There are clearly some sonic differences I would attribute to the vinyl used, but couldn’t tell you what role the constituent elements played. And no, as far as I know, none of this stuff would (or should) get removed by cleaning. The biggest issue I can think of-- which isn’t all that common, but occurs- is a chemical interaction between certain plastics and the record- for example, PVC outer record sleeves, which have plasticizers in them to make them soft. Those plasticizers will leach (through the cardboard jacket, the inner sleeve and onto the record itself) and in some cases, create a haze on the record that you can see and will affect sonics. I suspect it is also exacerbated by heat, i.e. storing the records in an attic. Cleaning won’t get rid of that- but that’s a chemical reaction- it’s like the off-gassing of the stuff in car dashboards that makes your windshield hazy.
Speakers Corner
I received a message this week from Speakers Corner Records. I had asked if they used mold release compound in their manufacturing. They told me they used Pallas as their pressing plant and Pallas does NOT use mold release compound in manufacturing. Since the records sound terrific already, I'm very glad that I won't have to clean them. Now, I'll have to purchase some more.
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- 18 posts total
- 18 posts total