Albertporter...Please note that I did not assert that your fluid has no effect...only that micro arcing seems like an unlikely explanation. The basis for my view is that unless there is a difference of electrical potential there can be no arc, and I doubt that any audio connector is so bad that it allows a measurable differential potential. Micro arcing in connectors occurs when the mechanical contact is seriously loose, for example due to differential thermal expansion of aluminum wire and copper terminals. The term is also used in other contexts, for example: to describe discharge through microscopic holes in the dielectric of capacitors.
To tell the truth the best connector is no connector...in other words solder the wire at one end, like a "captive" line cord. I had a Mission CD player that had a captive output interconnect, and that too (IMHO) was a good idea. Of course this prevents trial and error experiments with different power cords and interconnects, and so is definitely non-audiophile.
Oh, and by the way...we agree about line array speakers.
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