The KL is quieter. As I understand it the Audio Desk is better for mold, but I've never seen any. |
Dougdeacon, you really need the AD Vinyl cleaner in a quiet room apart from your listening area. All you need to do is insert it and start it and go listen to your music. Go back when you want and insert another record, push the button, and return to listening. I typically do about ten per evening this way. |
Peterayer, the proof is in the pudding. I imagine many would be put off were your dentist to twice use the cleaning fluid and put the cleaned item back in their mouths.
You seem intent on longer treatments. I had been doing that with the four step Walker Audio Prelude system and vacuuming each on each side. This is a commitment of about 20 minutes per record, rather than none using the AD Vinyl Cleaner and it sounds as good. This is no choice for me. |
Wilcan7, I have an AudioDesk and find it exceptional as one can put the record in a push the button and then go back to listening while the record is cleaned and ready to go when you go back.
Earlier I had a special VPI with a Delrin vacuum tube and used Walker Audio cleaners. I took me about twenty minutes per LP to clean them. With the AudioDesk it takes maybe a minute. |
Syntax, like Sonofjim, I don't agree with many of your opinions. I got a Vinyl Cleaner about two years ago and directly compared it with my special VPI with a Delgrin tube with the Walker Prelude four step cleaning solutions. I played VPI cleaned records and then recleaned them with the Vinyl Cleaner. There was no question that the recleaning improved the sound. Later I was to discover that it worked both ways. Using both machines in a second recleaning was best. Of course for me this is just too much!
My Vinyl Cleaner stopped rotating records after about 300 records. I returned it. But I missed it greatly. Devoting about twenty minutes per album with the VPI even with the one time around vacuuming with the Delrin tube was so off putting that I largely stopped cleaning.
After hearing that the reliability of the Vinyl Cleaner had improved, I bought another. It is still working well after about 200 cleanings.
I should mention that my USB microscope shows no difference in the grooves of albums cleaned with the VPI or the Vinyl Cleaner.
Any cleaner other than the Audio Desk Vinyl Cleaner is just too much of a pain for no better cleaning. |
Syntax, the AD Vinyl Cleaner has a white filter very visible from above. I clean it out about every 100 records and have never seen anything resembling your mess. I have bought many old classics and cleaned them without this mess either, but I have bought them from reputable dealers, typically at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.
I have owned the Keith Monks and Loricraft string supported vacuum cleaners and multiple versions of the VPI. I do see the color of water you show in what is vacuumed off the records. Briefly, I did a final rinse with reverse osmosis water and the VPI cleaner after initial cleaning on the Vinyl Cleaner. There was no benefit that I could hear and the discharge water was uncolored. |
Syntax, do you use the Hannl VI3c in the Vinyl Cleaner or can you?
Dougdeacon, I would put the emphasis on convenience but add excellent cleaning. |
Gpgr4blu, as I said, I tried the water rinse and heard no benefit. I also used a USB microscope and could see no residue. |
Gpgr4blu, I have one problem with the AD Vinyl Cleaner. I am out of Texas for typically three months during the heat of the summer and leave the Vinyl Cleaner behind. I have been concerned with evaporation. The Cable Company suggested draining the liquid. I ultimately chose to use Cling Wrap around the top. Yes I do without vinyl while in the mountains of NM. |
George_a, I should have just taken it out. I will check it out on my return. Thanks. |
George_a, I did about 300 on one batch and saw nothing, including the filter, that would indicate the liquid was dirty. I even drained the liquid through a coffee filter to see anything dirty. It did show some staining. |
Sonofjim, very interesting. There apparently were many waiting for its bugs to be removed. |
Cto007, as I said in my review the Vinyl Cleaner improves on the cleaning of the VPI with a Delrin tube instead of the normal plastic tube and visa versa. I suspect that it is differences in methods and fluids but nevertheless, using both is a better although untenable solution to cleaning records.
Mike, I have never had a static problem with any of the multiple cleaning machines I've owned. Perhaps this is the humidity of Texas. |
Cto007, this complexity is probably the reason why it took some time to get it right. I'm very happy that he persisted. I have had many other units, but after experiencing the Vinyl Cleaner, I will not suffer with them. |
Suteetat, your unit sounds effective, but what I like about the Vinyl Cleaner is not having to be there.
Incidentally, a Japanese friend sent me a picture of a Japanese ultrasonic unit which was cheaper than the VC, but not automatic. |
Peterayer, I did that with a Delgin tube VPI as the vacuum of the ultra pure water rinse. I heard no benefit and saw none with a USB microscope. I stopped after three records. As I have said before, a second cleaning using the four step Walker Prelude liquids did improve the sound. Two different cleaners were better than one, but I was not at all likely to do this. |
Peterayer, I have done a double cleaning only once on an old Lena Horne album. It was a DJ record and was really dirty. The double cleaning did help. I also cleaned it again with my VPI using the Prelude four step cleaning of which step 1 is enzyme. As I said records that had been previously cleaned with the VPI sounded better after cleaning with the Vinyl Cleaner, and those cleaned with the VC also sounded better after cleaning with the VPI. |
Orthobiz, my only problem with this machine is evaporation of the cleaning fluid. I often go for weeks without cleaning and the fluid does evaporate. Also in the summer, I leave Texas for months. The only real solution is draining the unit into a bottle.
Apart from this this unit is far and away the most convenient and thorough record cleaner I have owned and I have owned even the original Keith Mooks, VPIs including one with a delgrin tube, the Loricraft unit, etc.
In my experience, the recent units are entirely dependable. |
At CES I ran into Keith Mook showing the newest version of his father's famous record cleaner. It is pretty much automatic now and quiet.. It is reduced in size but still pretty large.
I had one of the first units long ago and found it effective but troublesome. One of the features about it is that your water is always fresh as is the string. They had a special show special one, but I didn't buy it. |
Ebm, the Ultrasonic V-8 unit cleans up to eight records at a time with 400 watts of ultra sonics. |
