Tweakers' Asylum: REVIEW: Walker Audio SST - Super Silver Treatment Accessory by vinyl

Model:	SST - Super Silver Treatment
Category:	Accessory
Suggested Retail Price:	$70
Description:	Silver Contact Enhancer
Manufacturer URL:	Walker Audio
Manufacturer URL:	Walker Audio

Review by vinyl_mike ( A ) on December 26, 2003 at 07:58:14
IP Address: 68.82.146.23

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for the SST - Super Silver Treatment

First my Walker Audio bias. I believe that Lloyd Walker produces some the best sounding equipment and tweaks in audio. Lloyd Walker is part engineer, part mad scientist, and part golden ear audiophile. This recipe makes for some interesting products. Walker's technical training goes back to his days in the world of nuclear power plant controls engineering. Here he was involved with analyzing critical signal flow using Time Domain Reflectometers. My laymanâ€™s understanding is that in all transmission cables, imperfect connections cause a signal to be reflected back to the source, thereby distorting the original signal. Spikes from poor connections along with their locations are displayed on the TDR. Apparently any connection is a potential problem, whether itâ€™s a $1000 connector from a nuclear power plant or one of our lowly RCA audio plugs.
Recently, I was talking to Lloyd about some miscellaneous equipment issues and he told me about a new product in development â€“ a silver based contact enhancing paste that improves signal flow. Lloyd promised dramatic results. Based on my experience with Walker Audio, I immediately offered to be one of the first customers.
Product Description
SST (Super Silver Treatment) is a cool looking silvery paste. Itâ€™s thin enough to be easily applied to any connector but thick enough that it doesnâ€™t flow. According to Walker and his literature, the product contains ultra-pure, thin micron-sized silver flakes suspended in an organic dielectric fluid. Walker claims that the size of the silver flake makes a significant difference in the sound quality. The formula was developed using carefully controlled listening experiments. Additionally, connections using the SST were tested using a time domain reflectometer. Walker stated that while using his product spurious â€œspikeâ€ reflections were virtually eliminated. I donâ€™t know what the dielectric fluid is; I assume it to be proprietary. I suspect 15-20 grams of this paste is in the container and small applicators are included with the kit.
Application
Being part of the obsessive, lunatic fringe of audio, I decided to give the treatment a real test. I coated EVERYTHING, first cleaning with 99% alcohol, then with ProGold, drying and wiping each connection and finally treating with SST. If it was metal-to-metal, it received the SST treatment. I started with the pins on the phone cartridge, and moved right through the system to the amps - coating each pin of the Tenorâ€™s tubes. I coated the power plugs; I removed the jumpers from the crossovers in the speakers and coated them. You get the idea. Three hours later I was done. The paste is easy to apply but you must be careful. It is highly conductive. If you use too much or apply it too close to the bottom of a RCA male connector, you could short it out. It can be removed with nail polish remover, ProGold or other solvents, but itâ€™s a pain if you over-apply or get sloppy. Iâ€™m talking from experience here.
Listening Results.
Walker believes that everything needs to be broken-in, even his paste. He recommended eight to ten hours, but I only gave it five hours of playtime before my wife and I settled in for some serious listening.
Letâ€™s cut to the chase; this stuff is amazing. The first perception is that the volume is louder. Donâ€™t ask me why, I have no idea, but it was real to me. I have a Levinson Pre-amp with a very accurate and repeatable numerical volume display. I used this for years and am very familiar with certain levels on certain records. Universally, every record sounded louder at a given setting. Itâ€™s an interesting phenomenon, but if the quality doesnâ€™t improve who cares that itâ€™s louder. I understand that you might be skeptical of my observations. So was I. SST is just a contact enhancer. I, like many of you, have my own favorite, ProGold. It provided (to me) a noticeable, incremental improvement, but not an earth shattering difference between it and other good enhancers. SST is different.
First the soundstage is far more enveloping. I swear that it extends an additional two feet in every direction. You are surrounded in the musical event, you become part of it. I love the effect. Highs seem more extended with a greater sweetness. I know itâ€™s an overused expression, but SST truly removes a veil between you and the music. The soundstage focus is clearer but without any spotlighting. Just as if you were at a live event, you can focus on an individual performer or the organic whole. SST is one more step in having the system disappear leaving just the music. My wife compared the improvement to listening to a dirty record for years and then cleaning it for the first time. I assure you the effect is that dramatic.
Listening to the Weavers Reunion (Classic 45) was exhilarating. It is possibly one of the best sounding recordings and one of my personal favorites. After SST, you swear that you are sitting in Carnegie Hall! I saved the most pronounced effect to last â€“ the bass. Itâ€™s has significantly greater impact, while simultaneously being tighter and more focused. The improvement while listening to Duets was remarkable.
Summary
Iâ€™ve said it before in other reviews that my passion is to be emotionally pulled into the music and to forget about the equipment (the Goosebump factor). Well SST gets me one step closer to the goal. Highest recommendation!

Product Weakness: Really none, although you must be careful when applying
Product Strengths: It's like a major equipment upgrade in a jar!

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Tenor 75i
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Levinson 32, Walker reference Phono pre-amp
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Walker Proscenium Gold Signature Turntable, Clearaudio Insider Cart
Speakers:	Wilson X-1 Series 3
Cables/Interconnects:	Omega Micro Ebony, Transparent Ref MM, Transparent Opus Speaker, Omega Micro Power Cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Simon and Garfunkel-Bridge over Troubled Water (Classic 45); Jennifer Warnes- Famous Blue Raincoat; Rob Wasserman-Duets; Bread-Baby I Want You; Weavers-Reunion at Carnegie Hall (Classic 45) (all vinyl)
Room Size (LxWxH):	22 x 17 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	ASC Tube Traps; Echobuster absorbent and diffusor panels' Bookcase across back room for diffusion; Argent room lens; Double sheetrock with 2 x 6 construction in a dedicated room in basement; Separate 90 amp subpanel with five 20 amp isolated circuits
Time Period/Length of Audition:	4 hour listening after 5 hr break-in
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Furman Balanced AC for Pre-amp; MIT ISO-Duo for digital; Jena Labs Cryo'd 110outlets; VPI HW17F record cleaing machine; Walker Valid Points and resonance control discs;
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Really none, although you must be careful when applying
Product Strengths:	It's like a major equipment upgrade in a jar!