The coolest analog accessory ever
Jonathan Valin -- Tue, 07/10/2007 - 11:19
Let me confess to an audiophile heresy: I hate cleaning records.
I hate the time spent; I hate the noise and stench of the machinery; and I hate the fact that the results aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be. Frankly, I also hate the process.
Imagine washing your hands by first soaping up, scrubbing, rinsing off, and drying the back of your hand, while your palm rests on the uncleaned counter of your bathroom sink. You then flip your hand over so that the “cleaned” half now rests on the uncleaned counter of the bathroom sink and repeat the process with the palm of your hand. At the end of this, would you feel comfortable that your hand was “clean”? Well, that’s what your doing with your records.
All that has now changed. Those clever folks at Clearaudio have come up with what has to be the coolest analog accessory I’ve ever seen or used: the Double Matrix record-cleaning machine. The DM answers every single objection I’ve had to record-cleaning and record-cleaning machines by cleaning both sides of a record simultaneously. And it does this without “holding” any part of the LP but the labels, without making an ungodly racket or stink, and with results that are clearly and consistently and audibly superior to what I’ve gotten in the past, even with Clearaudio’s own (single-side-at-a-time) Matrix record cleaner. The DM even adds an anti-static brush that works on both sides of the LP simultaneously. (For more information, go to http://www.clearaudio.de/.)
A genuine stroke of engineering genius, the Double Matrix certainly ain’t cheap at $4500. But if you have a lot of vinyl (and a lot of dough), it is unquestionably worth the investment, IMO—the best record-cleaning machine I’ve ever used because the most intelligently designed record-cleaning machine I’ve ever used, and the most effective.
I couldn't agree with you any more than you've discribed it. There is also the ability to clean both the fine velvet pads that come into contact with the record. After wetting the brushes you leave them together with the vacuum on and move the brush holders back and forth and this will in essence wash the brushes and dry them at the same time. I also use a small round brush between them with the vacuum on and slide it back and forth to remove any last bit of dust that may remain. This truly is as simple and perfect as you can get.
But here is an accessory that if vinyl lovers can't afford should insist that all retailers selling table arm cartridge setup MUST have. Again it is from the Suchy team at Clearaudio and its called the AZIMUTH OPTIMIZER.
How I have lived without this tool for all these years is beyond me. We can all set up azimuth by eye or go through other lengthy voltage comparison off speakers etc. This cool anodized box is so easy to use my wife could set it up perfectly.
Let me give the folks an idea of just how easy it is. Plug in the power supplyand the units numerical guage lights up as well as your choice of MM or MC buttons. The unit is also supplied with an excellent phono stage with volume control for direct to amp use. Haven't tried it . But let me get back to the way you can obtain perfect azimuth results.
Plug the phono cables off the arm into the inputs L&R. The supplied vinyl disc has a L&R 320Hz tone on it and then a mono tone as the third track,besides many others.
Press the little button after selecting your type of cartridge in my case MC to left channel to start and play the left track on the vinyl.( headphone jack on the unit so you can hear the tone) Initially you set the callibration knob so the left channel reads 0db.Now press and hold the left button and a reading in db will show.e.g. -30db. Do the same with the right channel and write its -db number down. Compare the two if there the same great your azimuth is perfectand you now have the widest seperation or minimal crosstalk your cartridge can perfom. If not small incremental moves will get you there. All I can say is that how any retailers can let a system go without this test is beyond me . The ultimate correct setup is a definite step into hearing the best soundstage ever.
Hope that wasn't confusing and Jonathan maybe can elaborate moe. He's the writer I' just the passionate music lover. Ciao
The Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner uses an ultrasonic bath and two counter-rotating microfiber brushes on each side of the record to clean both sides simultaneously and is one button simple. Put the record in the slot and press the start button, come back six minutes later to a dry record ready to play. Only $3500.
Curbfeeler,
Have you tried the Audiodesksysteme LP Cleaner?
JV
Hi Jonathan,
Yes. I own one. Works as advertised. I'll actually clean most of my records now that I have it. I had used Disc Doctor brushes and fluids manually and dried with a vacuum slot. That is cheap and very effective but onerous. In use there are only three things one has to observe when using the Vinyl Cleaner. The foam filter needs to be fully seated at the bottom of its reservoir. Do not overfill the unit; measure!. When putting a record in the slot one must seat it by rotating it slightly counterclockwise to engage the lip between the drive pulleys. All of that is covered in the instructions, but who reads them? The cleaning cycle can be extended by holding in the start button and listening for beeps. Each beep adds a minute. The cleaning cycle is not noisy, and the blow dry comes in at about 74 dB at one meter according to my SPL meter. Compare that to the jet engine levels from a vacuum slot. I package a cleaned record in a new inner sleeve, then place the record and its cover one behind the other inside a new 3 mil outer sleeve. The replacement microfiber brushes are available in a set of 4 for $99.95 and ought to be changed every 500 LPs. The fluid concentrate is only available in small containers each suitable for one filling, but buy 5 and get one free (6/$75.00). Each filling should clean 100 to 200 LPs depending on how grungy the discs are. http://www.ultrasystem.com I had tried the Clearaudio at a dealership and passed on it.
Minimizing crosstalk as geronimo describes is one method of setting azimuth. Another is minimizing phase error, which may or may not be at the same azimuth setting but is more audible than minimum crosstalk, according to Dr. Christian Feickert. His software program, Adjust+, measures both. I use the software to set up and align clients' systems with consistently good results.
Brian Walsh
Essential Audio ~ Chicago area ~ (773) 809-HIFI
I really like the Nitty Gritty Mini Pro. It cleans and dries both sides at the same time, without having to flip over the record. I use it only with new records or records previously cleaned with the VPI 16.5.
I also like the Nagaoka rolling cleaner. It works better than those dry brushes that scoot the dust around.
I too am thinking of a new record cleaner. A bit of a chore but, we all need a bit of 'housecleaning' with our vinyl. I am a ttouch wary of the systems (most) which use velvet 'lips' resting on the liquid covered LP to vacumn the fluid away. I have found that the velvet does tend to contaminate other records, even when superficially clean. And as the record dries, so the danger arises that the dry velvet causes friction and thus static. It just doesn't seem ideal. So I am leaning toward either the Loricraft or Keith Monks machines. Both use a bit of nylon thread to hold the vacumn arm just off the record. That way the suction is far more concentrated (no wide 'lips') and all dangers of contamination and static are gone (a clean bit of thread is used for each record.) It all sounds a bit weird and crude, but it still seems a better solution than the standard 'velvet lips' route. Is that right? Have I missed something here?
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