Do WBT connectors make a positive SQ difference?

[fas42]

The connectors are a link in the chain. And the weakest link will always dictate the subjective qualities of what you hear - not the strongest.

 

An audio system is, wait for it ... a system. Any area that lowers the integrity is going to make a difference, and it may be substantial.

 

So, yes, use WBT connectors if they're "better", Personally, I hardwire, solder all connections - because I hate the sound of the type of distortion that results from relying on push on, etc, connectors ...

[fas42]

1 hour ago, mozes said:

Do you do that on all of your chain components?

 

Yes. I work through the whole chain, dealing with the obvious ones, and then hunting out more obscure points where items are just plugged in. Either solder, or apply, very carefully! , silver paste enhancers - the SQ improves with each iteration; the end result is that the edginess, or unpleasantness, one usually hears with 'difficult' recordings is largely eliminated - a major step forward towards fully competent sound ...

[fas42]

41 minutes ago, thotdoc said:

That was my question, are they better? If I knew they were better I'd spend the additional money.

 

My best guestimate would be that WBT are "better" - I looked up the web page for that brand, Analysis-Plus, that is, and have to say that their geometry wouldn't be my first choice; I always use single strand conductors if aiming for best sound.

 

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I get the system part and that everything matters. I am trying to get information regarding the effects on the transmission of electricity through the various connectors. Does one connector offer less resistance, etc?

 

The problem is contact noise - a less truly gas tight metal to metal contact area opens the door for noise generating mechanisms to affect things; as a result, there's a whole area of engineering that deals with this - look up Ragnar Holm.

 

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Re soldering the cables: my concerns-soldering a 5/16th "bolt" to a complex set of hollow core cables, and A-P is a top company that has spent much more time finishing their cables with all those intricacies than I have. So, I want to buy their expertise in this.

 

I certainly appreciate your approach, however.

 

A good alternative is to use an industrial silver paste contact enhancer, between bolt and the cable's connector - make sure beforehand that a mechanical very tight connection can be made; then carefully clean the mating surfaces, apply only just enough of the paste to completely coat the surfaces - too much paste doesn't make it better! - then join, and make it as mechanically tight as you checked earlier. Then, do not disturb !!! Fiddling with the connection point at all from then on will only degrade its quality - if you have to disconnect, clean all the muck off, and start all over again, as above.

[fas42]

Nice to see an actual measurement of the impact of contact degradation!

 

However, it's easy to hear the problem, once one becomes aware of the effect - irrespective of measurability.

 

Yes, the Ney book is a good overview - Ragnar Holm is the Father of this field; there's a yearly Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts - plenty of material can be found around the net.

 

The point being, if you ignore the significance of contact quality then the subjective SQ will likely suffer; how one deals with it is then up to the individual.

[fas42]

12 minutes ago, gmgraves said:

Try Stabilant 22a, before ruining your connectors by gooping  them up with solder. Stabilant is so good that NASA uses it on connectors as does the entire Aerospace industry and most automotive companies. It ain’t cheap, but unlike soldering one’s connections, Stabilant IS reversible.

 

Note that my experiences with these type of contact enhancers, years ago, wasn't positive - but Stabilant 22a may be an exception - I haven't tried it.

 

The silver paste treatments are long term stable, unlike the liquid preparations, IME. And, the application is also completely reversible.

[fas42]

My experience with the liquid enhancers is that they go bad with time. When I was experimenting, and this is a long time ago, I noted that there was a very slow, but steady degradation in the subjective quality - it got greyer, and greyer, which is about as good a phrase to use. To confirm what was happening, put the connectors apart, thoroughly clean and replug with no enhancer added - ah-hah, full SQ restored. I repeated testing what was happening a number of times, and always got the same result. This is what motivated me to go the next step, soldering the connection - and then all the slow degradation issues vanished.

 

Later on I experimented with silver paint, paste preparations - this was just the normal stuff you get from electronic parts suppliers - and they always delivered a positive, and more importantly, lasted the distance. The downside is that you have to be meticulous in how you do it; just slapping it on, treating it like a car grease is not the way - a good approach is to think of it as very soft solder; and therefore treat it in every context as if it were indeed solder.

[fas42]

I tried other than Stabilant 22 brand enhancer. So this one may not have those ageing issues - I won't know until I try it, .

 

I'm curious that you believe that it increases the effective area of the mating surfaces - my understanding is that its benefits are in excluding atmospheric gases from the metal surfaces junction, and otherwise is completely inert. By contrast, the silver paste does two things, improves gastightness and enhances conductivity.

 

Sloppy use won't help, of course - but the same thing could be said of being hamfisted in soldering - again, I see it as being a form of very soft solder; and the same care should be taken as for the hard stuff.

[fas42]

I stand corrected ... however, it talks about extremely slow switching speed, which implies that it's only effective, as a conductor, at close to DC frequencies. That is, the conductivity of the metal to metal mating area is not improved at audio signal frequencies - if you can point to something that more clearly states otherwise, I would appreciate that.