Walker Audio Extreme SST


I don't believe it... I friggin' well don't believe it... But I hear it. Ann hears it.

Lloyd's new Extreme SST is yet another step better than the original SST (Super Silver Treatment contact enhancer).

This weekend was devoted to system tweaking. A "minor" turntable update that turned out to be HUGE, followed by experimentation with Walker Audio's new Extreme SST.

Some months ago we'd already used the original SST on our interconnects and speaker cables: WOW! The increase in resolution and clarity was palpable. Everything you may have read about how great this stuff is is absolutely true. Now Lloyd comes out with Extreme SST, which he says is "taking SST to a new level of wow!" So, okay, we'll try it. Lloyd's recommendations have a perfect track record in this household for being right on the money: I always start somewhat skeptical, only to be astonished yet again by that wizard of audio. This weekend's venture was to prove to be yet another trip down that path.

So, first a critical listening session with three system challenging music selections we enjoy. Then, all the old SST gets removed (it wipes right off with an isopropyl alcohol soaked Q-tip), then these same connections get treated with Extreme SST. Controlled test here: nothing else changed, no new connections treated, just the original connections for interconnects and speaker cables. Then we play two hours worth of music to let everything break in again before listening.

Now we sit down to play the three music selections we listened to at the outset of the process: the last few minutes of Stravinsky's Firebird (Dorati, Mercury/Classic Records), the very end of Mendelssohn's Symphony 3 (Scottish Symphony) (Maag, Decca/Speakers Corner), and the very beginning of Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 (Borodin Qt, Decca/Speakers Corner). No talking: write down your impressions separately, compare only after all the music selections are over.

And when we share our written comments the results are virtually identical. Ann: "increased resolution, increased clarity." Rush: "increased clarity, resolution and staging specificity, somewhat cleaner leading edges to transients."

And this is on top of what the ORIGINAL SST delivered!

So what next? What else can you expect: the rest of the Sunday spent treating with Extreme SST every previously untreated connection, which includes phono cartridge pins, power cord connections, fuses, and every tube pin in this entire system (that's a lot of tubes here). Results: after two hours I'm beginning to get a sense of a system that sounds like the windows have been newly washed for dramatically improved clarity. It will take another several hours for the SST on the cartridge pins to fully break in, so even more will come.

Should you get Extreme SST? I dunno if it will be worth the extra cost to you over the original version. BUT YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO USE ONE OR THE OTHER IN YOUR SYSTEM! The improvement SST provides is remarkable and should be part of every audiophiles system set-up procedure.
http://www.walkeraudio.com/sst.htm

For the other skeptics among us, here are links to other people's reviews and thoughts about Walker Audio's original SST:
Positive Feedback's Brutus Award and full review (David Robinson)...
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue16/brutus04dr.htm
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue13/walkeraudiosst.htm
6moons.com Blue Moon Award (Srajan Ebaen)...
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/walker3/SST.html
Stereo Times (Clement Perry)...
http://www.stereotimes.com/acc092704.shtm
Enjoy the Music (Bill Gaw)...
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0304/aachapter54.htm
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128x128rushton

Showing 12 responses by rushton

A good recommendation is to keep the stuff in the freezer, if possible. And, ALWAYS, run around the gap where the jar meets the lid a few times with any kind of electrical tape.
Thanks for the tip, Joe. I've wondered whether some special storage for the unused material should be considered.
Hi Tvad, thanks for the courtesy. But what I said was that the "contents" are described in the statement I quoted from the web site; and this was in response to Ncarv's comment that he didn't have information about the contents of Walker SST. The in-house production comment is purely from me, not the web site, and is based on personal knowledge. Sorry that part was not clear.
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Some additional html tags can be added after submitting the post if you can get back in to "edit my post".
Same is true for adding pictures:


www.6moons.com/audioreviews/walker3/SST.html
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Jtinn, a reasonable caution. SST is highly conductive. I encourage anyone trying it to read carefully Walker Audio's cautions about how to apply SST. A VERY light painting of the surface is all that is required, don't apply it like a paste.

