Impact of Walker Audio Extreme SST

I'm not sure I understand how putting something between 2 contacts could enhance the sound, other than by keeping the surface of the contacts clean over time.

Logically, I look at it this way: the best contact you can get between to surfaces is mating those surfaces directly - it seems to me that putting material in between them could only diminish the contact not add to it, since you can't improve the fundamental transmission qualities out from one and into the other.

I'm no electrical engineer though, so maybe I'm missing some fundamental concept.

Joncourage, I'm not an electrical engineer either, but I hear the sonic improvements. My understanding of the situation is that in any interface of materials (same or not) there will be some resistance that will create some amount of interference in the electrical signal, often a spike of energy in the very high frequency range. The contact enhancers improve the conductivity at those interfaces, reducing the interference and the energy spiking. The Walker Audio Extreme SST is very effective in my system at improving the sound quality and is sonically the best contact enhancer I've tried. I consider it a necessary component here and I encourage you to give it a try. If it doesn't work for you, return the unused portion to Walker Audio within 30 days for a full refund, less shipping.
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I once bought a power conditioner on Audiogon and when I got it, noticed the presence of a whitish pasty substance in and around a few of the outlets, so I knew the seller had used something, and when I asked he said he'd treated his power plugs and outlets with this product. However, I never have heard any differences between the treated and untreated outlets, and he didn't come across as being very convinced either. But I guess you can't go wrong with a satisfaction or your money back guarantee...

some equip & cable companies do warn about using any contact enhancers with any sort of metallic base...is it so for SST? for example, jena labs specifically warns agst this.

>> 08-15-06: Joncourage
>> I'm not sure I understand how putting something between
>> 2 contacts could enhance the sound, other than by
>> keeping the surface of the contacts clean over time.

this was my question & confusion too. However, after reading some archived posts on this matter + talking to some people, this is what I understand: the RCA signal carrying pin does NOT make contact all along its pin shaft. It makes contact only at the tip end often owing to the larger diameter hole vs. the RCA pin diameter. 2ndly, even tho' the RCA center pin looks smooth to the naked eye, it is not so. It is dimpled, say, much like a golf ball. Thus, even if this center pin makes contact along its pin shaft, the contact is intermittent.
When the entie RCA fits snuggly, it is the outer metal jacket (ground) that is making a snug contact. This gives most of us a mistaken impression that the signal carrying pin is making full contact!
So, when you use a silver-based contact enhancer what it does is (1) build up the center RCA pin's diameter such that a larger surface area of the center pin shaft can make contact & (2) fill in the microscopic pits in the center pin shaft thus smoothing the surface & enhancing the overall contact surface area.
IMHO. FWIW. Some one correct me if I'm wrong. Thanx.