I have a pair of d20r about 6 years old. The speaker terminals have seem to oxidised and not have the original shine anymore. Does anyone have any advise on how to clean them? I know naim does not recommend contact cleaners.
Are they Rhodium plated? My old Proacs had Rhodium plated Michell binding posts. It’s difficult to see in the picture.
You don’t have to use contact cleaners, but isopropyl alcohol should be okay as it won’t leave any residue. But remember, the bit you can see isn’t what matters. it’s the bit in bore that makes the contact with the plug. I’d use IPA soaked Q-tip followed by a dozen plug reinserts. IPA for the grime. Friction for the oxidize.
Rhodium shouldn’t really oxidise. It’s better than gold in that respect. Nickel perhaps?
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Good advice. Perhaps send this photo to Proac and see what they recommend.
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Contact cleaners contain isopropyl AFAIK…
It’s the other additives that are the problem.
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Indeed. The clue is in the name. Contact Cleaner - for cleaning contacts, which often move. So some oil or similar is included, to lubricate the contacts.
I have never, ever cleaned the terminals on my amps or my speakers with any proprietary cleaners or whatever. If I thought that I had a dodgy contact, I’d simply unplug/reinsert the pins at the amp or speaker terminals a few times.
It’s ironic that the OP acknowledges that Naim doesn’t recommend contact cleaners, yet still asks for suggestions for cleaning!
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Gold doesn’t oxidise at all, so rhodium is no better in that respect, assuming we’re talking pure metal (24k gold) as is normal with plated terminals on speakers. Rhodium’s advantage is being harder than gold it, so it doesn’t wear as much with repeated use, though speaker terminals on domestic hifi don’t generally get a lot of wear.
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Actually gold is very low reactivity, not zero. On the reactivity table it is second to rhodium.
Any tips on how I could check for the material? Thank you
I think your best course of action here would be to contact the manufacturer in question, ProAc, and ask their advice.
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That looks rather dirty or corroded.
Why not try to clean them with a dry, stiff toothbrush first, and see what happens.
It looks like they have reacted with the cable contacts…
Out of interest, what is the metal for the following;
- Speaker terminal
- Banana plug
- Speaker wire
Also can you provide a clearer photo of the speaker terminal, without the banana plug and the banana plug itself?
DG…
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Thanks guys for the replies. I emailled proac, they say that it will tarnish in humid environments such as mine (85% relative humidity).
Where are you located?
DG…
Did they say what the surface metal is?
Sounds like in the bathroom, or maybe sauna?
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Singapore, the mean annual RH is 82%
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