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Can snake oil fix a bad room? (a survey)

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Richardl60 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Richardl60 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2017 at 10:22am
RC, I use a combination of deoxit, deoxit Gold and deoxit shield.

The gold is designed to. W used on gold/silver contacts but your would need to be guided by their blurb available on line.

I try and clean all of my contacts regularly I target 6-12 months depending on frequency of plugging/unplugging.

Unlike physical items you cannot switch back to the pre-squirt state so direct comparisons are not always easy but treat my speaker and amp binding posts (gold), speaker plugs(silver), all amp RCA/XLR in use, silver RCA & XLR connectors. I wouldn't like to quantify the changes though they do take a few days to settle down.

I also treat all of my accessible mains connectors and plugs. Last year just treating my earthing rod connectors made a significant difference, as did the external connectors before they enter the house. Also treat my mains plugs (both ends) and power block.

The mains sees the biggest change -In part I suspect as some are external, they are carrying higher current amongst other things.

Initially the sound shifted fundamentally with a light but very tight bass and rather stident but detailed and open mid/upper making most music sound impressive but fatiguing.

This calmed down after a 5-14 days leaving a less coloured and constricted sound with far greater dynamics.

Possibly because my system has been pretty stable for the last year and it sounds v good I haven't had my spray cans and screw drivers out yet but will do over the next month.

Hope this helps.
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Fatmangolf View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2017 at 1:01pm
Originally posted by Richardl60 Richardl60 wrote:

Following Pete's prompting I invested in some RCA caps this week.  I ended up with the AudioQuest rather than Cardas as they came in packs of 10 which I need and decided against the shorting plug variety also.
 
Used Rikki Lee Jones 'accoustic' CD and China Crisis (which I find revealing of rhythm and 'tine within a tune').  Initial impression with the caps installed was of greater presence around the vocal area and maybe a little more open.  Relatively small margins but noticeable though little noticeable change in other areas or bass.
 
Removing these the soundstage fell backwards slightly though bass showed little difference.  Maybe a little closed in by comparison also.  I also tried something with a slighter more forward presentation Alf (Alison Moyet).
 
Before reinserting I nipped up some of the caps which were a loose fit (having sprayed with Deoxit before original install for the benefit of the sockets rather than caps).
 
The original views were confirmed, vocals being crisper, more detailed and maybe less mushy overall.  The overall sound was tighter, more interesting (I got carried away with Alison Moyet so to speak) and played a lot more than the intended two tracks.  Clarity a touch better with more finer detail?
 
Despite my long held scepticism on these type of caps they do represent a small improvement.  Whether having 10 open inputs provides more of a problem I cannot say but despite starting with a headache, I am still listening over three hours later and really must stop and work on my allocated job list!



Thanks to Pete and Richard's comments, I've just ordered some AQ caps myself and will report back after some listening.

Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2017 at 1:27pm
Returning to an earlier part of this thread the decoupling of my speakers definitely improved the sound, particularly removing the bass boom which I had wrongly ascribed to my nearly square room. The pads I used were Audio Serenity ISO-9H-35 isolation pads rated up to 30kg for 4 pads which worked for my 27kg speakers. The pads do squash down* a bit and I found it necessary to drill a hole in each pad to bolt it to the feet of my speakers with a short M5 bolt and washer to maintain speaker position.

*Ash made a good point about soft suspension having an optimal range before, like an overinflated bike tyre, becoming too rigid. If I was going further with the decoupling I would want to explore a larger contact area for the constrained layer. Right now I like what I'm hearing more than I did before.

Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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RichieCactus View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RichieCactus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2017 at 2:36pm
Originally posted by Richardl60 Richardl60 wrote:

RC, I use a combination of deoxit, deoxit Gold and deoxit shield.

The gold is designed to. W used on gold/silver contacts but your would need to be guided by their blurb available on line.

I try and clean all of my contacts regularly I target 6-12 months depending on frequency of plugging/unplugging.

Unlike physical items you cannot switch back to the pre-squirt state so direct comparisons are not always easy but treat my speaker and amp binding posts (gold), speaker plugs(silver), all amp RCA/XLR in use, silver RCA & XLR connectors. I wouldn't like to quantify the changes though they do take a few days to settle down.

I also treat all of my accessible mains connectors and plugs. Last year just treating my earthing rod connectors made a significant difference, as did the external connectors before they enter the house. Also treat my mains plugs (both ends) and power block.

The mains sees the biggest change -In part I suspect as some are external, they are carrying higher current amongst other things.

Initially the sound shifted fundamentally with a light but very tight bass and rather stident but detailed and open mid/upper making most music sound impressive but fatiguing.

This calmed down after a 5-14 days leaving a less coloured and constricted sound with far greater dynamics.

Possibly because my system has been pretty stable for the last year and it sounds v good I haven't had my spray cans and screw drivers out yet but will do over the next month.

Hope this helps.



Thanks Richard - I will definitely try some

Smile

rgds
RC


Rega RP8/Cartridgeman MM3/Thorens TD166/AudioMods VI/Accession/Croft RIAA/Arcam A85/Quad 21L
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izafireman View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote izafireman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2017 at 5:00pm
Just a word of caution with Deoxit. I used it on a couple of plugs and mains blocks and over time it made the plastic degraded to the extent the internal housing crumbled . It was very clear from the faint red staining on the parts that crumbled as to where the Dexoit had been. The areas not touched by it were fine. I spoke to one of my relatives who has used it and he had the same problem. Try to ensure it just goes on the metallic parts of you might end up with damage to plastics.
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Richardl60 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Richardl60 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2017 at 5:26pm
I tend to spray aiming a the metal but is difficult to avoid plastic contact.

I wipe up excess and tend to out some kitchen roll underneath for drips. I have been using for around 5-8 years without any discolouration or worse, possibly it may interact with certain plastics but not others, whether that be plugs, housings etc.

Manufacturers Craig state it does (should be) non-harmful to plastic.
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izafireman View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote izafireman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2017 at 6:36pm
Originally posted by Richardl60 Richardl60 wrote:

I tend to spray aiming a the metal but is difficult to avoid plastic contact.

I wipe up excess and tend to out some kitchen roll underneath for drips. I have been using for around 5-8 years without any discolouration or worse, possibly it may interact with certain plastics but not others, whether that be plugs, housings etc.

Manufacturers Craig state it does (should be) non-harmful to plastic.


Yes I also now avoid spraying anything plastic but Deoxit without doubt reacted with MK plugs and also a power block from a well know supplier. I suspect they have had other things sent back to them with damage from Deoxit as they sort of knew what I was saying when I told
them of the problem and told me to send the damaged power block back and replaced it for me. I also checked Craigs info but I can say without doubt it damaged the plug and power block. No big loss but just letting others know that it might harm plastics. I might when the winter nights set in ))....spray some on a few sample plastics and see what the result is.


Edited by izafireman - 30 Jul 2017 at 6:54pm
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