Part 2
Now that we've cleaned up and organized our system it's time to get to cleaning it. The cleaning process is where we'll get an actual sonic benefit from our spring cleaning efforts. Yes, the visual organizing and cleaning mentally helps us, but of course there's no actual sonic benefit - not yet anyway.
Contact cleaning is important and the greatest benefit I get from such activity is from the power cables, and this is where I start. My favorite cleaner is from a company called Caig Laboratories, and they make a product called Caig DeoxIT Gold. I just buy a spray can of the stuff and go to town. If you're new to the spring cleaning ritual, start with their Technicians Survival Kit, available from
Music Direct or
Amazon.
The kit's probably more than you need but it's a nice package and handy too. I use mostly the Gold, and squirt a small dab into each AC outlet, a little bit (hey, a little dab 'l do ya') onto the male prongs of the power cord, then insert the two in and out a few times to spread the stuff. Repeat the process on the male IEC AC inputs of your equipment and the female end of your power cables IEC.
One word of caution. Do these ends separately and DO NOT keep the male end of the power cable in the AC wall socket when you're cleaning the other end. You don't want live AC on the power cable as you insert it in and out of the equipment.
This process, when done on all the power cables and AC inlets of the equipment, makes a noticeable sonic improvement. And there's more to go.
