As Crem1 knows, I recently joined this Steamer thread and tried, with enthusiasm, first a steamer from Walmart (it wasn't very good), then the recommended Living Solutions steamer from Walgreen's (though they are fast becoming scarce). I've been actively using it for the last week and carefully listening to the results. I wanted to post my impressions and, perhaps, even throw out some heretical opinions...
First, I will admit that as a vinyl devotee, I keep hoping I will discover some easy-to-perform routine that significantly reduces the errant noise we all tolerate as we listen to records. Noise is not a deal-breaker for me as it is for some who have abandoned analog for the silent Siren song of digital--digititis is much more objectionable to me. However, a desire to reduce its frequency is admirable, I believe.
I started with a VPI 16.5 RCM and a regimen of products that seemed to really help. I found an article years ago that recommended using Nitty Gritty's very volatile pre-cleaner (now re-released as "FIRSTrv") applied with a 100% cotton 2X2 stack of three pads as the first step, then a mixture of one's favorite record cleaner fluid mixed 80/20 with 99% pure isopropyl alcohol, manually applied and dried via the discontinued Orbitrac pads, then a final step of one's favorite record cleaner fluid and the VPI brush, vacuumed off with the RCM. The most impressive aspect of this routine was the FIRSTrv's ability to remove grime from pre-owned records that looked pretty good to the eye, but were shockingly dirty upon examining the cotton pads afterwards. So, I felt this recipe was pretty effective.
However, the errant pops persisted, even on brand new records, and almost always foreign debris stuck on the surface was determined to be the culprit. This discovery led me to hope that steam cleaning would be superior, perhaps heating and blasting away these stubborn bits of foreign matter (whatever they are composed of), so I dove in, first reading a LOT of this thread, then (with the kind help of Crem1) I obtained the Living Solutions steamer.
My tests are disheartening. No matter how many times I blasted the surface of a pop-infested LP with steam, and scrubbed it via Crem1's or Sltrains' techniques, these stubborn bits of foreign matter remained. The only way I can reliably remove these is first locating them by noting where the stylus is (approximately) when the pop occurs, then finding them with a magnifying glass and literally scraping them off with a fingernail (believe it or not, a fingernail does not seem to hurt the vinyl) if they are taller than the groove height, then re-cleaning with the original recipe described above. For me, then steam cleaning appears to bring no significant advantages to the table.
Here are the potentially heretical opinions: The disadvantages of steaming seem quite numerous. First, its is messy! Unlike some, I'm afraid of damaging the VPI RCM with repeated exposure to steam under pressure, so I used a separate broken turntable as the platform for steam cleaning. This meant taking the dripping wet record off and placing it on the RCM, then back again, then back to the RCM, all the while making everything really wet. What a pain. Then, I can't see a truly effective way of protecting the label completely from this assault--I tried rubber, saran wrap, plastic, and always water would creep around the label's edge. Drying this off is a pain and I wonder if it might lift or bubble some old, delicate labels. Based on my impression that I wasn't getting any real sonic benefit from steam cleaning, this seemed like another deal-breaker. Finally, I am a patient person, but I realized the steps involved in steaming were taking a lot longer than even my previous multiple-step recipe.
I will admit that the surface of the LPs I steamed cleaned looked shinier and cleaner than any method I have used, but I could not hear any significant difference in the way they sounded (and I believe I have a fairly high-resolution playback system). Worse, the pops caused by foreign matter on the record's surface remained as frequently as with other methods.
So, I've decided to give up steam cleaning records. For me, it's simply not worth the risks to the LP or the time it takes.
Before I close, I wanted to throw out one more potentially heretical statement. I've read on this and other threads that one must take steps to remove the "mold release" compounds from new records before playing them. Steaming supposedly does this, as does the FIRSTrv pre-cleaner I use. Others, including someone who even worked at an LP pressing plant, says the mold release compounds are a myth. In any event, after my steam cleaning disappointments, I decided to try a different technique on brand-new records--doing nothing! Well, I did use a carbon-fiber brush before lowering the stylus, but that's it. My initial impression so far is that this might be the best technique yet: certainly less static, the vinyl seems very quiet, and the subconscious fear i've alway had of grinding something into the grooves of a brand-new record with my previous cleaning regimen are gone.
Am I crazy? Have any other readers here tried this and compared the results to cleaning a new record before it is ever played? It sure is a simpler approach! Of course, I will always clean used records, but with brand new ones, I may now skip the cleaning ritual.
