[John Casler]

I actually wrote this in another Circle, but thought it might get buried or overlooked by some who might benefit from it.  It is about the use of some of the "silver treatments" out there.  I have had an exceptionally good result with them.  I have had experience with both SilClear ($35) from MapleShade and Super Silver Treatment ($69) from Walker Audio.

YMMV

It only stands to reason that each and every "pressure" or compression connection is inferior to a "straight wire" when it comes to the flow of electrons.

While I haven't done an A/B (which is pretty much impossible) of a "treated" vs "untreated" group of system connections, I did just do 90% of my system today (including fuses, all power connections, interconnects, tubes, etc)

The results are incredible. I would guess that the improved "electron flow" capabilities (remember, I'm not an electrophysicist) is increased dramatically, by filling the old "gaps" that did not allow flow with a "conductive medium" that does so.

The ability to hear "into" the music has increased as has just about every other sonic component that I like.

The key element that is so telling, is the song by Josh Groban that we (I) often use to see how well a system performs. There are a couple "key" words that Groban sings that are slightly distorted/grainy/sibilant if the system is not an "over acheiver".

What I just heard after the initial treatment has reduced that "sonic gremlin" to a residual that makes me wonder if it is not a "pure" sound and is just distorted slightly by every system I have heard up till now.

If so, this is truly a remarkable find. That is, for $35 you can "change" your system, without changing a single cable.

I received it yesterday, and treated "every" power connection, from the wall to each component. I did this "after" doing about 30 minutes of serious listening. Once treated, I powered up again. It was quite remarkable. The biggest improvement seemed to come in the bass and the rich "realism" from piano and cymbal sounds

Today I did the same thing, and treated fuses, and all tubes (5 tubes total in the preamp and CDP)

Another nice improvement in cavernous (3-D and deep) bass and dynamic attack (Steely Dan - Two Against Nature) I won't say blackness increased, but it seemed like each image gained a greater sense of natural fullness and had a more solid presence.

Finally treating the interconnects and speaker cables. This yeilded an improvement, but it was smaller than the other two.

This seemed smaller and it might have been since the two main interconnects involved had been treated previously, and might have had some "residual film" already in place.

While I can't guarantee it will do the same for your system, I can certainly suggest with enthusiasm, that it certainly offers potential for those who listen seriously.

And while I have contacted Mapleshade about being a dealer (and I now am) it is not worth it to me to "offer" it for general sale.

I'll probably give it away in future packages.

I suggest that if you're interested, give Pierre a call and order some. For $35 it is a steal, and if you live close to other audio buddies, buy one for 2-3 systems and still have enough for 4-5 more. I don't think I'll ever use up all of one single container.

This stuff rocks

[lonewolfny42]

Do you just brush it on ?  

[John Casler]

Do you just brush it on ?  

Yes, they come with little applicators and you put a thin film on all "male" surfaces (generally only 1/2 way up)

I think the idea is to reduce the incomplete contact and create a more solid material for electron flow.

All compression connections are subject to gaps which of course cannot pass a signal and if the gap is close enough that the signal might "arc" or jump the gap then I would think that this would cause a distortion.

Secondly, all wiring connections are also subject to "vibration" that will likely cause some of these compression connections to be affected.

In a way it seems like a "cold liquid weld or solder" that simply improves the area of contact surface that can transmit electrical signal.

I have also tried a couple other tweaks of this sort.  A simple "automotive" dielectric grease (around $3) from any autosupply store also is helpful in improving your sound.

And although they say it is "dielectric"  I have a feeling that the conduction capabiilties are not that good, and most of the improvement comes from eliminating air gaps that can allow arcing (if that is even possible)

Again, I am not an electrical expert.  This arcing I mention may not even exist, but it only stands to reason that as the space between two conductors is decreased that at some point prior to actually "touching", that the electrons traveling along the surface (skin) could travel across the gap.  and if those gaps are slightly unstable and intermitent because of slight vibrations, the signal has to be affected.

Just my "layman's" take on it.

[jgubman]

Bound For Sound's MGD has advocated putting a little oil or grease on your power plugs for awhile, claims it eliminates "micro arcing" btwn the outlet and the plug.

I just received a tub of the SilClear myself, and will hopefully get some time to apply it this weekend.

I probably won't get to cover everything, so John, you think that the power plugs got the most benefit? Did you just do the prongs that go into the wall, or did you also do the IEC prongs on the amp/BPT itself? Did you bother with the little fuses on the CineNova?

