@fleschler
Thanks for your remarks. I just can’t imagine. I guess, while misic has been a really central theme of my life… and at its core… the music I collected… I can’t conceive of the numbers you are talking about.
But then, I have travelled extensively,.. and spent time in between trips getting music… for instance, onto cassette tapes (Dolby C) to go on my three weeks trips every month to isolated parts of the SW US each month as a Geologist. I took about 144 albums with me in two brief cases. I listened to music about eight hours a day. I did this for years.
Then I became an executive and traveled globally for decades… with my music, CDs, battery powered head amps, ear speakers, headphones… you name it. In planes, across Europe… around the world… living in Scotland, China, Japan, Mexico, and across America for weeks and months at a time. I had at one point 4,000 albums (1/2 Cd). Music has been the central theme of my life. So, let me say, your story is amazing!
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I've probably got over 100 Older LPs.
What should I buy with a $500 limit?
TIA
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Also about 25 new which I've been using exclusively due to my fear of damaging the needle.
What should I do?
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You have two choices with a $500 limit. If you don't mind the effort, a SpinClean and a long read of Neil Antin's pamphlet* will be one way. The second is a vacuum machine that might need to be used to fit in the limit. It will get you 80% of the way to the best any of us can do. An ultrasonic cleaner gets you the rest of the way to what is currently achievable.
This is worthwhile, and likely should come before more esoteric upgrades of cartridge or phono stage in my view. It not only can make an LP as quiet as a CD in many cases, but it will prolong the life of your stylus remarkably.
*the PDF is at this link:
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A question: Can playing dirty records ruin the needle/stylus? Or is it safe?
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I'm on board with the SpinClean, but what do I pair it with specifically?
TIA
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A question: Can playing dirty records ruin the needle/stylus? Or is it safe?
Yes, it is safe, but it does cause more wear on the stylus. When a manufacturer tells you you might get 250 (Nagaoka doesn’t tell the truth) to 1000 hours, they are talking average record cleanliness. Super-clean records add hundreds to another thousand hours to stylus life. Not so important to an MM user, but a very expensive issue for MC users.
I’m on board with the SpinClean, but what do I pair it with specifically?
Time to read that PDF I linked!
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That link is giving me a headache.
lol
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I should mention that almost all of my older LPs are close to pristine with very slight crackling. The same amount as some of my new LPs.
Will the Spin Clean be enough?
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I currently am using a very old (mid 80's discwasher D4 System.
Opinions?
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Again, I'd like to thank everyone for their advice you've been very helpful.
I'm open to more suggestions.
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TBS some of them definitely need work.
TIA
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I’ve experimented with these fluids
Mobile Fidelity Record Wash
Spin Clean Fluid
Nitty Gritty Fluid
Keith Monks discOvery fluid
L'Art du Son Fluid
Record Doctor
VPI Fluid
They all work but I’ve found the disOvery fluid has the blackest background followed by L’Art du Son. But the L’Art must be kept in the refrigerator once opened. Yes the discOvery is a bit more $$ but IMO does the best overall cleaning job for new or used LPs.
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What would be a good combination of Spin Clean, US. and vacuum machine for under $500?
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I see Spin Clean is a Stereophile Recommended Component.
👍
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tablejockey
What are some MIC budget US's now available?
Thanks again.
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I hate to be a pest, but I'd really like to get the right combo for cleaning LPs.
I have several used Classical recordings that are sublime, but need cleaning.
TIA
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I posted the Link to PAVCR Third Edition.
There is a reasonable amount available to be read in other Threads about the value of using methods described.
I am an advocate of the Manual Clean Method, I have tuned the method to suit my needs and when organised can clean 10 Lp's in an hour, with a selection of the the first cleaned being ready to be played by the end of the cleaning session.
The solutions produced following the guidance and used for Manual Cleaning are able to produce a Purified Clean LP, the perception of being clean, is quite something to discover.
The method has surpassed and superseded my Old used Methods, and I have come to a place where there is no desire to use the owned US Tank for cleaning.
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@fleschler "I have a rule I made up, if I don't want to hear a record at least 3 times annually, out it goes."
This statement doesn't add up arithmetically. You currently have 28,500 records. You dispose of records you don't play 3 times a year. I assume each side is 20 minutes, you listen to the whole record and you spend 40 hours per week listening. in a year you have 2080 hours to listen to only 1040 records 3 times each. Ergo you should have only 1040 records, not 28,500. If you listen continuously 24 hours per day, you can still only retain 4368 records.
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I read on the Stereophile forum that the Spin Clean system can cause static on the vinyl.
True or False
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Wet cleaning generally reduces static. However, if you dry a disk with a microfibre cloth you may introduce static then. I don't worry about it as I always treat a record before playing it with either a Zerostat gun or, lately, the Furutech Destat III.
As for your question about a Spin Clean, U/S and vacuum machine for <$500, you'd need to find some used bargains and I don't think you'd easily come in under budget! You could get a Humminguru for $375USD. Once you have tasted the convenience of a machine it is hard to clean manually, unless you are as saintly as pindac! But a Spin Clean is relatively cheap and if you don't mind the effort there is little to lose by trying it out.
