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Connections and contact enhancers


Daudio

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In the Audiophile Solder thread (during the on-topic posts) I had been thinking about contact enhancers like Cramolin and Tweak and the idea of connections in audio gear.

 

I have used Cramolin on all my audio, video, and even computer connections as a preventative measure. I don't recall a situation where I could have done a proper A/B comparison of its use in my audio system because there were just too many variables and my non-rigorous application timings.

 

But, I also use it in my repair and tuning of brass model locomotives (the Hi-End of model railroading). I can clearly see a marked improvement in running performance after the appropriate application of the contact enhancer. I wonder if that is a more 'objective' measurement then listening :)

 

Do you use any of these types of products ? What have your results been ? Anyone tried a A/B test on system wide applications ?

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Do you use any of these types of products ? What have your results been ? Anyone tried a A/B test on system wide applications ?

 

I haven't done any A/B comparison tests, but I've been using Craig DeOxit D5 and DeOxit Gold G5 over the years to good effect. They don't leave any residue the way some contact enhancers do.

"Relax, it's only hi-fi. There's never been a hi-fi emergency." - Roy Hall

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - William Bruce Cameron

 

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Not familiar with audible gains for these products, but as an avid model railroader for many years in the past ( N gauge....really small contact points!) proper contacts is essential to successful operation....an apples an orange comparison but it's pretty rare to still find anyone Involved with railroading, I replied on that topic alone.

 

Way back when, we had a local Brass specialty shop called S.M.C.....that had the most extensive collection of locomotives I've ever seen. My favorite was an H.O. brass Blue Goose........man that was a beautiful engine!

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The most obvious gain is from the simple removal of oxidation which may occur very slowly over time. Hence the brand name, "DeOxit".

"Relax, it's only hi-fi. There's never been a hi-fi emergency." - Roy Hall

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - William Bruce Cameron

 

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Not familiar with audible gains for these products...an apples an orange comparison

 

I don't see how it is really different. Contact is improved and the effect is just more 'visible' in one then the other. Same principles, same materials, different applications.

 

My favorite was an H.O. brass Blue Goose........man that was a beautiful engine!

 

Yes, it was a great example of Tenshodo's Japanese craftsmanship. And you just gotta love that powder blue, not too far from some early Ford Thunderbirds :)

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Not familiar with audible gains for these products, but as an avid model railroader for many years in the past ( N gauge....really small contact points!) proper contacts is essential to successful operation....an apples an orange comparison but it's pretty rare to still find anyone Involved with railroading, I replied on that topic alone.

 

Way back when, we had a local Brass specialty shop called S.M.C.....that had the most extensive collection of locomotives I've ever seen. My favorite was an H.O. brass Blue Goose........man that was a beautiful engine!

So what sounds better, N or HO?

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It is the real deal Dave, invented by Mike Wright of Dayton-Wright. It has been around for decades, and used in communications, aerospace and military. It is not so much a cleaner as a true contact enhancer. It is not a silver paste, for that matter it is non conductive as I recall (meaning it it will not create a trace). One doesn't see it in audiophile circles as they do not advertise LOL. It can be had on Amazon. People really ought to try this. They recommend putting it on one channel and then listening. Some tech guys swear by it, especially for low voltage small contacts like your trains and err umm, analog and digital audio parts and bits.

 

"Stabilant 22 is an electrically active material which stays resident within a contact-pair, there enhancing conductivity without causing electrical leakage between adjacent contacts. Although Stabilant 22 does have a detergent action it is not sold as a cleaner, just as it has a good lubricant action but is not sold as a lubricant. Stabilant 22 is used to increase the reliability of contacts. Tenfold to one hundred-fold increases are not unusual. At the present time it is used in many different types of contacts, including card-edge connectors, D-type connectors, MIL-spec connectors, signal switches, etc.Stabilant 22 is an initially non-conductive amorphous-semiconductive polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropyline block polymer with a molecular weight of about 2800 that, when used in thin films between contacts, acts under the influence of the electrical field and switches to a conductive state. The electric field gradient at which this occurs is established during manufacture so that the material will remain normally non-conductive. Its switching speed is too slow to allow it to be used in the more traditional semiconductor applications; however, this means that signals at frequencies substantially above five cycles per hour will not be modulated by the switching characteristics of Stabilant 22.Thus, when applied to electromechanical contacts, Stabilant 22 provides the wide-bandpass connection reliability of a soldered joint without bonding the contacting surfaces together! In its undiluted form at room temperature, Stabilant 22 has the viscosity of medium-weight motor oil, although it thins out with increasing temperature, starting to decompose into the two polymers it is formed from at about 240° Celsius. It has a very low vapor pressure and therefore there is no appreciable loss of material from evaporation."

 

REVIEW 10 - MODEL RR's

 

Amazon.com: Stabilant 22, 5ml Kit Makes 30ml of 22A - 22: Electronics

 

4est, Tell us more about Stabilant 22.

Forrest:

Win10 i9 9900KS/GTX1060 HQPlayer4>Win10 NAA

DSD>Pavel's DSC2.6>Bent Audio TAP>

Parasound JC1>"Naked" Quad ESL63/Tannoy PS350B subs<100Hz

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