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Two years ago my Mac Mini died so I retired from audio until a week ago when I hooked up my MacBook Air. It was a depressing experience as the speakers emitted artificial, grainy, digital sound.
So I took MG 801B and cleaned all the usual connectors, power plugs, outlets but there was little sound improvement. Then I opened the digital and analog components and cleaned all solder-joints, exposed wires, rails, wire junctions, tube prongs...that brought a significant improvement towards sound purity but still sounded limp so that left me with the speakers.
Cleaned the three pairs of connections inside each speaker before removing the cross-over panels and making their solder-joints, exposed wires, and rails gleam on their circuit boards. Reinstalled the panels, hooked everything up, and it was as though I had just bought a new and much improved DAC.
There was twice as much amplification at each volume setting and both the musical detail and soundstage had increased by perhaps 20-25%. Those of you who have not cleared the oxidization on your internal speaker connections/ the cross-over circuit boards for two or three years likely have a highly rewarding return for an hour or two's work awaiting you! Incidentally cleaning the MacBook power/ USB/ Thunderbolt connections and hardwired modem connections make a MacBook Air fly something like 33% faster (if you already use Monolingual to remove foreign languages/ irrelevant architectures, and yourself delete all foreign fonts from Font Book, you'll know that's pretty fast and good for audio too.)
Follow Ups:
One other thing I learned on prepping the system. O-rings are never more important than on USB 2.0 connectors which are the loosest, least efficient of all connectors. Stretching a Thrifco Plumbing 546-T Molder Rubber O Ring I.D. 0.25" OD 0.375" Wall 0.062" (or equivalent from your local hardware/ online store) around the front-end of the male plug of both A-type/ B-type connectors (that then gets pushed back on insertion for a tight fit) audibly reduces vibration/ related sound defragmentation. Have always used them elsewhere such as RCA's but seldom heard an audible difference.
I clean connectors and unplug and plug power cord connectors( with power off ). Interesting find on the solder pads.
Was a veil lifted?
Yes, cleaning the inside of the electronic components lifted a thick veil of sound pollution. Cleaning the internal speaker connections and cross-over circuit boards then unexectedly raised the power and soundstage projection of the music to a marked degree. An LFD, Mozart Grands, and IFI components are reasonable quality gear and closer approaches to the sound of live music are restrained by amplifier, neutral line and ground noise. I find detaching extraneous domestic appliances/lights and plugging components in outlets as far apart as possible in their respective analog and digital circuits reduces noise level/ increases clarity and power. There's no sound benefit from playing off a MacBook Air's battery power versus a/c adapter but I always use Audirvana Plus to stop unnecessary background processes, quit the Finder to free up available memory, and cut the display when playing music.
Hi DG-2,
Glad to see you're posting again. I also use that MG Super Contact Cleaner. Good stuff......
It's interesting that even the smallest molecules known to Mother Nature (fish molecules) used as the lubricant carrier in MG 801B break down over time but at least there's no residue of gunk left to clean away before the user can add more (as with most other contact cleaners). Just bought another aerosol can of 'MG Chemicals 801B-125G Super Contact Cleaner with PPE' off eBay for $17.49 with Free Shipping. Aerosol cans are on the 'No-Fly-List' so expect order delivery to typically take a week to ten days.
Thanks for this. I've never been too enamored with DeOxit's efficacy with removing oxidation, perhaps because the spray is only 5% "muscle".
Since the MG Super Contact Cleaner is claimed safe on potentiometers, I'll add it to the list for my next Mouser order.
"Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be. 'Cause now I'm an amputee" J. Lennon
'73Shovel, before casting aspersions perhaps you should read the FAQ on the product web page. I'm paraphrasing.... 2% concentration diluted in a volatile solvent.
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it or that it does not work.
Also those FAQs are dated from a paper presented in 1987. A lot has transpired in 21 years. A few of the cleaners referenced that it is superior to such as tricloroethane and fluorocarbons have been banished from general use for some time now.
Edits: 06/24/18 06/24/18
Aspersions? No, I'm relating my direct experience that the 5% DeOxit spray never worked very well for me at removing heavy oxidation.
It wasn't my intent to compare the two products based on chemical composition. I have no idea whether the MG product is going to work any better for me, and would never assume that would, based on an ingredients list. Perhaps it won't even be as good, but I'm willing to give it a try. I'm also not going to withhold my opinion (i.e. my aspersions) of DeOxit (at least the 5% spray) in the meantime.
I didn't have very impressive results with the DeOxit 5%, but wasn't attempting to condemn Caig's entire product line. Maybe their 100% product would have done what I wanted it to. I use their Pro-Gold 5% spray, for example, and I'm satisfied with its performance.
Above are two aging Dynaco AC plugs. The top one was cleaned with DeOxit 5% spray, the bottom one with metal polish. Both were cleaned with 90% alcohol afterwards to remove any cleaning residue, and to keep the comparison "apples to apples". Which one looks like it removed more oxidation to you?
"Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be. 'Cause now I'm an amputee" J. Lennon
The one done with metal polish as you would expect. But....the polish is probably a mild abrasive where the Deoxit and I admit is dilute, is a chemical cleaner. Maybe I'm wrong but I think what you are expecting the Deoxit to do is above and beyond it's call. I use it as a PM and occasional maintenance cleaner. If I had those plugs to clean at work I would have gone to the chemical cabinet and gotten a can of contact cleaner the electricians use to maintenance the breakers. That would do the job without elbow grease!
I really should have said in my twin AC plug post that I wasn't expecting the DeoxIt to do as well as the metal polish. It would have been great if it had, but that's also unrealistic, given the mild abrasive in the polish, just as you noted.
But the reason the experiment came about was because I cleaned the first plug with DeoxIt, and got very little tarnish showing up on my paper towel, even after several attempts. I figured there had to be a better way, so I found the old can of Brasso under my sink, a second Dynaco plug, and gave that a try.
I sure can't squirt Brasso into a tube amp's bias pots though, so I figured I'd try the MG Super Contact Cleaner, since I used the last of my DeoxIt 5% just last night. If I think it does any better, I'll say so, but if not, I'll say that too.
That breaker contact cleaner sounds like the ticket!
"Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be. 'Cause now I'm an amputee" J. Lennon
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