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@clearthinker
Yeah, that is hard to miss that. I thought the current number was 18,000… which would take about 2.5 years to listen to once if you listened 24 hours per day. it is easy to be a bit sloppy with numbers… but those are some large numbers.
I am somewhat intimidated by my 2,000 albums and me being 70 years old… can I listen to them all in my lifetime.
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Thanks Guys!
Will check the info out.
👍
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I have about 200 records and 500 CDs (and I don't like half of them that much) and 6-8 hours a week to listen - I think I am good.
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Just got skipping on a brand new record.
Dirty needle?
:unsure:
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Just got skipping on a brand new record. Dirty needle?
Could be. Could also be a dirty disc. LPs aren't made in clean rooms.
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Yes tablejockey!
What would you pair with the humminguru?
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Or is that all that is needed?
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I've got a discwasher if that helps.
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Does the spin clean and the humminguru seem like a good combination?
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It seems like one cheap enough to fit your budget, and would certainly do a creditable job.
Sure we can throw criticisms at the Humminguru, but for the price it does more than anyone has a right to expect. Lots of people use it alone, with no mechanical/vacuum cleaning beforehand. There's a trade off between cost and effort on the one side, and how clean you get things on the other. You need to find that spot where you are comfortable with what you pay, how much effort and time cleaning takes, and the results. There is no one "right" answer. You gets what you pays for, and the law of diminishing returns certainly applies.
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Dog, do you mean the spin clean and the humminguru ? or just the humminguru?
TIA
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That's your choice - more effort with maybe slightly better results, or less effort and perhaps less good. As I said, lots of people use an U/S machine alone.
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I bought the x-tronic 600 ultrasonic cleaner and wewu LP cleaner bracket
with a bottle of trtion x-100. I clean 3 records at a time and the difference is amazing. Quieter records and musically superior to my manual cleaning. I should have done this years ago.
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Just ordered the Spin Clean deluxe.
Can anyone recommend a cheap US and/or Vacuum Cleaner?
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Greetings
‘Look at Amazon. They have many choices.
‘Try to never go cheap on audio gear. Always buy the best you can afford.
‘Joe Nies
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The spin clean is a stereophile recommended component.
And 2022 Absolute Sound editors choice awards.
So I feel safe trying it out.
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You can't actually go wrong with a SpinClean. You certainly can with an ultrasonic machine. The cheapest one that we know to be safe and effective on LPs is the Humminguru. If you want to repurpose one of those devices used in the (admittedly fascinating) YouTube videos about cleaning carburetors, you would be out on your own.
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This is what I've settled on after many years and many ways:
1. wipe the outside of the record jacket with a clean microfibre cloth
2. take the record out and discard the inner sleeve
3. with a clean microfibre cloth gently dry wipe both sides of the record
4. Wash Cycle: place the record in a 5 minute cycle US bath at 35 degrees C (distilled water, isopropyl alcohol, and Triton X100 surfactant)
5. Rinse Cycle: then place it in another 5 minute cycle US bath at 35 degrees C (same solution as Step 4 without but WITHOUT the alcohol)
6. Vacuum Cycle: then use a record vacuum cleaner to clean each sides. I apply distilled water/Triton X100 (same as Step 5 solution) and spread that with a brush, then vacuum it off. Both sides.
7. then I let it air dry for at least 20 minutes before placing it in a new rice paper antistatic inner sleeve
8. then back into the jacket and a new outer sleeve.
The cost is reasonable since i make my own solutions, and I bought my two US machines off eBay. I got the motorized Project vacuum cleaner that turns by itself.
I change the solutions when they become too dirty (I check it visually and also use a turbidimeter).
Oh and I clean the stylus with Magic Eraser before every side. And if i see lint on a record, I use Tiger Cloth since it's the least staticy fabric I've come across.
I no longer use record brushes, nor do I use liquid cleaners or gels for the stylus anymore.
Everyone's method and tools differ. I may change this method too if I come across a good alternative, or if new equipment dictates a change (e.g. I probably won't use Magic Eraser on the new optical cartridge (DS Audio).
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Wow! Lots of good info here!
Thanks!
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I hate to perpetuate this stream of consciousness, but gzm mentions doing his last wash with triton X100 in water and then air drying. I've used and still use water plus isopropyl plus Triton X100 for the past 25-30 years, in my VPI HW17. It became obvious to me that if you do not do a last rinse in pure distilled water with no additive, the Triton leaves an audible residue on the LP. Not all info is "good info". Some is just info.
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I’ve been using the Vinyl Vac for 4 years, I just picked up a US machine and a Wewu record spinner, replaced the power supply so it spins much slower. Will be testing it out today/tonight. At least my records have been pre cleaned with the Vinyl Vac. I will still use it for distilled rinse and vacuum drying after Ultrasonic with my tried and true home made cleaning solution. I will make sure I degas the distilled water for 15 minutes before cleaning. I’ve got about 20 Records I’m trying to save, if i get good results I will do my whole collection.
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For $500 learn to hand clean, buy some good record cleaning fluid, good brushes and quality microfiber cloths.
Forget cheap ultrasonics, next to useless.
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