Vinyl Accessories - Skip It or Buy It!

mijostyn - I've always been told to keep the dustcover off while playing albums. As a matter of fact, the newer Rega P8 and P10 models can't play with the covers on. I noticed on my old P5, it sounded better with the dust cover removed while playing records.

latik - As far as the mat question, I had a static problem with the standard Rega felt mat, was told the TEAC washi mat ($30) would solve the problem (supposedly the paper with the very slight cushion below it is optimal sounding) but it didn't work as the mat kept coming up with the record just like the Rega mat. The dealer who sold me it swears by it on 3 tables he uses, but I guess he doesn't have a static problem. And he wouldn't take it back, which is BS.

Saw some chatter about Herbie's Audio Lab Way Excellent II mat here on the Gon. It is a silicon layer on top of some other layer. It completely solved my problem for $60 and you can talk to Herbie himself down in Texas. I honestly don't know if it sounds better than the Rega mat or the Washi, but it solved my problem.

Like a lot of other tweaks you hear about, sometimes I think it is all in your head. You can spend as much as $650 for a mat (maybe more), which I guess is OK if you have a $10K+ rig, but I can't beleive any sound improvement, if real, is worth it. Others are $100 or more that I think would work as well. Funk Firm is 5 mm for the good mat, which is too thick for a Rega table without spacers.

My opinion for record cleaning machines is that they are useful if you buy a lot of used dirty records. I try to keep mine pristine and only use a carbon fiber brush to remove dust. Most of my records are new, and if I get a used one it is NM or forget it. You can't clean scratches.

I actually was thinking about getting one and did a test of a 40 year old record that was not cleaned (other than the brush) and after cleaning it on a VPI record cleaning machine, I heard no difference. Tried it on a 2nd album, same result.

A great device that doesn't affect the sound (unless it is mounted on the plinth), is a Tru Lift from the same Integrity hifi people up in Canada. It simply lifts the arm at the end of a record so you don't have to worry about excess cartridge wear if you can't get right to the table when the record is done playing. You don't hear much about these, but I wish I had one 20 years ago when I realized how much better manual tables were than semi or fully automatic ones.

The price starts around $200 and varies by the table you are using it on because the height of the device varies that effects the amount of stainless steel they use. They're not cheap, but they are built very solid. Only sold through dealers, but I've spoken to them when I had a question setting it up and subsequently when it tilted over and didn't work because I needed to add damping fluid. They even had a video for how to do that! Great little company.

If you happen to have a Rega P8 or P10, these things are unbelievably great because they don't touch the plinth at all. They sit on the same platform that the table sits on and come through the brace that connects the arm to the platter. An absolute no brainer.

They also have an interesting tonearm that is totally separate from the plinth. It's a little out of my price range, but at $4K, it's worth a look if you're considering over $5-$6K for a rig.They claim it outperforms anything out there and makes reasonable priced cartridges sound fantastic. One again only through dealers who will help set it up.

@millercarbon - we are in agreement on this issue! Better Records should have the best record cleaning process. It’s central to what they do. They charge much more than I’d pay for any record, but I can see them succeeding in the cost no object market.

Funny thing is, not only does my brother in law with the expensive RCM have his records shelved erratically from a perfect 90 degrees to 45 degrees, which gives me high anxiety, he doesn’t even use a brush to get rid of dust before playing a record. I think he only uses his RCM when he buys a used record. His system is probably 3-4 times as expensive as mine and he doesn’t even use a power conditioner! He put his stereo on a dedicated circuit. I tried to explain how the power company feeds noisy juice,  but he thinks power conditioners limit the dynamics of amps.....

He’s had problems with hums and tubes, you name it, but he won’t put the PC in.

The worst part is that I started him down the rabbit hole when I recommended a $500 manual Music Hall table 20 years ago when I was amazed at the improvement over my old fully automatic Phase Linear 8000 and he started getting upgradeitis ever since. He took my advice then, but now gets victimized by stereo salesman after stereo salesman. Oh well....

My fiber brush removes dust. I clean that off every time before I play a record. I clean the record mat when any dust is visible. I am sure that there are records dirty enough that the oil from fingerprints affects the sound. Mine aren't. Most audiophile records I get come in nicer, non paper sleeves (although I make sure they are at least rice paper quality or I put a Mofi sleeve on them).You don't need a record cleaning machine to remove dust. Fiber brush removes it magnetically and physically.

I used to use a discwasher (way back in the 80's) system and was told by several people not to put any liquid on the brush (that would then be moved to the record). Like I said, in my limited test (it may have been 3 records), I couldn't hear any difference. I am not saying they couldn't be sparkly cleaner, just that I couldn't hear a difference. Maybe I'm not as sensitive or maybe I had negative bias towards it, but even the salesman said he couldn't hear any improvement. The people that have the cleaners don't seem to use them that much because most of their records look spotless. They use them when they buy used ones in EX and below condition.

I think cleaning new records is excessive. Not harmful, but unnecessary.

Try testing it some time. Just my $.02.

 

I guess pristine is the wrong word to use @cleeds. If I wanted perfect, I'd have to deep clean them every time I play them.

Life is full of compromises.....let's just call them excellent.

I agree lewm. It can't remove grunge. However, if a record is not fingerprinted and kept in a rice paper sleeve other than when being played and has the dust removed each time, inside a record jacket (or sometimes 2) inside an outer plastic sleeve inside a sealed glass cabinet door, how does it get grungy? I am meticulous in handling and storing my records. The brush magnetically removes dust I guess because of the static charges that makes the dust stick to the fibers and it sweeps larger particles and hairs. I'm sure it doesn't remove deep dirt. I've lived with the risk of a sound difference for 40 years, and I don't see it changing. There is so much difference from record to record in SQ, that it is really hard to tell as you play different records if one would need cleaning beyond the dusting before every play.

I think I bought 2 EX records and was not comfortable with them one time and brought them to my brother in-law's (not a special trip) and I cleaned them. He has some expensive VPI machine I think. It vacuums and brushes and everything. It was more time consuming than I thought, and I am wondering how he keeps track of when he cleaned which records. He doesn't even have them situated perfectly vertically as I do. Another thing to keep track of and worry about if they always look shiny and clean....

They were still EX records though. That's when I said NM or Mint (which is really new but opened and never played I guess) only if not available new.

Obviously if you are an avid buyer (or seller) of used records a RCM is a must have.