don't wear a brand new long sleeved shirt while applying 3. The entire system should be done within a few days as the paste does tend to dry out in the syringe over time and is difficult to apply after several months, thus maybe one of the reasons it is supplied in small syringes. 4. For reviewers or audiophiles who change out equipment frequently, it may not completely mature before breaking contacts.
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