Quick Solutions to Improve Your Audio System's Connectivity

"Keepin' It Cleaned and Lubed"

by Steve Rochin, Ultimate Audio

Due to the huge amount of e-mail I received after the article "Your Gold Connection" appeared in the Winter '99 Ultimate Audio, I cannot help following up here. CAIG Laboratories make far more than just the great contact conditioner/protector DeoxIT® GOLD.

If you really want to have the best in contacts, it's imperative to begin the cleaning session with CAIG's DeoxIT®. Safe for all metal surfaces, DeoxIT ® is a very fast acting formula that improves conductivity by cleaning and deoxidizing the contact. I personally like to use the spray then wipe the surface clean with a 100% lint-free cotton cloth.

Even simpler to use are the DeoxIT® Wipes. Each small container holds 50 pieces of cloth pre-saturated with CAIG's special cleaning formula. A favorite pastime of mine is to start with DeoxIT ® on all my metal connectors, followed by DeoxIT® GOLD. This is a great ritual to insure the ultimate contact while reducing the chances of arcing, RFI and insertion loss.

Last up from CAIG is a product for those who have that old crackling volume or balance knob problems. Basically, your potentiometer (pot) has become contaminated and needs a cleaning and relube. Enter CAIG's DeoxIT® FaderLube, an extremely popular product used in recording studios worldwide.

DeoxIT® FaderLube cleans and lubricates sliders, faders, switches and, of course, the previously mentioned pots. It's also specially formulated for conductive plastics and carbon-based pots like the popular Alps, Bournes and Noble. For metal pots, use DeoxIT® (D100S-2) to remove oxidation.

In the end, I can virtually guarantee that your system will sound better after a complete cleaning. Many of my close friends say the results from cleaning the electrical contacts, includes better stage depth, as well as more natural harmonics and dynamics. Just astonishing!

by Steve Rochin, Ultimate Audio

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Reprinted with permission from ULTIMATE AUDIO, SUMMER 1999 (Vol. 3, No. 2)
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NOTE:
DeoxIT® GOLD
DeoxIT® GOLD GxL (formerly ProGold GxL)
DeoxIT® SHIELD
DeoxIT® FaderLube (formerly CaiLube MCL)
DeoxIT® FaderGrease (formerly CaiLube MCL P20 & P40)
DeoxIT® Grease Type M260 & L260 Paste (formerly CaiLube Grease)