LAST record preservative improves the sound

Just dove into a bottle of Last Record Preservative and...I'm convinced. I do have some questions that I've not seen definitively answered...I think I'll reach out to Walter and if I get a response, I'll post it here.

So I sent the Last Factory the following questions about a week ago. I haven't received a response (not a judgement, just a statement of fact). However, in the past week, I've treated (probably) 150+ records, and have thoughts on my own questions.

Just received my 8 oz. order of Last Record Preservative, and, overall, I'm loving what it does to my vinyl (ordered through Amazon). I do have a few questions that I've not seen definitively answered anywhere. They are all a bit interrelated.

1. I understand the vinyl should be as clean as possible before applying Last Record Preservative (my vinyl, at a minimum, have run through a 5-minute cycle in a Klaudio ultrasonic record cleaning machine - perhaps even an enzyme-based scrubbing before the ultrasonic process).

I also understand that Last Record Preservative will not "lock in" contaminants, but will get underneath the contaminants to create a molecular bond with the vinyl (correct me if I'm wrong).

Does Last Record Preservative help loosen those remaining stubborn contaminants? I'm assuming those that have reported more "gunk" on their stylus after an application of Last Record Preservative are actually seeing their stylus remove some of those stubborn contaminants (and not the Last Record Preservative itself). Is there a benefit to re-cleaning a record treated with Last Record Preservative - particularly with an ultrasonic cleaner?

I believe that, yes, those that report more "gunk" on their stylus after using LAST Record Preservative are NOT scraping off the LAST Record Preservative, but contaminants their record cleaning process (or lack thereof) have not removed. As stated above, I employ a relatively rigorous process to clean my records BEFORE applying LAST Record Preservative, and have not accumulated any more "gunk" on my stylus - even after spinning several dozen sides between stylus cleanings.

Would a treated record benefit from (another) ultrasonic cleaning? Possibly. Probably. But I haven't done any testing on an uncleaned record that's been treated.

2. It's mentioned on your website that Last Record Preservative "has an extreme affinity for vinyl, and once in place, is very difficult to remove" and "for standard record cleaning solutions used in either in manual or vacuum machine operation, the integrity of the treatment is not compromised."

How would one remove Last Record Preservative form vinyl? Would an ultrasonic record cleaning machine compromise the integrity of the treatment? In what situations would a 2nd treatment of Last Record Preservative be beneficial? Is there any situation where a 2nd treatment of Last Record Preservative would be detrimental?

I don't think you really can remove LAST Record Preservative from a treated record. Once it has bonded, I think it's pretty much bonded. This is pure conjecture, and we really need a reply from the LAST Factory to confirm. I have run a few records through my ultrasonic cleaner after treatment, and while I didn't experience significant improvement (as my records were clean before the additional ultrasonic cleaning), the LAST Record Preservative seem to not be affected.

I think a 2nd treatment of LAST Record Preservative is only necessary if the first treatment was not applied with sufficient coverage. From my experience so far, I don't think a 2nd treatment would be detrimental. However, provided the first treatment was sufficient, I don't think a 2nd treatment would be beneficial, either.

3. As I mentioned in my opening, overall I'm extremely happy with the effect of Last Record Preservative. The noise floor seems to drop significantly (and I think I'm conservatively describing the effect). However, I detect a softening of the extreme highs. What am I hearing? Is this the "almost 10-dB reduction in high-frequency IM distortion as measured on a test record"?

Yes, I did experience some "softening" of the extreme highs on treated records. However, what I believe I was hearing is the "almost 10-dB reduction in high-frequency IM distortion as measured on a test record" (per the LAST Factory website). This distortion reduction is documented in a Stereophile review of LAST Record Preservative.

I believe this "softening" is actually due to a sub-optimal SRA / VTA (historically masked by high-frequency IM distortion). A bit more "tail-up" and not only did those extreme highs return, but imagining snapped into place in a way I did not experience with untreated records.

Bottom line, I'm not only a LAST Record Preservative convert, I'm now a LAST Record Preservative evangelist. They should call this stuff "magic in a bottle". I love what it does. It makes the lead-in grove dead silent. Somehow, it minimizes some of the pops and clicks throughout the record. I don't hear any negatives. If it does what it claims it does - protect the record from repeated plays - that's just gravy. It like what it's doing *today*.

Is this stuff for everyone? Nope. Probably not. We audiophiles abhor any "distortion" in our system, but secretly, we love distortion (when it pleases us) - whether it's vacuum tubes, significant feedback (or lack thereof) in solid-state designs, the impact of cables, our choices in speakers, time-domain effects of digital filters, or the high-frequency IM distortion in inherent in vinyl playback. IMHO, LAST Record Preservative takes you one step closer to the truth. But the question remains...Can you handle the truth?

No coatings for my records. Good luck with it.

Great write-up nrenter. Rockitman, Last Record Preservative is NOT a coating. It is a chemical binder, locking the PVC molecules together, to prevent the LP's vinyl from fracturing due to the friction, pressure, and heat created by the stylus riding in the groove. Last leaves no residue (the liquid carrier evaporates), is not removed from the vinyl by the stylus, and therefore cannot accumulate on the stylus. There is nothing to accumulate---it's not a coating.

I experimented with treating the LAST treated records second time. Didn't hear anything different. Cleaned the records after that, again no difference. I agree that on some records the noise floor is somewhat down and there may be fewer pops and clicks on some. Less high frequency distortion? Maybe. Definitely not more. Great stuff.