Please help SBAF USERS..Deoxit and other good Rig maintainace the inside story..

Edit* My posts are chunky but this thread is about best practice and best value maintainace of your rig.

The only piece of kit that is never touched is inside and that is a time capsule from the factory and any parts, wires, connectors from other suppliers. All of these can have contamination, GREASE, OIL, SILICONE RELEASE AGENTS. OXIDE. TIN PLATED CRIMPS.
Anything pushed together instead of soldered.
Cables decrapifiers power chords fuses.

The effort to start this is to ask what do you do?
What do you use tools chemicals..
How do you do it.. If anything..
We cover most aspects but need your help! Even just say hi I just plug in and that's it...
This will become a wiki for best value, bang for buck, best practice and good safety.
I cleaned the connectors inside and the boost was amazing. So I want so show people how and what works. Ironically it's just getting the kit back to its full potential . Please add a comment and build up a picture of what people do and what's best. No attack or flames just help.
Thanks
Dave UK





My 2014 OPPO Ha1. My first and only upfi Amp. I tryed Deoxit on the external connectors, 100% red IPA clean after a couple of days, then gold. I am sure cleaners in audio have done the rounds here and many use or tried most.

I got decent improvements on RCA IN balanced XLR out and some on the Dac in...
I cleaned from the wall socked to the headphone mini jacks...

What I wanted to bring here was he huge jump in depth, detail and sound stage I got from inside the Amp Dac.

I know the OPPO isn't a big deal here but what I did may or should work on anything you can safely get inside, out of warranty and following good ESD practice. Plugged in power off at the wall. User discretion always be safe...

I followed DIYAUDIO Coris thread with the engineer improving the HA1 but he showed how to get in.

I don't know how your DAC Amp is wired but the OPPO has crimped wires onto nickel pins in a plastic male female receptacle. The crap you get in a PC.

I unclipped all of these, gave them a wipe with IPA ran them up and down a few times and added red deoxit. This I left a week as I didn't have chance to clean off and add the gold version.

I could hear the sound open up that week but what really made a difference was playing with the case earth's. There is only one earth point on the case from the IEC male. On the motherboards all those screws are earth ground points.

The main earth tab was a bit shitty, so I 1500 grit rubbed the case and both sides of the tab wire crimp with some red Deoxit. Wiped clean blew out the hole and applied gold. I even stripped off some coating on a small transformer legs and did that. I let the deoxit travel up the wire a touch and clip wire contact point.

Then I did every screw and ground point on the PCBs. Cleaned with IPA and Deoxit.

I have modded Ethers and an IFI PURIFIER 2
And transport from my phone.

Last week if you blind folded me and let me listen to my OPPO now I wouldn't believe it wasn't some fancy Amp Dac separates but changes are for you to decide and judge.

I am going to get some cilclear silver contact grease to enhance the earth contacts. I hear this can cause shorts so I will be careful. But I can't buy a Yggdrasil A2 or change the caps to fancy parts.

I don't know why the connectors to the earths and just good cleaning on the other clips have given such a boost to fidelity and wider sound stage.

I could have just wrote contact clean inside you rig but a guide always helps....

I said this on other places.. All I have done is bring it back to factory best but I don't think they ever are. Oil grease silicone, oxide...

Nothing in an old car but high end small voltages...

The IFI IPURIFIER now makes a difference in line. My MOD Ethers are earning thier money now.

That's what I did, I borrowed my tested ESD strap from work. £13 in CAIG deoxit red gold, some IPA wipes and cotton buds.

If you try the inside connectors and earth's let me know what you think on what ever kit you have.... Now every non soldered/sodered connection from the wall to the mini conns on the Ether is done.


Sorry for the big post and if there is anything that shouldn't be done or safety issue /missed off... let me know. Same if the admin think it's a crap post just delete the thread.

Good luck and keep smiling

Kind regards
Dave

 

I have to admit that I read your post with some scepticism, and then I remembered hearing it said that some people will hear a genuine difference in sound when changing cables, not because the cables are different, but because the plugging and unplugging has removed the oxide layer. It is quite likely that the stuff that you did achieved at least that.

So yes. At least maybe. And anyway, I think that DeOxit is wonderful stuff, not because I've experienced any audio revalations from it, but because it has brought electronic stuff back from the dead for me.

Which, I suppose, is even more remarkable! Resurrection!

