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’d opine it’s rather difficult to tell why you’re hearing what you’re hearing, Hour to Hour, Day to Day or Week to Week, Rain or Shine. What can I say? I would not (rpt not) be very surprised if the sound is affected by Sunspot and solar flare activity. If you’re interested you can keep a log, correlating SQ to sunspot and solar flare activity or weather, etc. And unless you’re just sitting there watching the graphene cure and not doing anything at all to the system, you cannot separate all the variables. Things are far from static. They’re very dynamic.
Plus there are great big variables that are uh, unmentionable. And I don’t want to get banned so I won’t mention them.
You can track solar flare activity at,
SpaceWeatherLive.com
The following paragraphs are taken from an article posted online in 2014.
“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, which provides important resources to describe the space environment, including geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms and radio blackouts, is forecasting the possibility of moderate-to-strong geomagnetic activity for Friday and Saturday. The source of the activity is a coronal mass ejection observed earlier this week. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – also known as solar flares – create a large mass of charged solar energetic particles that escape from the sun’s corona and travel to the earth.
In situations such as this, an established, well-coordinated strategy is activated. The Energy Department, other government agencies, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and electricity utilities across the U.S. are working together, closely monitoring the situation and evaluating the impact to the Nation’s electric grid. NOAA issued a G3 Geomagnetic Storm Watch last night so that the nation’s power grid operators have plenty of time to take appropriate actions for this level of storm. Reliability Coordinators for the power grid have been notified by NERC per their operating plans. The utility industry is monitoring the situation closely, following the NOAA reports and analyzing data from the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) Sunburst program, a geomagnetic-induced current monitoring system. The industry is prepared to take action as needed, including reducing load if necessary and changing operational settings to respond to system needs.”
You should be hearing the big eight week jump at this point. The new "tweak" actually detracted from the SQ for the first couple of listening sessions in my system. So ... that would lead me to believe that you have a lot more in store for you SQ wise. Tonight's listening session was fantastic. The system has never sounded better.
Frank, I am also listening this weekend with the new mystery tweak, left in the same place for two days now. This is also my eighth week after pasting all external points with TC. Question is, am I hearing the "peak onset" of TC, or am I hearing an improvement due to the presence of this new accessory? I have been more impressed each time I have listened these past weeks, and if I were to ascribe this weekend's improvements to that eight-week point in time, I would say it was right on time. But, if I were not willing to be held to a linear point in time, I would have to say this new tweak is responsible for the differences I am hearing this weekend. Instruments are standing out in clearer relief. There is more information revealed, just as in past weeks with the contact enhancer. Whatever this thing is doing, I have just reached another plateau of enjoyment---wow!
“While the noise floor is lowered further, and is quite obvious, there is a relaxation to the music not unlike what we hear in live music ... enhancing the realism. As the days pass, this relaxation continues to get better.”
Frank,
interesting, I am noticing the same thing. I really like it!
So I’m assuming this new product works in conjunction with TC. Is it another contact enhancer or something completely different?
I have TC in all the usual places ... and then some. Yes, it works with TC. Its not another contact enhancer ... and it does some things like TC, but there's something else that I finally put my finger on last night. While the noise floor is lowered further, and is quite obvious, there is a relaxation to the music not unlike what we hear in live music ... enhancing the realism. As the days pass, this relaxation continues to get better. There's more, but I want to save it for later when Tim gives the word of its release. Stay tuned ... :-)
Just a little update on my system. The total contact gets better and better as it cures. Not only has the bass impact increased but the detail in the bass is amazing. I also have noticed soundstage has become a little bigger since my last update. Focus continues to improve and it is more organic and analog sounding. Really to sum it up this tweek is worth every cent.
My first applications of TC were the last week in February 2018 and have not been disturbed. I only treated interconnects, all power chords, power conditioners and power strips. I have still have not gotten to any fuse treatment due to work requirements. Interestingly enough, I did not expect any further musical refinement, since I never treated the interior of my equipment, wall outlets, electric panels etc. However, in the last 2 to 3 weeks I have noticed that the music taken on a more life like tonality. Better pace, rhythm and timing from top to bottom. I have also found that I can relax while listening since my mind has to work less and less to complete notes, that were once obscured by system noise, on very familiar recordings.
As as I noted before, the digital sources have really benefited the most, in my system. It sounds as if the digital “glare/hardness” has continued to deminish over time while the dynamics are steadily increasing.
As of this date, I still have not heard any negatives in the overall musical presentation.
By the way, I love being a delusional, brain washed, etc... audiophile, as I enjoy my Hi-Fi.
