MoFi enzyme based cleaner and pure rinse

"It's a darn nutty ritual, isn't it? But feels somewhat virtuous."

Words of genius Eweedhome.

It occurred to me that enzymes might do nothing for certain molecules, even though they might be great for things like mold. Maybe someone has a rec for a step between the enzyme and the rinse?

I have read that MoFi's older products like the 'deep cleaning fluid' leave residue with a sonic signiture. Ooo, no one wants that.

Yes Eweedhorme, I have heard this too. The enzyme based cleaner and pure rinse were supposed to be a departure from all this. That was what had disappointed me, and it doesn't really work all that better than the cheap VPI stuff.

Absolutely no consensus here!

For the record (no pun) I tried MoFi enzyme on quite a few LPs since I bought it, and I must say, so far, I am not impressed at all. I might even prefer the cheap VPI fluid I got with my machine.

Having said that, maybe the 'detergent based' stuff has its merits, at least for the kind of grime I encounter buying used LPs. I think I will do a survey of what's out there, specifically Walker and AIVS.

I hope this thread is engaging enough to go on for a while, because I will check back in with results. For now, I am going to use everything I have.

It is interesting to note that NO ONE makes a fluid I can be totally satisfied with. Who would have thought it, all that money and still I am 'driving the dirt road'.

...except for the ones I have not tried of course...

Tbg: if I am not mistaken, isn't the Walker step 4 just purified water?

Miner42: You use MoFi enzyme first, and then MoFi rinse, and nothing in between? I was interested by the statement above that an alcohol stage to denature the enzymes is helpful. What do you think of that?

Thank you for your input Doug.

Yes, I let the enzyme sit for at least 4 minutes. However the later case you stated might be the issue. I am not dealing with truly trashed LPs, as they appear to the eye to be mint. However they might have been played dirty many many times, as you stated.

I have also cleaned some sealed LPs which, when opened, sounded dirty and maybe always will. This is the case with a sealed copy of Paul Jacobs playing the Schoenberg solo piano pieces (which I payed far far too much for). As you might know, these pieces have a lot of silence in them, and thus LP quietude is really needed. The LP is a Nonesuch, and I have noticed that many Nonesuch pressings sound a bit dirty. However I have goten decent results with the VPI fluid on them, but I have a few that are just stubborn.

Paul Jacobs is my favorite for Schoenberg solo piano by far. I agree (as of now) I prefer the CD because of the noise. It is actually a great sounding CD beyond just the absence of noise. Even with Glenn Gould I am finding I would rather listen to the CD over the LP, and I think I have every LP Gould even recorded. Those '70's pressings sure are terrible sometimes.

Sometimes there is so much quiet space you can fly an airplane through it on 20th century solo piano, like with Cage, Berio, or Morton Feldman. It seems that the CD excells in all these cases.

Not to mention Eweedhome, all the extra stuff!

I don't know if you are a Cage fan, but one of the benefits of Cage on CD is ACTUAL silence where it is supposed to be silent. (Keep in mind, like many on this thread, I almost never defend digital). Feldman too.