Remember to look after your connections

I'm not pointing fingers or putting any one down. The Desiderata says 'even the dull and ignorent must have their say' and I would add because they might well be correct, out of the mouths of babes etc. The forum is all the better for the diversity and comments of its members. There is a very entertaining spat going on in this thread now, and I for one can see that perhaps both sides have valid arguments so I'll keep an eye on this. Rich 

It's also worth being aware of the rated insertion cycles for the connector (i.e. the number of cycles for a 50% failure rate).

Whist for for many DIN connectors it's 500 cycles, for others it's 250 cycles; in both cases this is only when used with the same manufacturer's matching DIN connectors.  Using plugs and sockets from different manufacturers or even a connector from a different series by the same manufacturer can substantially reduce this number.

Huge posted:

Jonners posted:

Great thread - my hi-fi and the majority of cables are getting on for 13 years old and I've never once thought about cleaning contacts. Looks like I have a date with a bottle of record cleaner and a microfibre cloth....

Don't use record cleaner as it can leave a residue, just use 'pure' isopropyl alcohol.

Good tip Huge - if I can't get any isopropryl alcahol, will a few dabs of Blue Stratos aftershave do? I usually clean engine blocks with it and the scent easily overpowers diesel fumes. Lasts forever too - I've had my bottle since 1983. Seriously though, that's very helpful - appreciate the advice.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Yes all contact connections including DIN and RCA benefit from occasional unplug and re-insertion, even if it’s simply to remove the contact oxidisation. With some of the Naim DIN connectors like Hiline, there is also consideration of the physical tensions for optimum conduction so that the pins in the DIN connections are not under undue pressure and tension, that is is you insert the plug then pull out to a degree such that the DIN pins can be seated optimally in the socket connector cups.. usually worth re doing this every few months or once a year. Many quality RCA plugs (like ETI, or WBT such as Naim use) use high pressure contacts and these benefit from being re inserted and clamped every few months..

I was advised to keep the Din collars loose by a dealer many years ago. I take it that's cobblers if high pressure contact is needed?

Jonners posted:

Huge posted:

Jonners posted:

Great thread - my hi-fi and the majority of cables are getting on for 13 years old and I've never once thought about cleaning contacts. Looks like I have a date with a bottle of record cleaner and a microfibre cloth....

Don't use record cleaner as it can leave a residue, just use 'pure' isopropyl alcohol.

Good tip Huge - if I can't get any isopropryl alcahol, will a few dabs of Blue Stratos aftershave do? I usually clean engine blocks with it and the scent easily overpowers diesel fumes. Lasts forever too - I've had my bottle since 1983. Seriously though, that's very helpful - appreciate the advice.

You can get isopropyl alcohol 99.9% purity on Amazon, or as wipes, not too expensive.

Alba1320 posted:

Jonners posted:

I was advised to keep the Din collars loose by a dealer many years ago. I take it that's cobblers if high pressure contact is needed?

This is a well known 'tweak' in Naim circles - some find better performance if the collars of the DIN plugs of the interconnects (but not SNAICS) are left loose. It's easy to try for yourself.

The high pressure contact points in a DIN connector are formed by the metal contacts in the socket 'pinching' the sides of the pins in the plug.  It has nothing to do with the locking collar on the shell.

SNAICs should be secured for safety, due to the possibility of dire consequences if an intermittent connection occurs between a preamp and it's PSU.

Jonners posted:

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Yes all contact connections including DIN and RCA benefit from occasional unplug and re-insertion, even if it’s simply to remove the contact oxidisation. With some of the Naim DIN connectors like Hiline, there is also consideration of the physical tensions for optimum conduction so that the pins in the DIN connections are not under undue pressure and tension, that is is you insert the plug then pull out to a degree such that the DIN pins can be seated optimally in the socket connector cups.. usually worth re doing this every few months or once a year. Many quality RCA plugs (like ETI, or WBT such as Naim use) use high pressure contacts and these benefit from being re inserted and clamped every few months..

I was advised to keep the Din collars loose by a dealer many years ago. I take it that's cobblers if high pressure contact is needed?

No not really they address different requirements... the collars are there on some interconnects to stop the lead accidentally being pulled out and causing damage.. such as between NAC and NAP. The Hiline connectors don’t have collars for example as they are used generally  for signal inputs.

So with collars if they are on your plug keep connected but loose, so it will provide some protection. The pressure from the connection comes from when pin is inserted in the socket cup.. the pressure is not directly linked to the collar. The reason many recommend the collar to be loose is that it better allow the pins to optimally fit the sockets rather than being constrained and the pins not sitting optimally in the socket cups.

Simon, thanks for the explanation. Plugs and sockets are now making sense. Rich 

feeling_zen posted:

Contact cleaner or other mildly corrosive cleaners are, I think, perfectly fine for things not in an signal path.

????I'd not hesitate to use them on mains plugs for example. 

???? Feeling_Zen wrote,....????I'd not hesitate to use them on mains plugs for example. 

◾If something is so dirty,so that for some strange reason is not enough with "plugging/unplugging”,so is the only thing to use...pure isopropyl alcohol.

After using isopropyl alcohol,you should "plug/Unplug" 6-8 times.

I would NEVER use anything other than isopropyl alcohol,not even on mains plugs.
Everything matters,..Think "Attention To Detail".

This we have tested so many times,so listen to these advice.
Installing and maintaining a high-quality music system requires knowledge and experience,..So listen to the valuable advice that several give in this thread.

Again,..."Everything Matters".

/Peder ????

I find that if I insert and reinsert my DIN cables into the sockets too many times at once, the poor things wear out, go limp and fall asleep until the next day.

I don’t even want to think about 20 times with all those Burndies I have - once was bad enough - I think that my back would give out

Just so RaceTripper,  the design of the Preh & Neutrik DIN pin & socket connections give a self wiping (cleaning) action with one pull out & & one push in.  Any more won't make a better connection but it will loosen the sockets contact pressure over time. 

RaceTripper posted:

I find that if I insert and reinsert my DIN cables into the sockets too many times at once, the poor things wear out, go limp and fall asleep until the next day.

I am curious. If we are saying that the friction of connecting and disconnecting the plugs cleans the pins and sockets, surely we are accelerating wear on the pins. The advocation of repeated insertion up to 64 times is surely unnecessary. And what of the delicate airplug and the wobbly pins? Surely that't just asking for trouble? I usually settle on 3 or 4 times, although I haven't done a direct comparison between odd and even numbered pull/pushes.

For DIN and RCA  plugs it's almost impossible to get behind the collars with cotton buds, so the swiping method seems more appropriate.

Sorry, I meant 64 times everyday is the best to settle oxidation issues.

Tobyjug, art thou riffing on a Sgt Peppers theme?

Reconnected and connected a few times, founded out that some of my powerlines had loosened a bit. Now it’s set and the system plays music like almost never before????.

// Anders