Still testing ... I don't want to be jumping all over the place yet. But so far, the noise floor has fallen another several stories. Tim says it may take a couple of weeks to reach its prime. We'll see ...
I'll start a new thread when the time is appropriate. Stay tuned.
Words mean different things to different people. Especially bland generic words like nice and good and very good. Are you guys a little gun shy? If you’re going to build suspense you’ll have to do better than that. In my quarters they don’t mean anything.
The obvious solution (no pun intended) is to arrange to share one syringe among two or three buyers. Hel-loo! If someone wants to go all the way he might need the whole thing. You know, circuit breaker box, all solder joints, all microchips, all wall outlet contacts everywhere, video system, whatever. You don’t really know a priori how far you are inclined to go.
I'm finding that I would want more, not less. Like grannryring and I are discovering ... there's more to this product than meets the eye. I mean, who wouldn't want frozen onions in the vegetable crisper? :-)
I told my brother in Tennessee about the product and its many uses, so he proceeded to order two kits ... and he doesn't have an audio system.
Thanks for your comments! I found pretty much the same as you when I treated a few obvious places. The next level came when I treated my computer server throughout the inside as well as my amps and power supplies internally. Finally I did my speakers internally. Not everyone is comfortable doing all this. I should clarify that my near intoxicating love affair with this product is based on using an entire vile and a portion of another just about everywhere it could be used.
BTW...still enjoying the artists you turned me onto. Thanks!
If Grannyring is correct that there is enough paste to do several systems why is this company not selling smaller sizes ? Half the quantity half the $300 . Or maybe a $75 bottle for one system . Makes no sense to have to buy enough product for 3 systems .
I'm still waiting for someone ... anyone .. to compare TC with what The Mad Scientist offers. I know there are several "Goners" who have tried the MS product ... at least they've said they were going to order it. To date, no one has stepped up. Please, if you've tried the MS graphine product, let us know your results. I've been encouraging the comparison all along.
As far as the claims of TC being overpriced based upon the materials used, to date, those making the claims haven't presented any receipts or bills showing the cost of materials obtained by Tim Mrock in order to make the product, packaging it or shipping it out. Nothing about the labor costs either. Surly, if a product is claimed to be overpriced, then some proof should be forthcoming, no?
And by the way, no one is attacking anyone in this thread without being personally attacked first. Genuine criticism and questions are always welcome.
FolkFreak, thanks for your review of TC. In noting the high quality of your components and accessories, including the Torus wall-mount power supply, I am glad you DO hear the contribution of TC as a more organic presentation. What I get a kick out of is that TC continues to reward over time. I will be at eight weeks this weekend, and I have been happier each time I listen.
"... over enthusiastic claims being made by apparently hypnotized audiophiles on a thread designed to sell product."
Okay Elizabeth, I’ll adjust the question a bit: How do you know that what’s been presented here regarding TC is "over enthusiastic" and that the users are "hypnotized" when you haven’t personally used it yourself, let alone even seen it?
And by the way Elizabeth, my intention isn't to call you dishonest ... I don't even know you. Its just a simple question.
I've been following the history of TC with some interest and after hanging back for a while purchased a set and applied it to my interconnects, super-tweeter connections, and select power cords. I've been leery to post my findings in large part put off by the toxic atmosphere this thread has generated.
Overall while I think TC in general has a positive impact it, at least to this user, in his system, is not a particularly impactful tweak. Think of it more as the difference between a good first pressing and a re-press then the equivalent of a major component upgrade.
The pressing comparison is well chosen because for me the impact of TC was to assist in making the system sound more organic, less hi-fi. So it tempers the common experience of frequency highlighting ("wow isn't that bass good", "love those cymbals") and instead helps you hear the holistic performance, putting more of the performers in the room together. I found exactly the same thing this morning comparing the Cooking Vinyl and original Tara pressings of Davy Spillanes "Atlantic Bridge" -- the former is all (very impressive) bass and bombast while the latter at first seems subdued but is in fact much better integrated.
To some extent this sort of impact is like that obtained from use of FoQ material - its not like a fuse change which is more black/white and direct in impact. Of course it doesn't help that for 24 hours after application the sound is awful, chesty and congested. This clears up quickly (and it's elapsed time not play time). I've personally not noticed big improvements with time but I do make all manner of changes in my system on an ongoing basis anyway.
I do find TC to be a pain to use however and I'm leery to try it on digital connections (of which I have a lot) given past experience with other tweaks really messing them up (the FoQ for example).
