Cleaning

**Paul Wozniak** · 02-15-2009 12:28 PM

I meant to post this around the beginning of the year, but I forgot.

Many of us forget to do this but it is important to do once a year, and that's the simple task of getting behind your rigs and taking the time to clean and dress your connections. Break out the vacuum cleaner and get all those dust bunnies. Disconnect and clean all your interconnects, dress them with a good contact cleaner. Disconnect all those speaker wires, if they're bare wire, cut a little off, dress, and reconnect. Now tidy up all your "runs", and make sure if you have to cross an AC line with your interconnects, do so at a 90 degree angle.

If you haven't done this in a while you may be shocked at what you hear when you power back up. Cleaning up that oxidation is one of those cheap upgrades you can make you smile. I just did this today, and I'm always shocked by how much this changes the sound of my system. Makes the wife happy too, it's amazing how much dust accumulates back there.

A clean system is a happy system.

**rey_1178** · 02-15-2009 12:35 PM

great advise

thank you

**dfergie** · 02-15-2009 12:38 PM

Excellent post... stuck thread...

**Paul Wozniak** · 02-16-2009 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by dfergie

Excellent post... stuck thread...

Didn't think about a "sticky" for this. I guess that's why guys like you run this place.

Anyhow, I agree this was a good move, if just to remind ME to clean my connections.

**dfergie** · 02-16-2009 11:31 AM

I've always used pencil erasers to clean composite cables... (bought some just for some sensitive connections at work also)

**Jason Whiddon** · 03-21-2009 08:39 AM

Paul, what do you mean by "90 degree angle"?

Are you saying dont run interconnects parallel with power cords? Its best to have them criss cross like an intersection to minimize how much of the interconnect is close to the power cord?

**Paul Wozniak** · 03-21-2009 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by elwaylite

Paul, what do you mean by "90 degree angle"?

Are you saying dont run interconnects parallel with power cords? Its best to have them criss cross like an intersection to minimize how much of the interconnect is close to the power cord?

You got it right, Elwaylite. It's best if you can keep your interconnects, HDMI's away from any AC cords, but since we live in the "real world", it's best if you have cross AC lines to do it like "an intersection". I've got over a shit load of wires (forgot the count, I posted it another thread once) behind my stand, and dressing them all is a major chore, but well worth it.

**ripnbigc** · 03-21-2009 01:13 PM

Great reminder!

**Jason Whiddon** · 03-21-2009 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by Paul Wozniak

You got it right, Elwaylite. It's best if you can keep your interconnects, HDMI's away from any AC cords, but since we live in the "real world", it's best if you have cross AC lines to do it like "an intersection". I've got over a shit load of wires (forgot the count, I posted it another thread once) behind my stand, and dressing them all is a major chore, but well worth it.

Yeah, going all HDMI helps out.

Ive got my surge protector mounted on the wall behind my tv, so all power cords go up. All my speaker cables (sub too) go down along the floor, so the exposure should be minimal.