Record Cleaning

[SEAWOLF97]

am getting back into vinyl ...really enjoying the warm dynamic sound.

Question ????

What is your personal method for cleaning records ??

I have a discwasher brush and fluid and use a dustbug, ...but still there is room for improvement. My Dad put them under the kitchen faucet and used dish soap...it kinda worked, but I think maybe left a residue.

Do you have a way that works well for you ??

[nrwjbl]

Question ????
What is your personal method for cleaning records ??
IDo you have a way that works well for you ??

Have a look here (modern turntables)

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...150#post197150

[remusr]

A $600 VPI 16.5 record cleaning machine made my well-kept LP's sound like new...or better than new. It also cleaned up previously unlistenable records amazingly - many were just dirty and not damaged - that vinyl is unbelievably tough. Also new turntables & cartridges have advanced compared to those of the 70's.
Playing a record is also more interesting & gives me something pretty to watch vs slipping a CD into a player.
Soundwise, I understand that a RedBook CD has some advantages and disadvantages compared to LP's. CD's can sound better on the low end due to no groove-width or acceleration restrictions but drop off fairly rapidly after 14kHz. A 96kHz sampled CD (2.2x Redbook) may be another story. Either beats mp3 except for portability.

[SEAWOLF97]

I've been "re-discovering" vinyl for the last 2 months. Am experiencing a warm , fuller sound than I get with my decent quality CD players and much more range than XM.

Was at the "as-is" thrift last week and 8 boxes of records came out. They were obviously from the same person and all were in great condition. I picked up 8 pop albums ( 1st Elton Jihn , 2 Mamas & Papas , Blood , Sweat & Tears , Rhapsody in Blue , a test record , marty Robbins sings Hawaiian, Simon & Garfunkle) and it set me back $4.

In the regular thrift, they are 99 cents each, with better selecton.

wow,,I got back out the dustbug and diskwasher and its like the old days all over again...all the prep work and care seems to provide a closer link to the sounds. The covers and booklets are fun.

I found my double disk JBL demo record set from 1972 with Hoyt Axton and it blew me away. Have very few CD's that sound so good. Even learning to tune out the clicks and pops.

Oh yeah...I picked up a 3 record box set of Jonny Cash's greatest...looks like they had never been played...50 cents !!!

Starting to get excited about audio again



whoops...OT ? anyone else have good record cleaning tips ????? (w/o buying an expensive machine ???)

[remusr]

Don't know about expensive but I went to an audio shop that allowed customers to use their VPI record-cleaner and tried it. Then bought it. No comparison to what I did with Discwashers, bugs or whatever. The records cleaned up like new. Definitely worth it.

[jblnut]

I've always used 100% Isopropanol instead of the Discwasher fluid. It dissolves fingerprints instantly and does a good job of removing most things that end up on records. It evaporates quckly too so it won't cause any incidental damage to your stylus (some say alcohol can loosen up the glue that bonds the stylus to the cantilever but I've never had that happen).

For the really dirty ones you need a real record cleaning machine. My vinyl junkie friend has a Nitty Gritty machine and it really does an amazing job. Almost makes a record sound noiseless like a CD. They aren't cheap which is why I don't have one yet, but someday I will probably bite the bullet and buy one.

jblnut

I've been "re-discovering" vinyl for the last 2 months. Am experiencing a warm , fuller sound than I get with my decent quality CD players and much more range than XM.

Was at the "as-is" thrift last week and 8 boxes of records came out. They were obviously from the same person and all were in great condition. I picked up 8 pop albums ( 1st Elton Jihn , 2 Mamas & Papas , Blood , Sweat & Tears , Rhapsody in Blue , a test record , marty Robbins sings Hawaiian, Simon & Garfunkle) and it set me back $4.

In the regular thrift, they are 99 cents each, with better selecton.

wow,,I got back out the dustbug and diskwasher and its like the old days all over again...all the prep work and care seems to provide a closer link to the sounds. The covers and booklets are fun.

