Hello, Pete.
I've had my TWL RCA ICs for darned near seven years now. In that time, my cables have been inserted into and pulled out of more amps, preamps, and DACs than I can possibly remember. Every time I went to someone's home or attended an audio get together, I took one or two pairs along. Heck, one or two pairs even made it to Taiwan! I'm pretty sure they weren't designed for that much abuse.
What options exist to repair the gold plating on the pins? Is repair an option, or must the connectors be replaced?
Regards,
Michael