How do I keep my dedicated room & gear cleaner?


I HAVE A DEDICATED LISTENING ROOM WITH MBL 101E MK2 RADIALSTRAHLERS, B.A.T. VK600SE MONOBLOCKS, B.A.T. VK51SE PREAMP, LINN SONDEK LP12 T.T., AND A MAGNUM DYNALAB MD102 FM TUNER. I LIVE OUT IN THE COUNTRY WHERE THERE IS LOTS OF AGRICULTURE, AND IT'S DUSTY ALL THE TIME. WHILE I ENJOY OPENING UP WINDOWS AND SCREEN DOORS WHEN THE WEATHER IS NICE TO LET IN FRESH AIR, MY GEAR GETS REALLY DUSTY-FAST. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO COVER EVERYTHING UP ALL THE TIME AS I LEAVE MY SYSTEM ON FOR LONG HOURS, BOTH DAY AND NIGHT.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ABOUT USING SOME AIR FILTRATION STUFF? DOES TOO MUCH DUST BUILD-UP CAUSE ANY LONG TERM PROBLEMS WITH AUDIO GEAR AND/OR SPEAKERS?
martinmobile
Bjesien, thanks for the link. I checked the site out, and learned some information that I never knew before, so cool!
Venmar is in Quebec Canada. I searched for dealers, retailers, and installers of their products here in California. Nothing came up, so I left my contact info. so they can call me.
Yeah, this leval of air filtration/recirculation is a hell of alot more sophisticated than I imagined. I was thinking of putting one of those OREK (tabletop) air purifiers in my listening room...and leaving it at that. Then I realized how little I knew about this subject. Hence, my question to all you Audiogoners! I never gave a bit of thought to my air quality untill it started making my gear look dusty and my shiney new Radialstrahlers kept bitchin' at me! Now all of a sudden, it's a call to action!
Who knew that OZONE screws up the rubber in audio gear? phono cartridges?
Now I'm looking at HEPA based air exchange systems! Funny how things just seem to take on a life all their own. But it's nice to know there are people out there such as youself, Hifigary, Elizabeth, and the others-who have offered up valuable advice and helped steer this thing for me. So thanks everybody for the input so far, and sorry for my longwindedness. I figured if I got real detailed and specific about my room and what is happening, folks would better be able to advise...and they have. One thing is clear, (and it's NOT the air in my house! HA HA HA),... there are definately steps to take and now I know a few more than I did when I started this thread. Still I need to do more research online, and talk to industry professionals more "in depth" as I need to learn more. As of right now I have no idea how involved, or expensive an air exchange system is to have installed. Elizabeth got me all excited about a free standing hepa filter that I can just set in the room. Who knows, maybe I will take things to a whole new leval and make my house a freakin' CLEAN ROOM. I will keep everyone posted as this progresses. Thanks so far for the input everybody.
Martinmobile,

We paid around $1600 for ours 10 years ago (not installed.) The technology is really simple. The installation depends on your duct system and how many modifications you will need, and also mounting, or hanging the unit in an appropriate location.

Our house is highly energy efficient, so it is sealed, no leaks at all. The important consideration for us was getting moisture out when needed and letting fresh air in. You want to concentrate more on dust and pollen elimination. We have that with ours, however it's not a HEPA unit.

There are many out there, including many USA made units. Web search air exchanger or air to air heat exchanger. It's important to match the system to your home size/needs.

May your gear be shiny and nice!
We also have farm land around us . We rarely open windows , if we need fresh air we go outside . For inside our furnace / airconditioner has an electronic filter that works very well .
Hello Tmsorosk, I wish it were that simple for me. But the big issues for the wife and I are during the summer, when it "bakes" for 4 months solid, we cannot survive with any leval of comfort if we don't run our A.C.-it's an absolute MUST. I don't know about you, but I can't function comfortably once the temperature INSIDE my home rises above 80 degrees Farenheit. It's just too friggin' miserable...and I sweat like Mike Tyson at a spelling bee!! During our sweltering summers it consistently gets 100 degrees or hotter where I live. Some days the mercury will rise to 110, 113, and it's been known to hit 116 degrees. That's brutal. So leaving doors and windows open during the day is simply NOT a viable option. If we run the A.C. all day and night, (which we often do), our electric bill goes right thru the roof. Not at all uncommon to have $1800, $2000, or higher bills per month. It's a killer man! And it cuts into my C.D.,Vinyl, Beer ,& Cigar money! Can't be having that. SO at night when the temp. drops, we open up windows and screen doors, kick on the "whole house" fan, and turn our ceiling fans on high. It works ok, circulates the air, (and all the ebee-geebees from outside too), and the house cools down to an "acceptable" temperature. Like 78 degrees Farenheit. If I didn't run my A.C. during the day, my interior house temp. would very easily hit 95 degress. NO SHIT! It's happened before. I ain't having that! My "whole house" fan, in conjunction with open windows and screen doors, and all the ceiling fans on-is effective at cooling things down but is a BIG CULPRIT when it comes to all the outdoor filth that makes it's way indoors. That's always a problem, always has been. So what to do? Run the air and sell off our first born?, and our gold teeth in order to pay the bill? Or use the "natural" elements, aided by fans, to pull the heat out? Clearly we cannot control what mother nature stirs up outside, nor can we stop farmers from tending to their fields and orchards, so we clean, clean, clean constantly! It sucks man! I have this kick ass dedicated listening room with great gear, killer speakers, artwork all over the place, and it's always so damb dusty. Bums me out. Never was AS big of a problem until recently when I got a brand new pair of MBL 101e Mk2 Radialstrahlers. Paid a small fortune for them. Love em. In no time flat they began to look terrible. All dusty and dirty. They are kind of a pain to clean too. Takes a lot of time and you have to be very careful not to do damage to the (orbs) driver elements, or the high gloss paint finish. I had custom covers made that worked well but are a pain to put on/take off. I am disabled and do not work, so I am home all the time. That allows me to listen to alot of music...all the time! It's really groovy to be able to do that. I love it. My audiophile buddies are jealous as hell and wish they could "immerse" themselfs in TUNEAGE the way I do. SO THAT'S MY STORY, and I'm stickin' to it! Now I am needing to install & employ some kind of TOTAL air filtration/circulation system. Hence, the reason for my starting this thread. Got some good ideas so far. Still looking for more input, and still gotta do more research into different "systems" before making a purchase, or installing anything. Elizabeth suggested those free-standing HEPA filters by HONEYWELL. I plan to buy several of them for starters. They are not terribly expensive and can be moved around as needed. As for moving out of the area, or out of my home? That's NOT an option as we like the area. HATE the friggin' climate during the summer with a passion. So thanks to everybody who has contributed so far. Will keep you all updated as this process moves along. Peace.
Hello Martin ... You must be kidding , $1800 to $2000 per month , Wow , thats about what are utility bills are for a year , and the folks here think were getting hosed . Of coarse in Canada are furnace gets about 7 months use and AC unit is used for about 4 months .
As I mentioned above our furnace/AC unit is equipped with an electronic filter , its far superior to the particle filters that come with those units . The cost was about $900 installed and works whenever the furnace or AC is on . If your close to it you would think there was a bug zapper in the intake duct .
After hearing about the temps you endure it makes 3 feet of snow sound like a tip toe through the tulips . All the best . Tim