I found my double disk JBL demo record set from 1972 with Hoyt Axton and it blew me away. Have very few CD's that sound so good. Even learning to tune out the clicks and pops.

Oh yeah...I picked up a 3 record box set of Jonny Cash's greatest...looks like they had never been played...50 cents !!!

Starting to get excited about audio again



whoops...OT ? anyone else have good record cleaning tips ????? (w/o buying an expensive machine ???)

[SEAWOLF97]

Don't know about expensive but I went to an audio shop that allowed customers to use their VPI record-cleaner and tried it. Then bought it. No comparison to what I did with Discwashers, bugs or whatever. The records cleaned up like new. Definitely worth it.

I found one on eBay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/V-P-I-Record-vac...QQcmdZViewItem

looks like a vacuum box. so what about taking the home vacuum with a soft but porous cloth around the wand brush and cleaning it ? (after using alcohol on it)

[remusr]

Looks quite similar to my 16.5 except the vacuum arm seems attached to the cover rather than removable and the record clamp is real small. If it doesn't come with some you'd have to make your own cleaning solution - I have a recipe somewheres for homebrew but my dealer offers to mixup batches whenever. Uses a couple things like toner developer or something to remove residue...gotta go find the recipe!

[nrwjbl]

Back in the 70's audio magazines recommended playing vinyl-collections WET. In Europe most known equipment was LencoClean. Record surface was moistened during playing by a special "tonearm" filled with "Lenco-Super-Mixture" and the stylus running in liquid. Sound was fine as long as playing record wet. Those days impressed by that marketing-gag I treated lots of records with that fluid. Some of my friends lost their stylus as glue dissolved from system. I never had that with my EMT.

Later I wished playing them dry again as I was fed up with that paddling in liquid when ready for listening music. That was a shock for me as it was no more possible playing my records the dry way. There where klicks and ticks and distortion so to forget about enjoyable listening.
Actually I'd "lost" all my records after applying wet method.

I tried different ways cleaning surfaces again. The only efficient way to do was buying a Keith Monks II and clean records without any trace. And that worked fine, some had to be cleaned 2-3 times but now they are fine again and I saved my collection by using that machine. Nowadays there are different machines on the market.
I find KM most professional and easy to service. Noise while vacuuming liquid is pretty low and you can use it even in your living room.

peter

[Rolf]

Omy ooo may. So much hope ... so much to to care fore.

You analog people makes me think Edidon.

[SEAWOLF97]

Omy ooo may. So much hope ... so much to to care fore.

You analog people makes me think Edidon.

Rolf , maybe if you have nothing positive to contribute, then this is not the thread for you ?? In your tagline you say "It's really all about music" , and we are discussing how to get the best music out of our gear.

The thing thats funny is that vinyl playback has a HIGHER sampling rate than Cd's do

[Mr. Widget]

Omy ooo may. So much hope ... so much to to care fore.

You analog people makes me think Edidon.

You my friend, make me laugh...

You don't need a $25K turntable to hear the difference. A friend found an old $100 Sanyo DD table at the dump and took it home... even with the old $25 Audio Technica cartridge running through his receiver's built in phono stage he was amazed at what he had been missing. Now he is using a borrowed Rega and new Shure cartridge and a borrowed phono stage... there is no comparison.

FWIW: Red Book CD makes me think of the dark ages... let's hope we emerge from the other side with 192/24.

Widget

[rs237]

There are people whom convenience is more important than a good sound.
regards
juergen

[hjames]

There are people whom convenience is more important than a good sound.
regards
juergen

hey, when I am jogging in the neighborhood, or taking a trip in the car, it IS all about convenience.

But when I am home and have time to relax and just listen ...
my requirements are so much different!

[rs237]

Yes you are right, my answer was not entirely serious, therefore, the smily. But for everything you have to enjoy what you want, more or less prepare. So why is it so bad if his records washes ?

regards

juergen