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.
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!
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.
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....
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.
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.
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."
"
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?
"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. :-)
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.
Just to point out the long winded Audio Myths slide show is by Kite, not Kait. 😁 Ironically, Kite is from Oregon. I got as far as when he states all tests that are not blind are worthless. Then I stopped reading. What a load of horse hockey! He’s also all wet on his claim the burden of proof is on the person making the claim. He’s just another pseudo skeptic.
Kite was VP engineering at Audio Precision. The company that makes and sells audio test instruments that manufacturers and Stereophile use. So he was biased towards measurements...but I wouldn’t totally dismiss what he says unless I was a Snake Oil Salesman.
Kite was VP engineering at Audio Precision. The company that makes and sells audio test instruments that manufacturers and Stereophile use. So he was biased towards measurements...but I wouldn’t totally dismiss what he says unless I was a Snake Oil Salesman.
>>>Good for him. I judge a person by his words, not his credentials. You know, saying a person is correct because of his credentials or education is a big red flag🚩- you know, an Appeal to Authority. Besides, I didn’t totally dismiss what he says. But I did stop reading when I saw where he was coming from. His “audio myths” are frequently Strawman arguments, I.e., pseudo arguments, made up arguments. For example, nobody thinks that analog has unlimited bandwidth or has unlimited resolution. That’s absurd. Another Strawman argument of Kite’s is his supposed audio myth that cables act as rectifiers. Huh? Nobody ever said that. Where does he come up with this stuff? Give me a break! Alas, he’s just another pseudo skeptic with an axe to grind. The internet is littered with them. You don’t have to look too hard 👀 to find some PhD in something or another that has it in for audiophiles. In fact, “Zen and the Art of Debunkery” was actually about folks like Kite. To whit,
“As the millennium turns, science seems in many ways to be treading the weary path of the religions it presumed to replace. Where free, dispassionate inquiry once reigned, emotions now run high in the defense of a fundamentalized "scientific truth." As anomalies mount up beneath a sea of denial, defenders of the Faith and the Kingdom cling with increasing self-righteousness to the hull of a sinking paradigm. Faced with provocative evidence of things undreamt of in their philosophy, many otherwise mature scientists revert to a kind of skeptical infantilism characterized by blind faith in the absoluteness of the familiar. Small wonder, then, that so many promising fields of inquiry remain shrouded in superstition, ignorance, denial, disinformation, taboo . . . and debunkery.
Put on the right face. Cultivate a condescending air certifying that your personal opinions are backed by the full faith and credit of God. Adopting a disdainful, upper-class manner is optional but highly recommended.”
If the following question has already been addressed, my apologies.
Does this Total Contact stuff pose any health hazards? I do realize that it's intended to be applied in relatively tiny quantities, and that the container itself is relatively tiny.
The business model of releasing an inexplicable tweak and charging enough money for it to make it seem valuable has an established pattern that seems unique to audio. Non existent patent claims (does anybody think it’s difficult to look up patents?) for the remedy of a non existent problem (fuse performance issues that don’t exist, micro-arcing issues nobody knew were issues), and non existent basic technical justification from the manufacturers (ask Ted Denny about the theory behind the development of his Magic $150 Fuses and he’ll simply become unhinged) are all part of this stuff. Get somebody to to rave about it and attribute astonishing sonic improvement to its use (contact enhancer…it more than cleans the contacts, it adds Current Flow Mojo that otherwise isn’t there!) attack critics as tin eared naysayers, and yer off and running! I clean contacts in my rig from time to time (it doesn’t sound better, it simply makes me feel better), but to say something makes contacts more "contacty" because of alleged micro-arcing issues, thus rendering your system more musical should be questioned by anybody who’s not on the Magic Bus already…also, is the goo directional? I tested the SR fuses supplied to me and determined they were a useless sham…hey, I tried…if somebody sends me some magic goo I’ll test that also, if I’m not first burnt up in a flaming blue light of micro-arcing.
On the contrary, not only does TC fix light bulbs and old TVs but if you apply it appropriately it will cure a bad case of hemorrhoids with additional benefits. It is truly amazing.