Mprime, you raise good points we should all be cognizant of in this hobby of ours. I certainly take no offense in you raising them, because they are very pertinent. Placebo effect is real, and we are all prone to hearing what we want or expect to hear from time to time. This is the reason my listening partner/spouse and I agreed to write down our impressions of what we were hearing and only sharing those impressions after we'd finished; and those written comments are what I shared above. That doesn't mean we weren't both fooling ourselves, but you'd need to meet my no nonsense spouse to understand why I don't think that was the case! :-)

What I find so interesting about many of Walker Audio's products is that so many who share this hobby have heard precisely the same changes in our systems when applying many of his recommended modifications/tweaks.

One final thought, it's easy to try one of Walker Audio's products in your system with no financial risk: if something you buy from Walker Audio doesn't work for you, send it back within 30 days for a full refund, less shipping. It's that simple to try it for yourself and see whether you think it's a real improvement or a "psycho-acoustic" event.
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Ncarv and Tvad, just "for the record" the Walker Audio SST is a unique formulation, it is manufactured in-house by Walker Audio and it is not a repackaging of anything else. As to the contents, as stated on the Walker Audio web site about Extreme SST:
We start with ultra-pure silver that is specially processed and made into long micro-flakes. The silver flake is subjected to a deep immersion cryogenic treatment and then suspended in an organic fluid chosen for its dielectric and temperature characteristics.
http://www.walkeraudio.com/sst.htm
Cheers,
I asked Lloyd Walker about storing and re-storing SST, and confirmed with him that he was okay with my posting the following...

For storage, Lloyd agrees with Trelja's suggestion to wrap electrical tape around the seam of the lid and jar, and to store the sealed jar in a plastic bag in the freezer.

If the SST has gotten stiff or partially dried out, Lloyd recommends taking a toothpick and stirring the material well. That will restore some of its viscosity. If the material has gotten too dry to apply, and stirring doesn't help, call or email Walker Audio. Lloyd has a recommended procedure he'll discuss with you.
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Hi Audiofire5228, I've heard very positive reports from a number of people who have applied SST on their electrical connections from the circuit breakers themselves all the way through to wiring the power outlet. I haven't done it yet myself, but it's on my list to do sometime (is there ever enough time?). If I were installing my dedicated circuits now, I would have my electrician apply Extreme SST at every contact, including the circuit breakers.
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Tvad, the Walker Audio SST is soluable with isopopyl alchohol and cleans very easily and thoroughly when cleaning is desired. I've used isopropyl and pipe cleaners with no problems in tight spaces, including tube sockets. At the same time, with SST, I've found that the contacts are pretty much pristine when I've disassembled to check: the SST dries and seals the contact area. (And, because it dries, it does not migrate after being applied to some other places where it ought not go.)
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Hi, Agaffer. Thanks for sharing your experience. I've heard from some other audiophiles that they too did not hear a difference, including some members of our local audio group. Here are two or three thoughts to share, for what they may be worth...

1) no, the E-SST does't just show positive effect because connections may be older and have some corrosion, the metal surfaces should be cleaned well before applying SST, and that's the way I've experimented with it;

2) in my experience talking with various audiophiles who've also experimented with SST, the more highly resolving a system is to begin with, the more immediately apparent will be the positive impact of the SST;

3) for me, sometimes the impact of a tweak is not apparent until I remove it from my system after it's been in the system for an extended period of time, only then do I begin noticing that I'm missing something in the sound -- kind of a reverse testing procedure.

Regards,
Agaffer, with your system (very nice, btw), you should hear a positive difference.

Try re-cleaning your contacts with some isopropyl alcohol (to both clean off the first application of E-SST and to clean the metal surface), then re-apply the E-SST according to the instructions. For the alcohol, remember to use isopropyl that does not have any additives in it (e.g., the 92% variety).

The E-SST will have a break-in period. Early on, things may sound a bit bright, but that will pass. Break-in depends on the amount of current going through the connections: for power cords expect about 2-3 hours, for interconnects and speaker cables about 5-6 hours, for phono level signals about 20 hours.

Cheers,
Lacee, the "magic" oil one can use to refresh a jar of E-SST if it begins drying out is canola oil. But only a couple or three drops. Canola oil is NOT the base used by Walker Audio in manufacturing E-SST, but Lloyd says to use it SPARINGLY to refresh as described.

I've used SST and E-SST for more than 10 years. I notice NO degradation over time in my system (which is pretty reasonably "high resolution"). I do clean all of my contacts as part of regular maintenance about once per year, but have also waited 18 months or longer. I have never felt there has been any degradation in sound quality over time.
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