Better cleaning for your system made easy – or at least, easier…
By Roy Gregory
Most of the words expended on the subject of audio, be it in magazines, online or in conversation, focus on equipment: those shiny, shiny boxes that we agonize over, whose performance we minutely dissect and which empty our bank accounts with importunate ease and regularity. Hopefully, most of the time spent on audio is spent enjoying music produced by those objects of desire. But for anybody working in retail or coming into contact with a wide variety of systems, it’s sadly apparent that not enough time is spent on getting those expensive systems to sound their best – or keeping them that way.
A big part of that is getting the system sorted and properly set-up in the first place. But there’s a secondary level of attention required, not tuning or set-up as such, but maintenance. Chief amongst the list of tasks required is the regular cleaning of contacts: contacts between cables and equipment; contacts between power cords and AC sockets; contacts between ground terminals and ground wires. Even a comparatively simple, consolidated system with minimal boxes still employs a surprising number of contacts – each and every one of which impacts the musical results you are hoping to enjoy. Keeping those contacts pristine may not be sexy or exciting – and you can’t even listen to the system while you are cleaning them – but it has a very real role in keeping your expensive boxes sound as good as they should. It should be higher on pretty much everyone’s list of audio priorities.
Okay, so nobody is saying that cleaning contacts is fun. But what we can say is that the standard rules apply:
- The easier and simpler a job is, the more likely it is to get done.
- Having the correct tools makes any job easier – and that generally makes for better results
When it comes to cleaning audio contacts, just having the right materials and tools on hand really does make all the difference. A little planning goes a long way, especially as achieving the best results means using specialist cleaning agents and non-standard tools you are unlikely to find in the average household cleaning kit or medicine cabinet.
Given the small size and inaccessibility of many contact surfaces in audio connectors, the first item on your list of cleaning tools is going to be cotton buds in a range of different sizes. Standard cotton buds present no problem: they’re cheap and readily available in a range of different lengths and configurations. Personally, I prefer the longer, more tightly wound variety that are sold specifically for cleaning and servicing electronic equipment. Softer varieties sold for use with cosmetics or for medical applications tend to shed in contact with sharp or angular surfaces, fibres or in some cases, entire tips. A little experimentation pays dividends and you’ll quickly find a product that works for you.
The problems start when you realise that standard cotton buds are too fat to fit into the RCA or XLR sockets that make up the lion’s share of your audio connections. Nor do they fit into the rectangular slots on IEC mains plugs. Search the internet and you’ll discover various, smaller diameter, often pointed alternatives to standard cotton buds, but these are mainly intended for cleaning small areas between tightly packed components. Feed them into an RCA or XLR socket and it’s alarming when the stick emerges with no foam or cotton cleaning tip attached to its end. Extracting the errant wad is no easy task…
