There are .5ml vials of Stabilant 22 for under $10 on ebay. I was wrong about the $20. It is $38 for the 5ml concentrate.
Contact Enhancer Deterioration
I had been impressed with the initial application of both Walker Audio and Quicksilver contact enhancer products. There is an immediate increase in clarity, extension, and dynamics. The effect was not subtle.
However, I am now convined that over the ensuing weeks to months, the enhancer becomes detrimental. It happens gradually, so it is not obvious. The sound becomes soft, diffuse, veiled. Removing the enhancer with some alcohol has brought things back into focus.
One last experiment was whether this detriment was just due to loose connections or tight connections. For example, it has been postulated that these enhancing material form a bonded and continuous surface. Power cable connections, while they seem to be quite stable, are always moing due to vibration and expansion of metals. This will create cracks in any polymerized material. However, items such as fuses and speaker cable spades tend to be more stable due to the connector pressure and location. Would these surfaces also benefit from removing the enhancer? The answer is yes.
For those of you who are using contact enhancers, I urge you to remove this and listen to your system again. Feel free to report your findings. If anyone has any other experiences, that would be good to hear. If someone feels that there is a particular place that benefits from a contact enhancer long-term, I'd be interested. It seems that the conservative thing to do is to clean your contacts, particularly if they are prone to oxidation.
However, I am now convined that over the ensuing weeks to months, the enhancer becomes detrimental. It happens gradually, so it is not obvious. The sound becomes soft, diffuse, veiled. Removing the enhancer with some alcohol has brought things back into focus.
One last experiment was whether this detriment was just due to loose connections or tight connections. For example, it has been postulated that these enhancing material form a bonded and continuous surface. Power cable connections, while they seem to be quite stable, are always moing due to vibration and expansion of metals. This will create cracks in any polymerized material. However, items such as fuses and speaker cable spades tend to be more stable due to the connector pressure and location. Would these surfaces also benefit from removing the enhancer? The answer is yes.
For those of you who are using contact enhancers, I urge you to remove this and listen to your system again. Feel free to report your findings. If anyone has any other experiences, that would be good to hear. If someone feels that there is a particular place that benefits from a contact enhancer long-term, I'd be interested. It seems that the conservative thing to do is to clean your contacts, particularly if they are prone to oxidation.
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- 28 posts total
The deterioration of sound quality over time occurs anytime you clean signal path connections with or without contact enhancers. Contact enhancers are a mixed bag and with them a deterioration anyway. The silver paste products were designed to be used on cable connections that will not be changed out or disturbed. They achieve peak performance after a few days. They do dry out and flake off so the cleaning job becomes more involved and not as complete since the flakes get into hard to reach places. So if you find yourself becoming bored with your system and you have the itch to upgrade a component because of it, clean the contacts. Doing that on a regular basis keeps the system at the top of its' form. Contact enhancers are a questionable value and become less so if you have an established regimen for keeping the connections clean anyway. |
I've been following this thread with interest because it simply does not track with my experience. I use Walker Audio Extreme-SST (E-SST). I note that some other posters say they've also used E-SST, but my experience is that connections I've treated and left undisturbed have not deteriorated a year later when I've pulled the connection, cleaned it, and re-listened to it bare. A year later, the sonics of the year-old treated connection listened to critically just BEFORE pulling and cleaning have always been better. When I re-treat with E-SST, the improved sonics return. It's very consistent. And, the improvements in resolution, harmonic accuracy, and soundstaging that come from a very thin application of E-SST are significant to my ear. So, after more than six years using SST, I stay with it for all of my metal-to-metal connections. FWIW, in cleaning the connections in my system, I use 97% pure isopropyl alcohol and/or Kontak. Then a very thin application of E-SST. For those using Caig DeoxIT as a cleaner, I suggest you experiment by rinsing with 97% or more pure isopropyl alcohol before making the connection or applying a preservative/enhancer. In my listening, the DeoxIT leaves a sonic signature unless rinsed. One thing I've always found interesting about this hobby is that we all do have different experiences to share and I continue to learn from everyone here. I don't doubt that Rtn1 is reporting correctly what he's heard in his system. My contrary experience just continues to reflect the need for each of us to experiment in our own systems and trust our ears. Best wishes for good listening! |
- 28 posts total