If Frank (the OP) were selling a car he manufactured it would be advertised by him thusly:
My automobile is gorgeous but you have to buy it before you see it. It has a twin cylinder engine that gets 800mpg, Goes zero to 60 in 2 seconds; has a top end of of 245mph and will pull a 4000 ton trailer. No, sorry, you cannot test drive it.
It has leather, A/C and all the goodies you would normally find in a luxury performance automobile. What? No, I'm sorry there is no warranty at all and it cannot be returned.
No...there was no science or engineering in it's design and if any research was done, the data is not available to consumers. Besides...why do you care about that? It's just not important.
But it is a great product and I'm expecting the market to quickly prove how wonderful it truly is. Trust me!
And...if you question why you cannot see it before buying, has no warranty, cannot be returned or the absence of development test data to validate performance, I'll just opine that anyone that asks such questions is a dummy.
"
Do you have any information on how the ordering process is? Will there be a product website to order from?"
Stay tuned, Les ... the ordering process is being worked out as we speak. Just one more little detail among hundreds to bring the product to market. Tim Mrock will make the announcement 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.
Cheers,"
Thank you, Les. I wish everyone had a positive attitude like you have exhibited in your posts.
On the SR Black fuses ... as good as the Blacks are, the SR Blue fuses kill them.
On the contrary, not only does TC fix light bulbs and old TVs but if you apply it appropriately it will cure a bad case of hemorrhoids with additional benefits. It is truly amazing."
Would you like to fill us in on those "additional benefits?"
Winner of the grand prize for posting the stupidest, most inane words so far in the thread. Congrats to you and your’s. Please try to make a little more sense next time. Thanks ...
Oh and by the way, your comments regarding the Tesla really aren't far fetched. Oddly enough, I had that exact conversation with Tim this morning. He'll explain later ... so that even you will understand.
Ah, I see that The Carpathian's last, long, but IMO excellent post has unfortunately been removed. I'm merely speculating, but perhaps it was because he made passing mention of a certain public figure.
I don't know how long the waiting line is for "total contact" at this point, but I do think it will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the market place play out. More hard info on the product itself would certainly be useful to many folks. I can understand that if the product doesn't perform optimally until about 8 weeks, how a 30-day money back warranty would not be practical.
"Does this Total Contact stuff pose any health hazards? I do realize that it’s intended to be applied in relatively tiny quantities, and that the container itself is relatively tiny."
Not if you hire a professional electrician to do your circuit breaker panel. Do it yourself and you may run into a "health hazard."
On second thought, you can do your own research. Try it as a sauce on your spaghetti. You never know, you may find another breakthrough. After all, shadrone found it useful to cure his hemorrhoids and he claims that as a result, he’s experienced "additional benefits." So far, he hasn’t explained what the benefits of a tighter sphincter are, but I suspect he will be answering the question soon enough. You will, won’t you shadrone?? Inquiring minds really want to know ...
Hi, Frank! My goodness, there you go again with that hyperbolic foolishness. Can’t answer my questions so you resort to petty insults, name calling, and now my mental state is being called into question. And here I was being civil. Nevertheless, here is my point by point rebuttal:
1. Your hyperbolic prose-"They lead narrow, darkened little lives and get their rocks off by tearing at the seams of the dreams of others..." "As far as I’m concerned, they are attempting to destroy those with an entrepreneurial spirit and even the free enterprise system itself..." THAT’S not hyperbole?? Well, maybe not the first one. That’s just lousy writing. 2. I ask what the heck is micro-arching and you go off on some ridiculous tangent about typos, Dan Quayle, and his spelling abilities. I plainly said I didn’t believe it was a typo. It’s also quite plain you have no idea what it is, yet you state the product prevents it. Interesting. And apparently, you and Dan Quayle had the same spelling teacher, because you are embarrassingly wrong- the plural of potato is in fact, ready?POTATOES! Yeah, just like I spelled it in my text. If you need to know how to spell any other basic words, just ask and I’ll explain.