[John Casler]

Bound For Sound's MGD has advocated putting a little oil or grease on your power plugs for awhile, claims it eliminates "micro arcing" btwn the outlet and the plug.

I just received a tub of the SilClear myself, and will hopefully get some time to apply it this weekend.

I probably won't get to cover everything, so John, you think that the power plugs got the most benefit? Did you just do the prongs that go into the wall, or did you also do the IEC prongs on the amp/BPT itself? Did you bother with the little fuses on the CineNova?

Its not that I think the Power (line) Plugs give the most results, although my evaluation might read that way.  They are just where I started and because of that, they showed a good result from "untreated to treated".

It might be interesting to start with the "Signal Line" first and see what improvements are noticable.

Yes, I did "all" the male parts, including IEC prongs and both ends of the all the fuses.

[Kenobi]

John,

Do you think the Silclear comes close to the Xtreme AV's QuickSilver Gold in performance?  I know there's a big discrepancy in price.

Thanks in advance,

kenobi

[DaveC113]

I have had silclear for a few years now, it is a nice thing to have around. I haven't thought to use it on tubes, but I have a tube preamp and a SET amp now, so I'll have to give it a try next time they are powered down. Another advantage is that it keeps bare copper connections from oxidizing.

[kyrill]

I did Silclear a week ago and the effect is immediately hearable
 stupid of me i didn't do it before

the thinner/fragile the male prongs become, the more careful you have to be that
Silclear will not settle on isolating components.
For instance i will not try to smear  with a needle the stuff on the 19 tiny copper leads of
a DMI cable. If it will become in between the leads...

[MAC - SteveH]

Check out this board entry:

http://www.hawthorneaudio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2146

[satfrat]

Check out this board entry:

http://www.hawthorneaudio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2146

Its been brought to my attention that contact enhancers (no specifics need to be mentioned) have adverse effects on the sonic performance of MAC Palladium cables. They rendered a flat sound with excessive emphasis on mid and upper range, even exhibiting harshness. Removal of the contact enhancer returned the sound to its wonderful self.

I've been using Silclear for 3 years now (I've only applied it twice) and I personally have found just the opposite to be true all tho it wasn't used on MAC cables. I'm sure everyone's different and I haven't tried the much higher priced silver treatments but my experience of Silclear mirrors that of John. I've tried Silclear everywhere where there's a connection, from inside components such as fuses & IEC terminals, to AC duplexes & AC cable terminations, digital & IC rca terminations and speaker cable terminals. I use very little of the stuff myself, a real thin coating, especially on RCA pins so not to have a buildup. For the price, Silclears a steal, especially considering that there's enough Silclear in a container to cover at least a dozen systems for a lifetime each. 

Cheers,
Robin

[DaveC113]

Just used the Silclear on my tubes... 4 in the preamp, 3 in the amp, and 2 rectifiers. The change in sound is somewhat like the difference between silver and copper ICs, so I don't doubt Steve's comments.... but in my system the changes were certainly an improvement, and likely will be for anyone who does not feel their system is too bright or wants a little more sparkle in the highs. I also notice the fact that instruments are more distinct... in Bela Fleck's "Live at the Quick", the climax of track 11 gets pretty muddy, and is a good test for this. This was the cleanest I've ever heard it. This has a positive effect on imaging and tone as well.  I can't really speak for using it on anything other than the tubes, its been in use for too long to a/b unless I clean it off and re-apply it, buy I'm far too lazy for that. 

[MAC - SteveH]

BTW:  I totally agree with using it on tube pins. The board posting reflects a finding a several of my customers.
It really is no matter - you need to try and see what works in your system.

[Ridge Street Audio]

Yo Y'all

I'd like to throw my two cents in for what it's worth.

I've used the SilClear, Walker SST, and Quicksilver Gold.

I think the SilClear makes a nice difference and is certainly the best value between the three.

The SST works better than the SilClear but I don't feel it's $55.00 more better. Perhaps others do.

The Quicksilver Gold can be had for $150.00. That's a decent amount of scratch for a little tweak in a bottle but it's definitely worth it in my book. Funny...I pretty much dismissed this stuff for over a year thinking the addition of gold was just a marketing thing. At the absolute insistence of rpf I finally tried the QSG about a year and half ago.

