Those musical changes aren’t confined to the audio electron microscope of a track like Spiegel im Spiegel. You’ll hear the across all types of music, from the clarity of the structures and jaunty rhythms in Vivaldi’s La Cetra (Channel Classics CCS SA 33412) to the spatial coherence, instrumental dimensionality and easy breathing tuttis of The New World (Kertesz and the VPO, Decca SXL 2289). But perhaps the most telling contribution was to Nanci Griffith’s Storms (MCA D-6319). The CD has always struggled to match the qualities of the LP, which thrives on the high-class line-up, the tight playing, the musical intimacy and Glyn Johns’ superb production that underpin Griffith’s deceptively insightful lyrics. Post-TMD, the easy grace, fluid rhythms and unfettered micro-dynamics move the CD far, far closer to the vinyl experience, with a directness in the playing and communication, a clarity ion the presentation that increases the emotional and expressive range and a new intelligibility and intimacy in the lyrics. From the sardonic ‘Drive-In Movies and Dashboard Lights’ to the humour and rhythmic hitch-kick of ‘Listen To The Radio’, suddenly it’s not hard to hear why the LP is a collector’s item. The fact that cleaning and treating your contacts can do that for a run-of-the-mill CD bodes well for your system and the rest of your collection. Using Super TMD makes for a more organic, more accessible and much more human listening experience. Cleaning the contacts on a regular basis has always been part of my audio regimen (although I’d be lying if I said they all get cleaned as often as they should). Super TMD has just been added as an essential part of that procedure.
Doing it right…
At this point I should add three important pieces of advice regarding the application of TMD fluid, direct from Ryo Suzuki of Andante-Largo.
The first concerns my test protocol – a case of do as I say, rather than doing as I do! Although I deliberately cleaned the contacts on my test cables with DeoxIT first, a direct comparison of results being a necessary goal, it is neither necessary nor desirable to do so. In fact, Suzuki-san cautions against this practice, as it can lead to unpredictable chemical interactions. Instead, he recommends applying TMD directly to contact surfaces. Having applied a layer, he suggests leaving it for a minimum of 10-minutes to dry, before applying the second layer. Once that has dried, wipe away any excess fluid. Unlike many contact enhancers, TMD is not a coating, but contains a polymer ingredient that actually permeates the contact surface.
Secondly, when cleaning contacts and applying TMD, always turn the cotton buds clockwise! This keeps the ends tightly wound and prevents shedding of fibres or even complete tips.
Thirdly, what should be your priorities for treatment? Anything that suffers mechanical vibration or has very low signal levels. He suggests the following order of priority: mains connectors, speaker cables, headshell contacts and tonearm leads. Then the rest of the connections in the system, including accessible fuses – although note the orientation of each fuse when removing it for cleaning, so that you maintain directionality.