3. Magic paste no money back guarantee-You just proved you believe people are inherently dishonest, and anyone who thinks they aren’t is being naive. Does that include those who hype certain pastes? I like to think there is a lot more honesty in the world than not. But what do I know? I’m wearing my rose colored glasses.
4. You are taking a partial statement and giving a rebuttal that has nothing to do with the rest of the statement. Nothing.
5. The post you missed- I clearly state the audio reviewer states this, word for word mind you, as fact in his review. Didn’t you read it??! Perhaps you should go back and enlighten yourself.
6. Proof that it does as claimed- You got me, Frank. I believe in having evidence that something works before I spend my money on it. How ignorant of me. What do you believe in, fairies, pixie dust, and magic paste?
7. I hope the product works and you don’t believe me- Don’t you think inferring I’m a liar is an assault on my integrity? Or are you psychic and know everything I hope and know? You’re not psychic, are you?? I’m only asking because you’ve accused others of being so, and I thought it might be a nifty club to join. My personal favorite- "I tend to believe that even answering each of your questions in detail, you still will remain a skeptic..."Each of my questions?? Start with one of my questions.Honestly, Frank, you’re really not helping your cause at all.....
Glad to see thecarpathian removed the reference to a certain current public figure that offended one of the mods, and reposted. This version should survive.
" Your hyperbolic prose-"They lead narrow, darkened little lives and get their rocks off by tearing at the seams of the dreams of others..." "As far as I’m concerned, they are attempting to destroy those with an entrepreneurial spirit and even the free enterprise system itself..."
Let me guess ... You have never signed the back of a paycheck. You have always worked for someone else. You are very comfortable getting all of the "free" benefits offered you by your employer. You wouldn’t dare attempt to open your own business, or take a financial risk in bringing a new product to market, and you think anyone who takes these risks is nutz. You are still a fairly young guy without a whole lot of experience dealing with the public. How correct is this? Also, to boot, I’d venture to guess that you’re not an astute student of history. And finally, you’re a true blue Bernie fan, aren’t you? :-)
I believe you are truly sincere. Honest, I do. *lol*
Stay tuned carp .... all of your technical questions will be answered in due time. Even then, you won’t buy the product ... too much "risk" for you. No "fairies, pixie dust, and magic paste" for you, remember? Console yourself with the thought that you are not alone. There’s a whole gaggle of your ilk posting here. Haven’t seen the product. Haven’t used the product. Haven’t heard the product, .... but think nothing of destroying the product and its future success with their inane BS before its even released. What kind of warped pleasure is there in that? Again, the nay-sayers really need to check their premises and state their intent. But then, that would take a little introspection and a whole lot of testicular fortitude, wouldn’t it? Truly scary stuff my man ...
Hi everyone! I just beta tested this terrific new thingy. It's a box shaped device. I brought it into my house, and all my lights shone like the sun, my stereo's been replaced by a magic teleportation device that whisks me off to any live music performance in history, my electric meter started running backwards, and my clothes washed themselves! Not only that, when I brought it back outside, roses started blooming, birds started singing sweeter, and Mary Poppins came down and handed me a satchel full of Bitcoins! These boxes are soon going to be available for only $299! Just don't ask me how it works, because that would be scientific mumbo jumbo, and only ignorant naysayers want that! Also don't ask about a refund, because there isn't one. That's right! No proof it works, and none of that refund foolishness if it doesn't. Because, after all, we all know how dishonest we all are....Now, how many can you I put you all down for??
"Actually, I am self employed, I do in fact run my own business, and at this very moment, am typing this from my winter home in Florida. These days I find New England too chilly this time of year."
Well, congratulations Carp. What business are you in? Just curious.
By the way, I find it a bit odd that you would mention your winter home in Florida. Why is that germane to this conversation??? Please explain ....
The Dale Carnegie Institute offers all manner of programs that purport to help salespersons enhance sales techniques. "Winning With Relationship Selling" A brief quote from their website:
"A strong customer relationship allows the sales organization to build trust, offer insights, and then help the customer."
I’m neither affiliated nor a salesman, merely someone interested in audio and, maybe, who knows, a potential customer. What we’ve got here sure ain’t Dale Carnegie. :)
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