By a good margin the QSG is best I've tried. I've not tried the Walker Extreme SST - maybe I will at some point but I'm not really compelled to. The QSG has made me "done" with contact enhancers. Enough so that we offer it in our product line up. I'm not easily impressed with something enough to wanna carry it but this stuff definitely impressed me. Great stuff....I'm a sold out fan!

So, for what it's worth: SilClear is great stuff for the buck. If you're curious about the whole contact enhancer stuff thing, SilClear is a great way to go with only a $35.00 loss if you decide you don't like it. If you like it, be happy. If you wanna be happier and are willing to spend more, QSG's the ticket.

A note on application of any of this stuff: Like Robin said, USE IT VERY JUDICIOUSLY! The natural and easy tendency is to put too much on. A very light coat is all you apply. Almost to the point you feel like you don't have enough on. Too much and you'll kill yer highs and the immediacy. Treat this stuff and it's application with care and respect and I can't imagine anyone not getting a very nice improvement and a smile on there face.

Cheers!

Robert
RSAD

[djbnh]

I'm a Walker SST user and swear by the stuff. A little goes a long, long way - careful application is certainly needed - and one can share a bottle with a number of persons for the rest of yourlife and never need more. I like it on all the male prongs, including tube pins, IECs, PCs, and RCAs.

Also, don't forget to apply SST to your TT's phono cartridge pins, again being careful with the application - the results in my system were well worth the effort and extremely positive.

[Ridge Street Audio]

Hey djbnh...

Cool signature line!

“If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”   C.S. Lewis

I definitely relate to it 

Robert

[djbnh]

Hey djbnh...

Cool signature line!

“If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”   C.S. Lewis

I definitely relate to it 

Robert

Amen!

[TheChairGuy]

Has anyone compared the various silver contact greases to the old reliable Caig DeOxit and Gold products?

I have a wee tub of one of these silver greases (cannot remember which one I'm pretty sure I bought it from Mapleshade Records), used it for a time on everything - including on tube pins - and blew out a wonderful 6922 once (which, correctly or not, I attribute to the grease traveling a might too far).  I could be totally off on blaming the silver goo, but have foresworn off the stuff since.

Now I use Caig DeOxIt first (to de-oxidize the contact), then apply a light layer of Caig Gold to retard re-oxidation from happening again.

I haven't really been able to do a side-by-side test....but I think both have benefited 'signal arcing', reduced noise (RFI?) and improved the transmission line about equally (more solid presentation, sweeter high-frequency sounds, etc).

For $30 (http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2028/.f?sc=2&category=20) all you need is provided (including applicators)...and the security of a product that does not migrate.  Works great on flashlights and cell phone & laptop batteries, too 

John

[MAC - SteveH]

Caig chemicals are the way to go!

That's what we use it to de-oxidize and preserve the surfaces on our wire and connectors. I just can't justify putting a 'toothpaste' type substance on a connection with the obvious risk of 'too much' and ultimately gumming up the connection, then the headache cleaning it up. (I do own SilClear) If you've ever left the SilClear product out (take a look at the brush)- it oxidizes when exposed to air.

I have no bent either way. For my time, sanity and money - Caig works!

[Kenobi]

Hi all,

I appreciate all the responses so far on this subject.  I personally have tried Walker SST, Caig Deoxit and Pro Gold as well as QSG.  Of the three, I personally have found that in my application the QSG has the most profound effect in clarity, transparency and liveliness.  Now I can see that in certain applications where the system is already leaning toward analytical, brightness and lacking in warmth, its use may put it over the top.  However, when used judiciously in my system, it has been great in that it reveals more details, clarity, pace, separation, lowered noise, etc...  Ever since I have the QSG, the SST has been sitting unused for years now due to its superiority in my system. 

For the cleaner application w/o residue for those fearing buildup, the Caig Deoxit and Pro Gold is the way to go.  I remembered one time I cleaned out the fuse of an old amp with Deoxit and Pro Gold and couldn't believed my ears when the amp sounded like so much more clearer and transparent.  Like it came out of hybernation and finally saw the sun!  For the minimum cash outlay, I may try the SilClear just to see its effect.  I guess for system that requires just a little help, the SilClear may be a clear winner.

Thanks all,

Kenobi

[satfrat]

I use Pro Gold GxL as a pretreatment/cleanser for Silclear. Before SilClear, I had simply used the ProGold and it's use is a definite plus but SilClear is a clear cut above in terms of audio enhancement imho.

Happy July 4th Independence Day.
Robin