Audio Desk Vinyl Cleaning System

This is the main website for Audio Desk System
http://www.audiodesksysteme.de/index.php?kat=10

I talked to a person at Cable Company (who I dealt with a lot in the past and I found to be very reliable) and he raved about it and think that it is the best machine that he tried (they sell many different brands).

There is a local dealer here who offered me a reasonably price unit but don't actually have one in stock that I could try. Once I am done with my new phono, cable etc, I am thinking of getting one myself.

I purchased one at the RMAF show.

I have been a VPI user for years and have been happy with the results. What I was NOT happy about was the time it took to properly clean each record. With enzyme cleaning, there are three steps which includes a "soak" mode during the enzyme step. So, it is 5-10 minutes for each record. I purchase about 25 LP's per month, so the time starts adding up.

When I saw the Glass Audio Desk Systeme at the RMAF show, I was struck by the simplicity. I questioned it's ability to clean a record as well as my VPI as there is no vacuum to suck out the "gunk". But, the Cable Co. guaranteed the results so I took a leap of faith and ordered one.

I have had it for about a month (and cleaned about 200 records) and I consider it one of the best investments I have made in my stereo system.

It cleans records at least as well as the VPI, and perhaps better. It allows me to easily set the cleaning cycles to match the condition of each record. A new or very clean record gets a single cycle whereas a thrift store find with obvious dirt and dust gets between 2-5 cycles applied. A simple push of the button sets the cycle count.

I put the cleaner (it is pretty small) on a table near my turntable and just drop a record into it on an "as-needed" basis. I am in the process of re-cleaning all of my collection (one record at a time as I listen to them) and have found in some cases "crackles" on VPI cleaned records removed when re-cleaned by the Audio Desk vinyl cleaner. It is not a panacea, but it sure offers me clean records in a short period of time with little work required.

I know its expensive. But the ease of use and the quality of cleaning it performs makes this device a great investment in my situation. It comes with a 2 year warranty and so far it has performed very well. I look forward to having one of these for a long time.

I should probably state that I am not a dealer or anything like that. Just a guy who likes to listen to records.

Chosenhandle, in the 70s I bought a Keith Monks cleaning machine. It worked quite well but took a long time to do so, which is the cost of a pivoting arm system. I have since been through all varieties of rcms. Then I got one of Lloyd Walker's delrin tubes to replace the normal tube on the VPI. It rides on the record surface greatly enhancing the vacuum level and dries the record in one revolution. Since I use the Walker Prelude system, this greatly shortens the time need per record.

I found that records cleaned previously on a Loricraft rcm, sounded cleaner and pop free with the Walker/VPI.

I am soon to try the Audio Desk vinyl cleaner. I must say that I am concerned about it not vacuuming the cleaner, but we will see. Given your experiences I am completely opened minded.

Chosenhandle, in the 70s I bought a Keith Monks cleaning machine. It worked quite well but took a long time to do so, which is the cost of a pivoting arm system. I have since been through all varieties of rcms. Then I got one of Lloyd Walker's delrin tubes to replace the normal tube on the VPI. It rides on the record surface greatly enhancing the vacuum level and dries the record in one revolution. Since I use the Walker Prelude system, this greatly shortens the time need per record. Here the Audio Desk's 5 minute cleaning time is of concern, but one does not have to attend to it.

I found that records cleaned previously on a Loricraft rcm, sounded cleaner and pop free with the Walker/VPI.

I am soon to try the Audio Desk vinyl cleaner. I must say that I am concerned about it not vacuuming the cleaner, but we will see. Given your experiences I am completely opened minded.

I also bought one at RMAF and I am very happy with it. The actual cleaning regime seems to be superior to any other method. Using immersion, ultrasonic and counter rotating brushes surely does a superior job of cleaning. But this is counterbalanced with the weakness of air drying. Overall I suspect that the deep cleaning more than makes up for the air dry weakness. So far this seems to be the case.

When it comes to convenience this cleaner is without peer. Set the record in, push the button and come back in about 5 minutes. With this kind of convenience I suspect that I will clean my records more often.