For record cleaning, this machine does the job very nicely.

[url= http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?accstwek&1063518732 ] http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?accstwek&1063518732 [/url]

Note: This is not me selling this but rather just an example of the price range you can expect for the unit. You might even be able to find one around $350 used.

I find that cleaning records on a machine of this type makes the largest difference to my ears in playing back vinyl with a decent turntable.



[This message has been edited by Jason J (edited July 16, 2003).]

Ond additional technique for dealing with noisy records (although one I've never tried) is to play them "wet". I have heard this gets rid of some of the noise when making a transfer to digital.

That would make the sound more "liquid", soundhound?

What kind of liquid?

Margaritas? Liquid listener??

Seriously, I have head of this wet playing of records, too. I guess distilled water, not mineral laden tap water, would be desireable.

Paul

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the 1derful1

The problem with playing something wet to eliminate pops is that the dirt has to go someplace and that someplace is on your stylus. That's not where you want dirt to be because it will distribute it to everything else you play with that stylus. Not good.

All these multi-$100 cleaning solutions are just overkill in my opinion. A Discwasher and/or a carbon fiber brush (We used to call them Decca brushes http://audioadvisor.com/store/productdet...%20Care%20Brush ) should be fine for most discs. Just use each time before you play a disc.

If something is really dirty, you can clean it with a little distilled water and a soft cloth, then air dry it. If that doesn't do it, you should have enough respect for your cartridge and stylus not to play the filthy thing on your system at all.

For my part, I NEVER play a second-hand disc on my system without washing it thoroughly with distilled water. (Are we sure that alcohol doesn't have a leeching effect on the plastic? I'm not.) Who knows where a second-hand disc has been, how it's been treated, and what was eaten (and dripped) over its surface before it got to you.


[This message has been edited by boblinds (edited July 16, 2003).]

73B- Check that Technics you have. A lot of people consider the SL 1200 - 1800 (Mk II) series of turntables to be the best mass market units out there. In fact, I will have to look around, there is a web site out there that does a really nice job of tracking (hee, hee) the history of Technics in that time period, and all the innovations they introduced.

boblinds,

I might should market my cleaning solution then. I have been giving it away for years and everyone tells me it is better than the ones they buy. Anyone would have to be crazy to pay $100's. I love my NG Pro because I am lazy and it auto cleans both side for me. But the home brew does the real job. I even have a super duper formula for dirty mildew records. It does use a certain percent of 92% alcohol, and I have used this for 20 years. Those records perform perfctly so I don't think it is hurting them. They will outlast me. Again my recipe is simple, close to what they all use and cost about $3 to make a little less than a gallon. Some of the add ons I use I bought when I first started and I still have enough to make 1000 more gallons. There are a 1000 recipes for record cleaning solutions out there without spending the big bucks.

I still have a big red jug of the Discwasher stuff, but I've also used a 7/8 DI water, 1/8 IPA mixture too. Some people say you have to be careful about using a mixture with too much IPA in it, because it can dry out the binders and stuff in the vinyl. FWIW.

Oh, I heard once that the trick with playing records wet, is if you do it once for a particular lp, you have to in the future as well, or else it gets really poppy and clicky... I'd be too afraid of getting water into my turntable to do this.

We really do forget the old tricks with time!

If you have a noisy record from which you want to extract its contents FOR THE FINAL TIME the easiest way to do it is to play it wet. Use a pump / mister bottle to minimize "spillage." Tap water will do although the "old" advice was to use distilled water. The water acts as a lubricant. You will have to clean your stylus afterwards. And the record will be noisier than ever once it's dry. Even if you try to play it wet again it will be noisier as deposits will tend to dam-up and harden in place after the first wet play.

Of course giving the record a good cleaning beforehand can't hurt. (Again this is only to extract the sound from the grooves one last time from a noisy record that you are prepared to say goodbye to - not for regular use.)

I agree that the wav file digital route is the best way to go - if you have the time.

And those click and pop noise reducers (from dbx and Phase Linear if I recall correctly) did work very well. They had an adjustable "gain" that allowed you to select the threshold of the reduction. Set just right it got rid of the big spikes and left the high frequencies pretty much unharmed. Dialed too high and they did have a negative effect on the sound.

Lastly, (and I've posted this elsewhere before) it's amazing how much accoustic feedback most turntable / tonearm / stylus combinations will pick up. Especially nowadays when our systems are all capable of extended bass beyond what even most "high end" systems were capable of 20 years ago. (Yes there are exceptions!) I recommed that anyone who is still playing records construct an effective accoustic damper to sit their turntable on. I use two slabs of 1/2 inch granite separated by a thin layer of rubber (one of those anti-slip mats from Home Depot). Where do you get the granite? Try any kitchen counter shop like I did. I don't think they have many other uses for sink hole cutouts - do you? For $60Cdn I had a local shop cut two cut-outs to the exact size I wanted and pollish the sides. While I never much noticed a problem before, I can tell you I certainly notice the difference with the damper in use.

Better yet. Get the CD version!

Jeff Mackwood

The hardware pop-and-click solution I remember using was the SAE 5000, which is frequently available on ebay for $75 or so.

My pop used to have SAE kit and they also made a linear tracking turntable didn't they?