polishing the ends of cables

Norm Apter

Oh, boy. I realize that for cable non-believers the following post really just opens itself up to all kinds of "snake oil" jokes, especially considering that Audioquest has several lines named after snakes.

But here goes --

I just read this review of Audioquest Diamondbacks on Amazon.com:

"It sounds crazy, but cables matter. I have used a dozen different ones and they have gotten better and cheaper over the last dozen years. Note, they are directional. You will see arrows pointing in the direction of the signal.

But it is all to no avail if you do not keep the ends polished, and then lubricated with a little oil to finish the connection. This goes for polishing the sockets on the components. It even goes for the power cords. Try it. Take everything apart, polish all the ends on every component and cable and finish with oil and see how the sound improves."

I had never heard of polishing ends or using oil on these connections before. Does anybody do this? If so, what exactly do you use and how often do you do it? Don't want be the start of another great cable debate. Just trying to see if other folks also do this.

And despite the great temptation, please no "snake oil" jokes...ha, ha.

bigaudiofanatic

Oh my God now that is some funny stuff. You have got to be kidding me. Polishing your connectors that is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.

WilliamM2

Well a lot of people do use Deoxit to clean, and keep the ends from corroding. None of my cables or connectors have ever corroded though.

Seems no more ridiculous than other claims.

Face

The only time I would polish a connector is if it was from a vintage item and hazed over or slightly corroded. Just use DeoxIT, you'll be fine.

Rivrrat

I would say deoxit or no-ox can't hurt anything. Oxidation will degrade a signal eventually.

I do dc power work for a baby bell, and we're expected to use clean ends and no ox on our connectors, just to avoid oxidation, although, I haven't bothered to use it on any of my stuff.

Also, supposedly gold doesn't oxidize, so there's something else to think about.

Dennis Gardner

http://store.caig.com/s.nl;jsessionid=0a0105531f43a72961dfa3fa4cb689f5dea2be544717.e3eSc3uRax8Te34Pa38Ta38MaNz0?sc=2&category=292

Norm Apter

Thanks for the info.

I just had a look at the backside of my tuner which I bought used (its 2-3 years old) about a month ago. After pulling off the RCA connectors, I noticed that there is some black smudging on (what appears to be gold-coated) the line output connectors. Might this be a sign of oxidation? (though Rivrrat stated that gold supposedly does not oxidize so maybe this is just tarnishing from long term use of RCA cables???)

As for the Caig DeoxIt, I've been doing some searches of threads on CP which have discussed it. For those of you who have used it, would you apply the brush stuff to both the output and input connectors on your components AND the ends of RCA cables, or just one or the other?

Face

Everything but optical.

snow

Have you ever noticed how your car/truck wont start and you go look under the hood and see how the battery cable and or connector is corroded? Same difference in my oppinion.

A clean cable/connector is a happy cable/connector




REGARDS SNOW

F1nut

Gold does not oxidize, period.

Oil??? NEVER!!!

ben62670

Not even snake oil?

TouchOfEvil

what about blinker fluid for the leds....

mmadden28

TouchOfEvil wrote: »

what about blinker fluid for the leds....

I've always found that stuff way over priced for the minimal brightness increase realized. Windex will reveal the same clarity and photon tranparency at a much lower price

mmadden28

Face wrote: »

The only time I would polish a connector is if it was from a vintage item and hazed over or slightly corroded. Just use DeoxIT, you'll be fine.

+1
But then again it can't hurt.

mmadden28

F1nut wrote: »

Gold does not oxidize, period.

Oil??? NEVER!!!

Pure gold doesn't, but what about the level of gold plating that is put in mass manufactured jacks, etc.?? I would also expect that depending on how often the equipment is changed around, some of that gold plating might wear away.

mmadden28

ben62670 wrote: »

Not even snake oil?

Only the Papuan Taipan oil. Very hard to get though and thus very expensive. Also requires refrigeration-no good in most third world countries.

F1nut

mmadden28 wrote: »

Pure gold doesn't, but what about the level of gold plating that is put in mass manufactured jacks, etc.?? I would also expect that depending on how often the equipment is changed around, some of that gold plating might wear away.

If the gold plating is that bad, that thin or that worn away, polishing isn't going to help matters.

heiney9

Norm Apter wrote: »

Oh, boy. I realize that for cable non-believers the following post really just opens itself up to all kinds of "snake oil" jokes, especially considering that Audioquest has several lines named after snakes.

But here goes --

I just read this review of Audioquest Diamondbacks on Amazon.com:

"It sounds crazy, but cables matter. I have used a dozen different ones and they have gotten better and cheaper over the last dozen years. Note, they are directional. You will see arrows pointing in the direction of the signal.

But it is all to no avail if you do not keep the ends polished, and then lubricated with a little oil to finish the connection. This goes for polishing the sockets on the components. It even goes for the power cords. Try it. Take everything apart, polish all the ends on every component and cable and finish with oil and see how the sound improves."

I had never heard of polishing ends or using oil on these connections before. Does anybody do this? If so, what exactly do you use and how often do you do it? Don't want be the start of another great cable debate. Just trying to see if other folks also do this.

And despite the great temptation, please no "snake oil" jokes...ha, ha.

This isn't at all far fetched. A very well respected audio guru who won't debate the issue of cables with his components states he finds that the connection is just as important than the type of cable you use. CAIG as well as a few others make lubrication, anti oxidation and cleaning solutions and it is a good idea once a year or so to clean and lube all your connections. Oxidation, air born contaminants, dust, cigarette smoke, etc collect and "gunk" up connections.

He goes on to state that keeping connections clean and secure goes a long way in getting the most performance from your components.


H9

heiney9

WilliamM2 wrote: »

Well a lot of people do use Deoxit to clean, and keep the ends from corroding. None of my cables or connectors have ever corroded though.