If you really, really want to get into this stuff, there is a super-magic-out-of-this-world contact cleaner and protector that is even more expensive than DeOxit. I'll post the link if I can find it. No, I haven't tried it. Sorry... it'll pop up sometime when I'm not looking for it, but I can't find it in my bookmarks heap today.

 

My second hand OPPO seemed clean and I IPA ed all the outside connectors. But RCA was awful sounding. Each connection Power, usb and RCA improved a bit.
Stripping the Amp connectors inside jumped quite a bit in potential SQ but the earth point and all the Mobo grounds I don't understand why it sounds so good now.
I miss titled the thread. Your right I think about cables being refitted. I should have put clean all internal connections tweak.

I am listening now, so this is what I should have heard . If this can boost/ reset amp or dac potential, I hoped others can be benefit rather than messing with cables or fancy decrapifiers. If at worst it does nothing you loose nothing...

Just wanted to give back on here a bit

Cheers
Dave

 

How did you use it on the input jacks? Spray inside and use a q-tip or something? I have a few plugs that are looking a little rough through the years so it couldn't hurt to clean them out at the very least.

 

Mainly on the male parts. So the RCA CABLE on the center Pin and the out side of the RCA JACK on the Amp. Deoxit is meant to migrate across contact points.

I do a 6 steps.
IPA CLEAN all surfaces.
Apply red 100% 2ml tube.
Leave a day or so.
IPA again
Red 100% caig deoxit leave a day
IPA CLEAN
Very small amount of Gold Deoxit.

I want people to try internal connections as they are never touched. I haven't had any shorting issues with this stuff.. on the DAC PCB grounds, toroidal wires

The furutech nano stuff looks ok but not at 100% more cost than x2 $7 a tube to $150 ...

I did the earth just being thorough, silver grease coming to see if I can get any more benefit.. If any..

I can't stress how much my 2014 OPPO jumped in SQ.

More restoration than tweaking..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00..._UL115_SR115,115_&refRID=0TS75SS7924S46W1MMVN

 

Anyone ever try stuff like silclear or stabilant22? Unlike the contact cleaner stuff which removes oxidation/etc, these products (supposedly) provide a barrier and higher electrical conductivity.

 

Much as I love it, I wouldn't use deoxit on my male parts.

But again seriously... I think you overdo the IPA there. Different formulations of Deoxit are cleaning, protecting or cleaning-and-protecting. IPA is just going to de-grease isn't it? And kill a few germs. If you feel you must to this, then first thing would probably be enough.

Stabilant... that's the name I was unable to find in brain or bookmarks earlier

The protecting formulations from Deoxit... protect. I guess that means that they form a barrier. Given the polluted, humid tropical urban atmosphere in which I live, I think it would probably be worth coating almost everything I own. But that would be silly!

 

Probably a bit over the top with IPA but this is a one time mega clean. I used lint free IPA wipes from work so they are cheap...

If you do want to try inside your AMP or Dac use good ESD practice.. Look it up if you don't know ..

The silclear is silver grease i have coming. I will only use on the Earth points. Maybe on my 4pin xlr balanced out just a fine smear..

Even on my male parts... 8^o

 

Lubing up parts is nice in theory... but what if you can't afford to insert them to begin with?

 

hello,

@Thad E Ginathom, these folks: http://www.stabilant.com/

 

This is one of the things I wanted to get going, different products at reasonable prices.
People's different experiences and what they have tried. I only posted not because I am a new deoxit fan. But the results I got from the internal connectors and earth was just astounding.

Make this a one stop shop for good maintainace. I was sick of searching for reviews that either just sell the product or just repeat what that forum use.


As a crap analogy we go out and buy the latest expensive fashions but keep using the same dirty underware.....

Can you get the thread name changed ?

Equipment Maintainace best practice: A rolling guide.

 

I have proved to myself several times that time and effort spent results in better sound. It just does. I'm sure there is some amount of that effect here. But Deoxit is no snake oil. It is good stuff.

DrTForBin, yes, that's the stabilant stuff. Sounds amazing. But then... I guess I've only read the manufacturer's own site about it, so it would do.

It's incredibly expensive. I know electronics people who wouldn't dream of paying Deoxit prices, and are quite happy with lesser[-priced] substances.

 

Still need to change the thread name...

