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Does the Step 4 final rinse for Walker Prelude help?

help? Simply, yes, amazingly so.

I have now played six records which were previously cleaned using Prelude. Afer listening I cleaned each with the new Step 4 and then listened again. I expected some benefit, especially as I had already done two Step 3 rinses. What I got, however, was a major reduction in the noise level often revealing noises I had been only somewhat aware of. Listening to Harry Belafonte's Returns to Carnegie Hall. The subway becomes quite obvious and even traffic outside. This, of course, does not improve the performance but the improved ambience and awareness of the movement of the performers greatly improves the realism. Further, the bass is greatly improved.

The Joni Mitchell Blue album moved from a roughly recorded performance into one with great realism about her then youthful voice. One focuses much more on her lyrics. Finally the Duke's Big 4 45 rpm release soared in dynamics. The bass and the piano leaped ahead in realism and the sense of being there.

I have done this with three other albums, but the pattern is obvious. I now have to rinse many, many albums today.

If you like Prelude, Step Four is absolutely necessary. The label says not to take internally, so it clearly contains chemicals not meant to drink.
tbg
tbg OP
5,263 posts
 
Rushton, I cannot replicate your speed. I did twelve records, both sides yesterday. It took me 20 minutes for each record. I would expect that the Loricraft string vacuum takes longer. At any rate I have nearly 2000 LPs to go!

The Step 4 looks different than the Step 3 ultra-pure water when you first sprinkle it on the record. There is a surrounding wetted area even though the water remain as drops on the surface. Once you spread it with the Walker applicators, however, they look the same.
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Tbg, I'm reasonably sure that the time difference lies in the amount of time it takes Loricraft (or any of the "string" cleaners) to traverse the side versus the VPI. I'm quite confident that the string cleaners give a better result, but that's a different discussion! :-)

Best wishes as you keep moving through your collection. I continue to be amazed at the improvements I'm hearing in LPs that I know well, so I'm happy investing the time as you also seem to be. I have over 6,000 LPs yet to go, so my approach is just to pull out what I think I want to listen to in the next several days and clean those. It will be a "forever" process.
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emailists
923 posts
 
Thanks for teasing us Norm.

I read your post and tried to order Walker step 4 (I use the Audio Intelligent steps 1 and 2) and it seems Walker Audio is away until the AUg. 4.

How am I supposed to listen to all these crappy sounding unrinsed records now?
tbg OP
5,263 posts
 
Emailists, I couldn't help myself. Doesn't AI have four steps also? I have no idea whether one is superior and both seem to be thinking along the same lines.
jependleton
155 posts
 
Hello Folks,

Just to clarify, we don't really have a four step cleaning system. We have two alternate second steps that were designed to meet the needs of different customer groups. We do have some customers who have found that using both of the second step formulas is a benefit to their personal record cleaning routines.

We also produce a one-step record cleaning product that many prefer over the multi-step cleaning system. The point of all of this is that different people have different needs and are in different situations. We try to accomodate the needs of as many hobbyists as we can.

As far as "rinsing" formulas go, we use only purified water. It's the same water product that goes into all of our formulas, and this water product has just been upgraded in quality for the sixth time in the past 18 months.

Our testing has shown that we can manipulate the sound of the record playback by rinsing the record with a formula other than water, but we've stuck to our original mission of getting the record clean instead of "treating" or "conditioning" the record.

The products that we offer currently are based on extensive laboratory testing and have progressed in level of performance and purity from where they began before we were in the picture.

I would encourage any of you with questions about record cleaning or about the Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions products to get in touch. I'm always available to answer questions and try to help with your record cleaning situation. I don't care whose products you are using any more that which turntable or loudspeakers you use. Our goal is to help improve the hobby in any way that we can.

Best wishes.

Jim Pendleton
Osage Audio Products, LLC
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