So overall for me its a B+ type product, worth having and for me and worth the $$ but by no means a must have. As it's tricky to use and hard to do A/B I'd only recommend it to those that are already happy with their systems, and also to those who are looking for a more yin oriented, holistic presentation than a yan/analytical.
“So if you think I walked away and you can disparage me,..You are wrong. I suggest you skip the attacks on me and what I said unless you want me to continue.. for say the next two years? on this thread making it clear that some folks are not so easily bamboozled . I am retired, and have all day every day to just be as annoying as you are. So it is your choice, O. And the same goes for the rest of your ’team’ of ’enthusiasts’..BTW oregonpapa, you can start by apologizing for insinuating I am not ’honest’ or ’genuine’ for starters.”
Pseudo skeptics just can’t seem to stay away. It’s like a moth to flame 🔥 . The funny thing is it isn’t really that controversial. It’s difficult to separate the grinders from the so called honest audiophiles. 😬 Next up, glupson to ask, what’s a grinder?
My feelings exactly. Tim is really on to something special here. I've been doing quite a bit of experimenting with TC over the past few months. I won't talk about it until I have Tim's OK to do so. I will say that the power savings (electrical bill) has gone down ... and I had to turn the temperature of my refrigerator up because things in the bottom drawer intended to keep vegetables crisp started freezing.
Based on the SQ benifits of this product, only realized by actual use, I stand by my statement that this product and other innovative spin-offs from it will be used extensively in manufacturing and elsewhere. I see it in power plants, medical facilities and all manner of electronics. The inventor is really into something here. I am certain other innovative products of “like” origin are coming! Exciting times for many and certainly for we audio enthusiasts.
I understand the cost concern. I really depends on how you view it. $300 for a tiny vile of paste seems extreme. I get that. However, that container goes a long, long way. You can paste several systems and still have some left. My experience with a digital front end is the SQ improvement is greater than any number of much more expensive cables, cords, tweaks, footers etc.... In this light the paste is really a killer bargain. I am speaking in terms of $’s to SQ improvement. I know of nothing in audio that adds up to a better value or $’s to SQ improvement.
The only real negative, which I have not seen mentioned, is the fact that you are covering up your gear with paste. Some may just not be comfortable with that notion for resale or warranty work. Perhaps other reasons. I get that.
On another note, I might take a break from this infomercial as my posts seem to allow the rabid and often unhinged TC hyperbole infused fanboys and sales force more opportunities to rant the promotional manifesto. I think TC will be ignored by the marketplace and will settle into oblivion with the vast wasteland of other unnecessary audio tweaks...and besides, I think Tim owes me 500 bucks.
Regarding Mister Fleshler..."Jetter-to answer why Wolf is a troll, he has personally attacked me in this forum, denigrating my name, my heritage and I think my religion." I "think" my religion? I get that many around here are wound pretty tight, but accusing me of denigrating your religion or heritage is ridiculous, as I know of no religion you adhere to except the religion of "follower of expensive left field tweaks." You also have mentioned a few times that you consider yourself to be wealthy, which makes me think, who says that? More than once...man...in any case my picking on your name was simply because you came out of nowhere to join the infomercial that is this thread and I thought your name was sort of funny...I now know you’re not funny in any way. Sorry to have rumpled your feathers, and please continue to personally attack me as a troll or whatever you feel you need to do as hey, perhaps it’s therapeutic for you as it often is for the intensely insecure among us.
I have been following along on this thread since just about the beginning, and have been in this hobby for about 50 years now.
In the early days after just purchasing my audiophile membership I would save and spend every penny on the dream. Soon into my addiction the pinnacle of spending for me were a pair of Levinson ML-2's, ML-3, LNC-2 crossover, Magneplanar T-1D's, and soon after Tympani 4's all new except for the LNC-2.
When my career kind of got in the way along with it came a change in philosophy of my pursuit of audio bliss. I would attempt to acquire a system with 90%, or hopefully even a higher percentage of SOTA for 5% of the cash outlay. At least that was the goal.
Fast forwarding to this point I have not heard TC in my system or any where. My opinion is that it would be at the minimum a good addition to almost any music system, as well as other applications. I would like to buy some.
The OP in a recent post commented that TC is very inexpensive. That would seem to me to be from the viewpoint exclusively of perceived performance vs dollars spent.
In evaluating this product from my viewpoint I see a marketing approach with nearly zero cost outlay, and raw materials near an absolute minimum. $299 for this package falls sadly into the all too familiar category of far overpriced audio product.
In my one previous post on this thread I suggested a smaller quantity at a more affordable price, as a possible simple solution to reboot the marketing approach. Of course bringing the TC to the end consumer cost would be close to the exact same amount, but then in my mind all would be well.