Eventually found STABILANT via a Uk Solar power company. £10 for 5ml.... It's got a NATO number...

We could do with a electronic guy jumping in to explain the effects of resistance capacitance with oxide, grease, dust atmospheric pollutants on conductivity.
Real world answers.
So far we have
Degreasers
Oxide strippers
Nano particles
Micron silver particles/gold
Capacitive quantum tunneling.. With a NATO number...
Even brass Chrome polish just not sure of contamination after...

Not too much interested in the snake oil debate. Just a good products and best practice. To get the best sound possible.
Why buy a new Dac or Amp or judge a new one when it's not really Factory fresh..

Dust is a good example. You use silver heat sink material on a CPU to fill in the pores and spaces on the heatsink/ CPU to increase surface contact to transfer heat. Dust or hair can kill this.
Lint free wipes or dunking to lift off particles. Ultra sonic cleaner....

A bit excessive but what do you guys and gals at SBAF do. Spread the love and share best practice.

If a noob like me can get a free boost cleaning the earth and internals what else can be done...

 

I think you forgot carbon nanotubes. Those are a really big deal right now. If there isn't an audio company selling some application of CNTs, then there needs to be.

 

Bybee might use them, but I don't read their promotional material closely, I can feel it rotting my brain when I look at it.

 

EDIT- Cannot find relevant posts so deleting the following : You may wish to dig a bit deeper before using Stabilant. Lot of folks stopped using it because it mucked up connections pretty seriously over time.

I used to use deoxit but even gave that up because of the residue. Now using simple Jewelers silver cleaning cloths, works great for oxidation on connectors.

 

I'd rub my bum with a carbon brush to get more detail and sound out of my system.

Now we have listed the players in the connection boosters. Resistance reducers..

What do you do and how do you do it?
What would you advise a friend.

Simple too Bybee ground unicorn horn.
No judgements just what you do..and use..

Cheers Dave..

 

Stabilant 22 is the expensive good stuff but isn't well suited to being plugged and unplugged very much.
It is probably one of the best contact enhancement products but is rather expensive.

Silclear is messy but works very well at increasing the 'size' of the contact patch, thus lowering the contact resistance.
I use a variant of it and have noticed significant improvements. especially in certain conditions.

JJ

 

I believe that should be spelt CuNTs? I recall the masculine guffawing on various forums when they started making news. Hey, maybe there was feminine guffawing too, but the techie sites tend to be peopled by males so I didn't hear it.

Perhaps they have been cleaned up for public consumption. That's a shame. I think we should stick to the original.

Getting back to Middy's HA1, I found "old" a little strange for something bought in 2014. Much of my audio kit is at least ten years older than that, and I have one bought-used positively antique pre-amp. The connectors are discoloured way beyond the help of anything mentioned here. It probably should be a restoration project, especially as the volume pot is getting dodgy.

Middy, how come your amp suffered so much in less than two years?

On the other hand, one of the Deoxit products, sold for use in "harsh conditions" is recommended for the treatment of brand-new electronics. And, if I could live my life again... that is what I'd do: try to protect things before the oxides and dirt strike.

 

The silclear will be for my internal connections I will gamble on a bit for my 4 pin XLR. .Had some good advice over that...8^).

If I come clean over this thread. (Bad pun intended )

Most would have tryed something, good bad, cheap or expensive. This is the least bullsh*t site on audio I know, especially for value and bang for buck. I am sick of searching and don't want to waste any more money. Deoxit sticky but works has a residue needs practice not to go OTT. But 4 ml gold and red is £11. IPA 99% is cheap for loads. I could get MEK from work, we got rid of trike last year. Cellulose thinners, Meths..

Some aren't safe for a novice IPA isn't to bad on plastics.

I wanted to create a guide here. Hardware store items a few simple tools for less than a Supra cable.

A simple rating of what a product does and how to best apply it.

If you want to go further and try inside connections. A simple ESD and electrical safety guide.

The silclear can cause bridges and would be an bugger to clean off if not done carefully.

I have always tried to learn from more experienced people. But it's never all in one place. I was going to try the STABILANT. .

How much? How to apply it safely. best places ...

I want good advice but post what you do so we can steal the best, get rid of snake oil or poor value products, or practice.

I could have taken the wife for 3 meals with the Amazon ebay items I keep trying...

Have a good evening

Dave