Old thread I realize, but thought I’d share my experience given there aren’t many PVF reviews still.
I recently got my first analog rig (Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi Ref 313 VTA/CAR-20) and decided to send 30 of my father’s old records into PVF. They are almost entirely mediocre classical pressings in not-great condition, but they’re of sentimental value and I needed to ship them from my mother’s house anyway, so I arranged to have them returned to my place. I did not get a chance to listen to them before cleaning, so I can only give general observations of how the records seem. Back at home I also purchased a number of used records in varying condition, along with some new pressings including a couple Analogue Productions reissues. My only cleaning devices are a Spin-Clean and AQ record brush, but I’ve been very impressed with how effective the Spin-Clean is on grimy dollar-bin finds.
With all the above caveats, a few observations of the PVF discs. The process obviously does not perform magic, and if your only goal is to remove very obvious dirt and noise, frankly something like the Spin-Clean with aggressive but careful application will get you there (and might even work better than a no-contact process for really grimy records). What the PVF-processed records have is a distinct openness and clarity that none of my other discs have, even the new Analogue Productions pressings. The soundstage is extremely open, and there’s both more apparent depth and separation - sounds from the edges of the stage really pop. There is a brightness in the most positive sense of the word - a sparkle to the top end, a crispness to leading edges - that makes the records sound more lively and engaging. And dynamics, both subtle contrasts and large transients, are cleaner and more impactful. By comparison, my non-PVF records have a slight darkness and murkiness to them. Discs that are in good shape are quiet as well, but at least with my setup, the PVF records don’t stand out from my Spin-Clean’ed discs in that aspect - it’s more the openness, resolution, soundstage and dynamics that are apparent. I haven’t gone through all 30 records yet, but so far it’s been very consistent across a variety of vinyl and the process seems well-controlled.
Just as an experiment, I ran a slightly noisier PVF-cleaned disc through my Spin-Clean to see if it would remove anything PVF missed. It did not, and I definitely lost some of the “magic” of the PVF process - the record sounded duller, the soundstage became foggier, transients lost their crispness.
I will definitely be sending another batch to PVF, including even my new pressings. I’ve already Spin-Clean’ed my used discs, and would suggest doing this for anything grimy before sending to PVF to get the best of both worlds. For those who say “just buy your own US setup” my counters are 1. I already have too much crap in my house and the last thing I need is more equipment that I have to store and maintain, 2. I have no reason to doubt PVF’s laboratory-grade process claims which are not trivial to reproduce at home, and 3. time is money. If the expense doesn’t bother you it is definitely worth a try.
