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Quick Takes -
Pro Gold G100L Contact Cleaner - August, 2000
Brian Florian
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Caig 'ProGold G100L' Contact Cleaner and treatment. Available in a variety of formats including concentrate, wipes, and pen applicator (sample vial pictured)
Price $16.95 - $39.95
What they say
ProGold is specifically formulated to improve conductivity and provide long- lasting protection on gold, precious metals and their base metals. It conditions connectors, contacts, and other metal surfaces, thus enhancing the conductivity characteristics to efficiently transmit electrical signals. By 'cleaning' the contacts with ProGold, oxidation (and other dirts) are removed. By leaving a trace amount of ProGold on the contact, future oxidation is inhibited and conductivity is enhanced. Because plating metals like gold are porous in nature, oxidation can get through it to the base metal over time. By filling in the pores and reaching the base metal, ProGold prevents contamination of the base metal which can cause delamination of the plating. ProGold is a lubricant and thus prevents chafing and scraping of the plating. It fills in the gaps and increases conductivity.
Conduction through a ProGold coated surface takes place in three ways, First, ProGold can be displaced by electrical arc, shock wave or simple mechanical pressure and will redistribute itself along the surface when the disturbance is removed. Second, a thin insulating film of ProGold can be dispersed by an electrical field. Finally, conduction takes place through very thin films of ProGold by means of a quantum- mechanical phenomenon called "tunneling." To avoid detouring into a discussion in physics, simply stated, electrons travel from one side of a thin film of ProGold to the other without passing through (this is the same effect that gave the tunnel diode its name). ProGold fills the gaps in the contact surfaces, increasing the surface area and current flow (conductivity).
What we found
While I'm proud to say that for the most part, the electrical contacts at my location are clean, we did find some older UltraLink RCAs which made the cleaning tissue black when cleaned with ProGold. That black stuff is oxidation, and we want that off our contacts gang! So ProGold works on that level. Next, I exposed an equal amount of wire from two leads on a 12 gauge 'oxygen free copper' (OFC) speaker wire and treated one with ProGold (I left a residue of the fluid on the metal). After leaving the wire on an outside window sill for a few weeks, the untreated wire was visibly tarnished, while the treated one still shined. So it works as a cleaner and inhibitor. Does it improve conductivity? It probably does, but my ears could not pick up anything different in the sound. At least that's evidence that ProGold does not do any harm. The thing we liked the most is the lubrication. Some RCAs are designed to be so tight, requiring such great force to install, that at times I'm afraid of destroying the jacks on my equipment, not to mention the scratching of the gold plating that occurs. ProGold made those same RCAs slide right on! (note: this does not affect the pressure exerted by the RCAs on the jack, it simply reduces the friction when the plug is moved in or out).
While I cannot say that this stuff will have such dramatic effects as 'opening up the soundstage' or 'providing sweeter highs and more dynamic low end', I did find enough value in cleaning and protecting the contacts of my hard earned electronics that I'm making it a permanent part of my AV toolkit. Maybe if used on connectors that are in really poor condition, we'd hear a more noticeable difference in the sound.
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- Brian Florian
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Theater & High Fidelity
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