Deoxit cleaning of tubes/socket ruined my sound!

setamp · « **on:** 29 Oct 2013, 02:04 pm »

Over the weekend, I cleaned my tube pins and sockets with Deoxit D. I then followed up with Deoxit ProGold, retensioned the contacts and reinserted the tubes. I sat down for a listening session this morning and it sounded horrid - thin, bright, grainy and harsh. My rig normally is very clear/clean and sits slightly on the warm and lush side of neutral. I can't stand to listen to it and want to reverse my error. Can I use alcohol to remove the Caig?

rollo · « **Reply #1 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 02:19 pm »

Alcohol should remove the Pro Gold. Very surprising result no one else to my knowledge has experienced a bad sonic result. Try listening again after some playing time. Got me just makes no sense. Not doubting your outcome just hard to fathom.

charles

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #2 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 02:23 pm »

It may be the tube pins was the source from the prob.
The sockets affected are from what kind/type??
Any image from web to ilustrated it??

electricbear · « **Reply #3 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 02:29 pm »

I had a similar issue when I unwisely used Silclear on my tubes and sockets. I was dismayed at how brittle and thin the sound became. I was able to pull the tubes and wipe off the majority of the Silclear and my sound reverted back ok. Won't make that mistake again.

Photon46 · « **Reply #4 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 02:56 pm »

I've read of other people complaining that Pro-gold imparted an obnoxious sonic signature. I've used Deoxit alone to clean grungy tube pins with no deleterious sonic effects in my Dehavilland UltraVerve.

RDavidson · « **Reply #5 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 03:07 pm »

Quote from: electricbear on 29 Oct 2013, 02:29 pm

I had a similar issue when I unwisely used Silclear on my tubes and sockets. I was dismayed at how brittle and thin the sound became. I was able to pull the tubes and wipe off the majority of the Silclear and my sound reverted back ok. Won't make that mistake again.

Not exactly an apples to apples comparison as Deoxit is just a simple contact cleaner. Silclear has metallic pieces suspended in paste to "enhance contact." Not a good idea in my opinion ; Silclear is just introducing another metal between your connectors. Why on earth would this a good thing, Mapleshade? Deoxit, on the other hand, is made to just clean dirty contacts by removing dirt and oxidation buildup. This is a good thing, in my experience. I once used Deoxit D100L on the speaker connectors to my McCormack DNA .5 Deluxe, which were apparently dirty. Cleaned them up. Reconnected everything. Immediate impression is that I had enhanced overall definition and accuracy across the board. The bass, prior, was definitely warm and wooly. After cleaning, this characteristic was gone and I was left with tighter more tuneful bass. This could be similar to what setamp is experiencing and I can understand liking the "dirty" contact sound. I suggest letting it run for awhile. Make sure there isn't any excess Deoxit on the contacts. Removing it with alcohol might not help you because I don't think the Deoxit is the problem. The "problem" is your shiny clean contacts. As a side note, pretty much any time I get a new (used) piece of gear, I clean the contacts. I believe this will help ensure I'm getting the sound the gear is supposed provide unclouded by dirty contacts. Anyone else do this?

JakeJ · « **Reply #6 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 03:58 pm »

I have used Caig (not ProGold), Rat Shack, and CRC contact cleaners over the years and they always had a positive effect. I tried Mapleshade SilClear once on a set of speaker cables and it had no effect whatsoever so I chalked that one up to snake oil. I did clean it off because it collects all the dust bunnies within a 5 foot radius of whatever you apply it to.

WireNut · « **Reply #7 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 04:07 pm »

Hmm, glad you mentioned this. Maybe Deoxit without the ProGold would be the thing to do.

91% alcohol took tree sap off my daughters car no problem, should be fine for cleaning the pins......

setamp · « **Reply #8 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 04:49 pm »

I don't think it is an issue of"shiny new pins". There is obviously something wrong as my system went from sounding great to sounding terrible. I believe deoxit gold is moret han just a cleaner.
My amp is an eddie current balancing act running sophia princess 300b's. The sockets allow for either a 300 b or px4 power tube. My 300b's were bot new earlier this year. Between the ecba and my lampizator l4g4 and audeze lcd-2.1 headphones I would not call any component bright or lean.

JakeJ · « **Reply #9 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 04:58 pm »

Quote from: WireNut on 29 Oct 2013, 04:07 pm

91% alcohol took tree sap off my daughters car no problem, should be fine for cleaning the pins......

And thanks to you, WireNut, for this tip. I have tree sap on my BMW and hadn't found anything to remove it yet. I'll try this in an inconspicuous spot to see if works and does no damage to the finish.

setamp,

Hopefully you can get all the Caig product off and will let us know your results. I think rollo is right about using alcohol and I think the highest purity will be the best. 91% or higher if you can find it.

RDavidson · « **Reply #10 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 05:02 pm »

I see. New tubes. I would've thought that any effect on cleaning the pins/sockets to be minimal if any on new tubes. But even from the factory, connectors can get crud on them even just from the manufacturing process. I mean, it's not like our gear is made in a sterile environment or something, so I can understand wanting to still clean even new tube pins.