Seems no more ridiculous than other claims.

William you can't really see the oxidation. It's not like when your car battery terminal gets all the nasty green stuff on the (+) lead. If someone doesn't want to spend the $20 on CAIG products you can use 90% Isopropyl alcohol to clean the male and female ends every year or so. For me it's not about snake oil or expensive cleaners. It's about common sense knowing that over time the crap in the air will eventually gunk up the connections.

Ever had a nice piece of real wood furniture and not polished it for a few years. The first time you do using a white rag it become black from all the contaminants in the air that settled on the surface. Do you think these air born contaminants just skip over audio connections?

H9

heiney9

Rivrrat wrote: »

Also, supposedly gold doesn't oxidize, so there's something else to think about.

Your right, gold doesn't oxidize but it can still collect other air born contaminants. It's just good practice to clean all connections about once a year or so. You can use a .99c bottle of rubbing alcohol if you don't want to spend $20 on a CAIG or similar product. CAIG stuff works extremely well and I've had the same 2 step kit for 5 years as it doesn't take much to clean and lube connections.

H9

WilliamM2

heiney9 wrote: »

William you can't really see the oxidation. It's not like when your car battery terminal gets all the nasty green stuff on the (+) lead. If someone doesn't want to spend the $20 on CAIG products you can use 90% Isopropyl alcohol to clean the male and female ends every year or so. For me it's not about snake oil or expensive cleaners. It's about common sense knowing that over time the crap in the air will eventually gunk up the connections.

Ever had a nice piece of real wood furniture and not polished it for a few years. The first time you do using a white rag it become black from all the contaminants in the air that settled on the surface. Do you think these air born contaminants just skip over audio connections?

H9

How do the airborne contaminants settle into the surface where the connectors meet, when there is metal to metal contact?

I don't see anything wrong with keeping the connectors clean, can't hurt anything, but as far as being audible? I guess if some un-named but very respected audio guru, who refuses to discuss it says so, then it must be true.

Erik Tracy

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I guess if some un-named but very respected audio guru, who refuses to discuss it says so, then it must be true.

I now have coffee all over my keyboard....:p

zingo

heiney9 wrote: »

William you can't really see the oxidation. Do you think these air born contaminants just skip over audio connections?

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I guess if some un-named but very respected audio guru, who refuses to discuss it says so, then it must be true.

Didn't we just do this? :rolleyes:

xeb

i solder mine

only to keep the ends neat though

heiney9

WilliamM2 wrote: »

How do the airborne contaminants settle into the surface where the connectors meet, when there is metal to metal contact?

I know you are not that stupid.......do you really believe that at the connection it is sealed so tight that nothing could possibly get in there? Look I'm not saying avery 6 weeks this needs to be done. It's a good practice to follow to keep things clean and contact the best it can be.

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I don't see anything wrong with keeping the connectors clean, can't hurt anything, but as far as being audible? I guess if some un-named but very respected audio guru, who refuses to discuss it says so, then it must be true.

Once again you've taken the written word completely out of context and I never said he refuses to discuss it so it must be true. Here is what I was referring to. I'm sure you'll come back with some remark about him being in the industry so it fits his needs to promote.......blah,,,blah,,,blah.

http://passlabs.com/pdf/old%20product%20manuals/x150_om.pdf

See page 5 titled "Interconnects and speaker cables"

H9

P.s. Keep in mind he is speaking about "HIS" amplifier design not a blanket statement when it comes to IC recommendations

WilliamM2

Once again you've taken the written word completely out of context and I never said he refuses to discuss it so it must be true.

Out of context? Here is what you said:

"A very well respected audio guru who won't debate the issue of cables with his components states he finds that the connection is just as important than the type of cable you use."

Like I said, I don't see anything wrong with cleaning the connectors, it won't hurt anything. Read my first post.

Personally, I disconnect my entire system about twice a year, and pull everything out of the rack to clean and remove dust. The very act of unplugging the connector, and plugging it back in would remove the small amount of contaminants.

But this thread was about polishing the connector, not cleaning.

heiney9

WilliamM2 wrote: »

Out of context? Here is what you said:

"A very well respected audio guru who won't debate the issue of cables with his components states he finds that the connection is just as important than the type of cable you use."

He doesn't recommend any particular brand or design of cables because that's not his particular area of expertise. If you ask him directly he'll tell you what HE prefers in his system but he won't get into the "debate" about cables when discussing his audio products other than what he mentions in his owners manuals. It think it's a smart approach and he makes a good recommendation.

WilliamM2 wrote: »

But this thread was about polishing the connector, not cleaning.

Yes, I sort of thought polishing/cleaning connections was the same. But if the OP is saying to use some sort of exotic material and special cloth or machine to "polish" the ends then I agree, not nec. But cleaning the connections on regular basis 12-18 months certainly helps. I also pull my components out, inspect the cables, clean the ends and dust and clean. I also open up my amp and use compressed air to get all the "crap" out every 2-3 years.

H9

JosephH1

I think cleaning your connections is a good idea. This year I may go beyond just cleaning with alcohol and try the Caig faderlube, as it has a cleaner and a lubricant. I have some left over from a project receiver and will put it to good use.

ShinAce

As part of cleaning my connectors every once in a while, the rubbing action with a rag is enough to buff the surfaces a tiny bit.

It's not like these connectors are wire wrapped together; they are not air tight.

blast8180

JosephH1 wrote: »

I think cleaning your connections is a good idea. This year I may go beyond just cleaning with alcohol and try the Caig faderlube, as it has a cleaner and a lubricant. I have some left over from a project receiver and will put it to good use.

Lubricant would not work so well. Liquids or oil based products tend to attract a fair amount of dust and airborne contaminants.