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.
washline
OK. Here's the email I received from the representative of the company:

"thank you very much for your inquiry.


Our records are being pressed since more than 20 years at Pallas in Diepholz (Germany), no exception. Although our productions feature both longer pressing and cooling times plus a manual inspection of every single LP, the manufacturing process does not differ from other LPs made at Pallas - and they do not use any kind of release compound. Therefore there is no need to wash a LP made by Pallas.


I have heard from customers having removed static charge of the LP by washing it. Admittedly Pallas pressings are prone to that since they use a very clean vinyl without any additives, but if the turntable is properly earthed, this is not an issue.


To cut a long story short: there is no benefit in washing a factory sealed release from us.


Thank you very much for your interest in our productions and best regards,

Kai Seemann"



"Very clean vinyl without any additives"


"They do not use any kind of release compound"

"I can point you to some of the papers- some are only available through the AES by paid download or subscription to their library."

Thanks again Whart. I think that would be too much information for me to need. I'll take the general overview on the issue without too much technicality. I have far too many other topics that I need or want to know with a great deal of technicality.

Dear Washline,

If it is of any reassurance, I have plenty of Pallas pressings and have experienced no static issues with the material at all, nor has there been any necessity to clean them.

They have been exemplary and results have been perfect every time.

Kind regards,

Good to know. I wasn't worried about static since static is always an issue when playing vinyl, but it was interesting to get this bit of information from SC. Your experience with these records mirrors mine as well.

The reason I mention this is that for reasons best known to themselves you can get the odd disc that seems to magically materialise lint out of nowhere e.g. the HFN/RR Test Disc. I've owned 2 of the HFN/RR and they persistently do this despite being regularly zapped by Zerostat (the heavily modulated grooves probably don't help but I think there's more to it than that).

Deeply grooved Pallas discs are a shining beacon of good behaviour by comparison, even at low humidity values of 40%. You literally won't see any lint, just as would happen with a freshly RCM-ed LP.

Hope this helps ;^)