I've never used Pro Gold, so you may be right. It may be like Silclear, in that it is creating a thin barrier between the metal contacts. I still suggest running the amps and see if they return back to normal after a week or so as awful as it may sound for most of the duration. If things don't work out, clean that Pro Gold off with alcohol as others have suggested.

RDavidson · « **Reply #11 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 05:05 pm »

Quote from: JakeJ on 29 Oct 2013, 04:58 pm

And thanks to you, WireNut, for this tip. I have tree sap on my BMW and hadn't found anything to remove it yet. I'll try this in an inconspicuous spot to see if works and does no damage to the finish.

setamp,

Hopefully you can get all the Caig product off and will let us know your results. I think rollo is right about using alcohol and I think the highest purity will be the best. 91% or higher if you can find it.

If it works, I would be sure to thoroughly wash and wax afterward. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that alcohol could mess up your clear coat. Be sure to use a very soft cloth, like microfiber.

Steve · « **Reply #12 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 05:24 pm »

Yep, conducting materials do make a sonic difference. It can be a positive change or negative
depending upon the previous sonics of the part/component being modified.

Cheers.

JakeJ · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 05:42 pm »

Quote from: RDavidson on 29 Oct 2013, 05:05 pm

If it works, I would be sure to thoroughly wash and wax afterward. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that alcohol could mess up your clear coat. Be sure to use a very soft cloth, like microfiber.

That's precisely what I'm worried about. I have been considering taking it to a detail shop but funds are very tight at the moment.

Apologies for going off topic.

Photon46 · « **Reply #14 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 07:17 pm »

Quote from: JakeJ on 29 Oct 2013, 04:58 pm

And thanks to you, WireNut, for this tip. I have tree sap on my BMW and hadn't found anything to remove it yet. I'll try this in an inconspicuous spot to see if works and does no damage to the finish.

See the link for a detailed overview of how to get hardened tree sap off your bimmer. I've had excellent results using mineral spirits, as mentioned in the article. Whatever solvent you use, make sure the finish is otherwise squeaky clean so no grit can haze and scratch the finish as you work.

http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/repairs/detailing/tree_sap.htm

Apologies for the off topic chat here.

WireNut · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 07:33 pm »

Quote from: JakeJ on 29 Oct 2013, 04:58 pm

And thanks to you, WireNut, for this tip. I have tree sap on my BMW and hadn't found anything to remove it yet. I'll try this in an inconspicuous spot to see if works and does no damage to the finish.

JakeJ,

My daughter had tree sap all over the hood and top of her beautiful maroon car I bought her new for graduation. I was not a happy dad when I saw the car, holy shit

.

I was amazed how the 91% alcohol took the sap right off. I used terry cloth with the alcohol and then waxed the car afterwards. It looks brand new. Yeah, I was nervous about doing it so I tried it in a small spot first. Worked like a charm.

I told her, she is one lucky girl and to never park under that tree again. I also told her If it ever happens again she know what to do.

Yeah it will clean those tubes socket pins.

WireNut · « **Reply #16 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 07:37 pm »

Quote from: Photon46 on 29 Oct 2013, 07:17 pm

http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/repairs/detailing/tree_sap.htm

JakeJ,

Holy shit, finger nail polish remover scared the crap out of me. It's way to strong IMO, It's like paint remover.
I thought about using mineral spirits, zyline, acetone, and I had them all available, but they are all way to strong IMO and are like paint remover. The alcohol worked like a dream, I was shocked how good it worked.

Wayner · « **Reply #17 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 08:17 pm »

I have 99% that I got from my local drug store. They did have to order it, but it came the next day. It's labeled as a solvent.

Wayner

Photon46 · « **Reply #18 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 08:41 pm »

Quote from: WireNut on 29 Oct 2013, 07:37 pm

JakeJ,

Holy shit, finger nail polish remover scared the crap out of me. It's way to strong IMO, It's like paint remover.
I thought about using mineral spirits, zyline, acetone, and I had them all available, but they are all way to strong IMO and are like paint remover. The alcohol worked like a dream, I was shocked how good it worked.

The clearcoat finish that is on top of the paint is tough as nails. When the pro detailers at the Mercedes dealership I used to work for showed me how they used solvents like pure alcohol and mineral spirits to remove sap and tar I couldn't believe it myself. Many clearcoats are two part catalyzed films, so those are even more chemically resistant. The irony of the implementation of clearcoat technology is that while it has made the paint underneath more resistant to fading and damage, the clearcoat itself shows scratches, swirls, and hazing worse than a plain paint film.

RDavidson · « **Reply #19 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 10:06 pm »

Quote from: Photon46 on 29 Oct 2013, 08:41 pm

The clearcoat finish that is on top of the paint is tough as nails. When the pro detailers at the Mercedes dealership I used to work for showed me how they used solvents like pure alcohol and mineral spirits to remove sap and tar I couldn't believe it myself. Many clearcoats are two part catalyzed films, so those are even more chemically resistant. The irony of the implementation of clearcoat technology is that while it has made the paint underneath more resistant to fading and damage, the clearcoat itself shows scratches, swirls, and hazing worse than a plain paint film.

Getting really off topic, but good to know. I would still proceed with caution. What you're saying may not universally apply to other vehicles, whose paint and finish are perhaps less than the high standard a Mercedes or a BMW certainly have.