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Monster Cable interconnects too tight

I have some older Monster Cable RCA interconnects that grip the connectors on my gear too tightly. One time, I removed the interconnect from my Adcom amp and part of the Adcom's connector ripped off the unit with the interconnect. Another time, the connector stayed on the Adcom, but the solder broke inside the amp's housing, causing an intermittent fault. I always try to use a gentle, twisting motion to remove the interconnects.

I described this problem to a local hi-fi dealer and he said that Monster Cable interconnects are known for gripping too tightly. He suggested that I apply a tiny dab of automotive transmission fluid to the connectors with a Q-tip before inserting the Monster Cable. This seems strange to me -- it would lubricate the connection, but wouldn't it also reduce electrical conduction?

Has anyone tried using any type of lubricating fluid to deal with this problem? I just bought some new electronics, and I don't want to have any problems like I had before. I may not buy Monster Cable again for this reason, but I would like to keep using the cables I have. Thanks.
javachip
albertporter's avatar
albertporter
4,949 posts
 
Well Armstrod, did you follow your own advice? Did your cables install themselves automatically?

If not, it was not genuine automatic transmission fluid.

As for exactly the same as WD 40 or automatic transmission fluid, why do you think that, or are you joking like I am in my line (above) ?

Caig Pro Gold from their web site is $10.95 for the small bottle, enough for 150 (+) connections. I know personally, several high end audio manufacturers that use Caig on AC connections, tube pins and RCA / XLR connectors. While not as good as the Walker Silver, the cost is insignificant by comparison.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
If the connectors are gold plated no special fluid is necessary. That's the purpose of the gold plating.

I have never seen a tube with gold pins, although I suspect there may be some. However, at the rate which tube enthusiasts "roll" them there should be no concern about corrosion building up.
albertporter's avatar
albertporter
4,949 posts
 
Eldartford, I own quite a few tubes with gold pins, including some by Mullard, Telefunken and Amperex and they respond well to pin cleaning as well as contact treatment.

Caig and similar product prevents micro arcing which is a side benefit as well as reducing corrosion. RCA connectors do need cleaning and benefit from treatment as do gold pin tubes.

I have friends in the business that prefer a brand (which is shark liver oil) some prefer Cramolin, some Caig Pro Gold or Oxguard and some prefer no treatment at all.

One of the finest sounding speaker posts in existence is the unplated Cardas which turns very dark if left untreated. It sounds much better than the rhodium plated version and very much benefits from Caig and even more so from Walker silver conductive paste.

Electricians commonly use Oxguard™ even though voltages of wires entering households do not exceed 125 volts per leg. Some stereo gear have contacts areas exceeding 600 volts.
albertporter's avatar
albertporter
4,949 posts
 
I meant to respond to your comment about tubes:

However, at the rate which tube enthusiasts "roll" them there should be no concern about corrosion building up.

You make it sound as if this is a ongoing thing. Once the ideal combination is found there is no need to "roll" further. Sharing results in discussions at this site are intended to provide short cuts so others may benefit.

As an example, I am using the same brand (and type) tubes in my front end equipment as I did in five years ago.

Granted there was a flurry of swaps early on as I learned, but that is as normal as trying brands of equipment to find what works best in your situation.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Albertporter...The tube rolling comment was a :-) Maybe it doesn't get done that much, but it sure gets talked about.
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