Loricraft vs. VPI 16.5 record cleaner

I have just spent some time with a unit similar (Keith Monks Mk2) and could find no real advantage from one to the other. the Monks/Loricraft machines have a maintainance curve that is much higher than the VPI...and frankly, I don't think it extracted anymore than the VPI does. THE ONLY ADVANTAGE that I think it has is the fact that the platter spins at 78rpm and the brush gets to scrub with some velocity. This could be met with adversity due to the hairlines that it can leave in the playout. If the deeper cleaning refers to what Michael Fremer had to say in Stereophile when he was testing the Finial laser table, I don't agree with a stylus oriented playback. Don't get me wrong, it is a very cool machine and I almost kept the one I just sold for someone...but as far as outperforming...no way. Just a different way to do the same job. Best of luck... j

I was unfamiliar with this record cleaner, but found this very good web site with pictures and explanations. While the cost is high ($1895 US), it seems to have good design advantages.
Loricraft

If you can sort of justify it, it's a no brainer, in my biased opinion. The improvement going from a 16.5 to the Loricraft was a nice surprise. Records thought to be worn were restored to like new.

Brian

Doug Deacon will hopefully also chime in here but my experience was totally the opposite of Babyjdrums. I had the 16.5 for a number of years and it always worked well. I decided to try the Loricraft with a money back offer and was a Doubting Thomas about whether it could justify the price (and price difference).

If you have a large collection of LPs, a nice TT rig or just love vinyl, I can tell you it is WELL worth the difference. I cleaned a number of my reference LPs that had been cleaned 2 or 3 times with my VPI. I made sure I listened to them first before cleaning them with the Loricraft and then after. In almost all cases there was a noticeable improvement in not only suface noise and pops and ticks but the newly cleaned LPs had better dynamics and were more engaging. NO. I am not one of those consumers who needed to jusify his purchase or hear what I wanted to hear to convince myself I spent wisely since I had no obligation to buy and I went into the trial NOT WANTING to buy the damn thing and spend that much money. The problem was, I just couldn't go back to the VPI knowing I wasn't getting every last bit of performance from those grooves.

I have posted my opinions on why I think the design is better and suggest you look those up. The short version is that you have a more powerful vacuum concentrating ALL of its suction power in a minute opening (maybe the size of the point of a pen) rather than a whole tube (like the VPI). The VPI tube also can't get as close to the LP since an LP is cupped because the outside of the LP is raised thus keeping the long tube of the VPI from getting as close to the LP as the tonearm style of the Loricraft. It only stands to reason there will be more suction power if the opening is MUCH smaller and by being closer to the record, more residue removed. Then you add the thread which keeps the dirt from being redeposited on the LP and you have a better chance of getting those miniscule grooves cleaner. The fact that it runs so quiet is a bonus.

All in all, if you are a vinyl lover or want to extract the MOST from your grooves, I can't think of a better investment.

Then again, this is just MY experience and opinion and YMMV.

The Loricraft and Keith Monks are clearly superior designs. That doesn't mean that you can't get great results with lesser machines, especially the fully manual models. Assuming the price of admission was within my reach I would opt for the Loricraft over all others because you can listen and clean at the same time.

I agree with Lugnut. Also, Doug's experiences with the Lorricraft have been explained clearly. If I could swing it, I'd have one. I'd buy it over the KM jsut because the machines are similar enought that I couldn't justify the extra cash.

Cleaning & listening at the same time means I'd spend more time doing both.

The first cleaning machine I ever used was the Keith Monks machine, back in the early 80's. I've never seen another machine do as well. However, given the price differences, the VPI does an excellent job for the money and is probably a better choice for the average audiophile on a budget. If cost is no object, get the Keith Monks. I think the Lorricraft is a "clone" of the Keith Monks machine, and it looks like it should be as good, but I never actually used the Lorricraft version.

Twl, I had a Keith Monks machine in the 80s and gave up on it because it was down so often. I then bought various other machines and ended up with the VPI16.5. I thought it was doing a good job for me. Then I got stuck in London because of 911 and went to the audio show. I learned of the Loricraft and bought one.

When I listened to albums cleaned with the VPI and then cleaned them with the Loricraft, they were clearly cleaner. It is fairly quiet but I still cannot listen while I clean.

Use with the new AudioTop Vinyl1 and Vinyl2 clearly improves the sound much further.