There is a company that specializes in isolation accessories that I've purchased from I believe 12 times now. Products work as advertised and at prices that fit into my 90%-5% mindset. Maybe they're working with graphene right about now.
I am a mere enthusiast. Look at my posting and review history plus feedback. Easy to see I post on a myriad of different topics and am a long time member. Best way to try the product is to spend $75 with three other people and pass around the paste. Paste a few simple connections. Give it a couple of days and if you like what you hear then go for a full purchase and paste your entire system for even more fantastic results.
In crossovers paste all solder connections and bare point to point wire runs. Yes, cover all those cap and resistor leadouts. Inside speakers paste the leads exiting the voice coil to the tab connectors. Paste the tab connectors and any solder connections. Paste the solder connections at the speaker binding posts. Paste the entire post inside the speaker.
Pasting just one power cord or connection will give you a taste of the SQ improvement. On its own the improvement level is like cap or tube upgrade. However, when you take the time to apply throughout your system, as outlined in many posts, well then the improvement is on the order that makes the skeptics anxious. To get to this level requires a willingness to get inside gear, speakers, outlets etc...Simple to do but does take time.
@shadorne <It is as simple as “follow the money” - this thread is not by mere enthusiasts. This thread is a highly orchestrated product promotion as anyone can see from the ridiculous claims. This thread is clearly about parting folks from their money. Statements like “TC is better than any equipment upgrade” are just so ridiculous that the whole thing is one awfully long joke. Sadly the joke is a material expense to those who get swept up in all the hoopla.>
Could not be put better although I can't help wishing there was a better way to separate the debates here on Audiogon between the genuine enthusiasts and all the rest.
To those that have treated their speaker crossovers, what all exactly did you paste? My speaker crossovers are easily (somewhat) accessible so I plan on doing this sometime soon.
My follow-up to the 6/13/18 post: "I’ve provided feedback about how much further TC has taken my reviewing system is past posts but I finally took the plunge and treated the insides of my Ayon Audio S-5 Network Player/DAC/Preamp. I painted the R-core transformer center sections, center section of fuses, signal and dc power hook up wires, tops of metal caps, and DAC chips". I also treated the outside surface of the internal preamp tubes and power supply tubes and the 12 unused rca noise stopper caps. All mods using TC were done late on Saturday afternoon. I have another high end digital component in for review (retail is about $10K more than my S-5) that I had planned to compare to my internally TC treated Ayon Audio S-5. This past Sunday I AB both components with my local audiophile friend present. We started with the new component and played familiar music we know and then swapped in the S-5. The S-5 being tube based was considerably warmer sounding and definitely more warmed sounding prior to internal TC treatment from recent memory. I thought maybe I went too far with TC (my thoughts on Sunday ). I let TC settle in for 3 days without changing anything in my system and listened yesterday to the same music with my friend. The magic returned and then some. I totally agree with Grannyring, the improvement TC provides far exceeds internal wire, capacitor and resistor changes or competing tweaks previously reviewed. The internal TC treatment of my S-5 resulted in a big jump in resolution and transparent and made me forget the inclination to upgrade to a new digital front end that adds DSD. Adding more TC to my reviewing system hasn't resulted in diminishing returns but to the contrary. The musicality of my system has improved with each additional application of TC.
It is as simple as “follow the money” - this thread is not by mere enthusiasts.This thread is a highly orchestrated product promotion as anyone can see from the ridiculous claims. This thread is clearly about parting folks from their money. Statements like “TC is better than any equipment upgrade” are just so ridiculous that the whole thing is one awfully long joke. Sadly the joke is a material expense to those who get swept up in all the hoopla.
@thecarpathion Thank you for the kind words and encouragement. It is not a pleasant position to be in and I know my beautiful rock, my wife, is really hurting. She keeps me sane in a seemingly, unjust world.
Elizabeth, I have always enjoyed your narratives on the AC forums over the years. We who are using and enjoying TC seem weirdly protective on this forum because the attackers are much the same gang who have tried to torpedo the OP’s threads on SR fuses.
As an aside, I am sorry you are struggling with those old HiFi Tuning fuses in your new 20.7’s. Please replace them with SR Blues of the correct ratings, and you can ditch the attenuators for good--see the historically long SR Blue threads under "Misc Audio" for reference.
Skeptics are only people who ask for a product specification as you would if purchasing a new HiFi component. People who have tried and are happy with the product have based their purchasing decision on empirical trust. Both parties should be able to base their to use the product or not. simple decision that does not require any nasties.
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