Yet another VPI 16.5 thread

Grimace,
If you have never owned a record cleaning machine, once you get one, you will wonder why you didn't buy one sooner.

I have owned three models of RCMs over 25 year period, however I wish I kept my highly reliable and efficient though "noisy" VPI16.5.

A VPI17F replaced it a few years ago, this was prior to discovering how effective Walkers Prelude and Step 4 are.
I would of kept the 16.5, it IS a real work horse.

To answer your questions, yes you manually apply the cleaner fluids with the 16.5 while the platter spins at about 15 rpm.
Apply brushes and vacuum off.

Yes these are simple functions however they are HIGHLY effective on vintage and new Lps.

The vacuumed off fluids are drained away through a hose out the bottom into what ever you have on hand, jar , bucket, coffee tin ect.

The 16.5 is built to a price point, it will not take ruff handling, it simply is not built with that in mind, why should it be.

I think most of the problems you read from other users are related to careless use and handling,however there could easily be the odd lemon that left the factory.

In any case I highly recommend the VPI 16.5.

Guys,

I thought that I might chip in on this since I may have about as much experience using the HW-16.5 as anyone. It has been used regularly for our extensive laboratory testing.

First, I have no affiliation whatsoever with VPI other than being a customer for just this one product. I am a competitor of theirs in other product lines.

For the development and testing of our products, and for my personal use, the HW-16.5 here has now recorded in excess of 150,000 cleaning cycles without any parts failures. The only issue that I have had to date is realigning the platter shaft in the motor arbor because the screws worked loose. It took about 30 minutes total to fix it.

Being in the business, one of our development projects has been to "build a better mousetrap" in regard to record cleaning machines. I can tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the engineering that went into the functionality of the HW-16.5 is beyond reproach.

For instance, using the physics of vacuum and moving fluids, the pickup tube on the HW-16.5 is exactly the right size and the slot is exactly the right size to ensure that the spent record cleaning fluid is removed rather than dried on the surface of the record. Only someone with the ability and willingness to do the math could have worked this out.

Using the cloth strips to drastically reduce the venturi effect at the pickup orifice was also no accident. This is a result of Harry's knowledge of physics, and it also helps prevent dirty fluid from being dried on the surface of the record.

Concluding, I don't think you can find anything that will do the job better, and certainly not for the price. It's one of the true values in high-end audio.

Jim Pendleton
Osage Audio Products, LLC

I have had mine for about 20 years, no problems with it. Occasionally if you do a lot of records the fluid tank will fill and the unit will shut down until it all evaporates, but that's clearly noted in the manual and is normal. I like the fact that I can scrub a record as much as it needs it on this machine; in that regard I like it better than the fully automatic machines. Highly recommended.

Yo Grimace,

Back in August, I sold a Series 3 Sota Star Sapphire turntable with vacuum and Electronic Flywheel to a friend who wanted to add vinyl playback to his system. He had the turntable a few weeks and then invited me over for a listen. In the meantime he had upgraded the tonearm, the tonearm cable, the cartridge, bought a VPI HW-16.5, and a Perfection steamer.

My JAW DROPPED at how good his system sounded; his system killed mine (Sota Series 5 Nova, SME V, Koetsu RSP, Pass Labs Aleph Ono) and he had only been into vinyl for a few weeks or a month at most.

The first VPI HW-16.5 I owned was an older version and another friend borrowed it to clean some of his record-convention aquistions and never gave it back. He said let me write you a check for the record cleaner and I said "fine". That was a couple of years ago. Also, at the time I owned the first one, I was not aware of how steam cleaning your records can improve the removal of the mold-release agent used on records.

So, I am now the proud owner my second HW-16.5. I bought it new from a dealer who advertised it on Audiogon.

Watch the videos on YouTube by searching on the phrase "steam clean your records"... and then rush out and buy a Perfection Steamer (you might still be able to find one at Walgreens... they are about $30).

I also own the entire assortment of Osage record cleaning solutions that I bought from Jim Pendleton at RMAF last year. (BTW Jim's stuff is great and I am not affiliated with Osage in any way, just a satisfied customer.) His products plus steam cleaning improves the sound quality dramatically on new (unscratched) records. It takes an average sounding record with the occasional clicks and pops and reduces the surface noise to near CD quality.

The last thing that you will need is a package of Last Microfiber applicators (pun intended) from lastfactory dot com (also about $30).

The combination of the VPI HW-16.5, Perfection Steamer, Osage Solutions, and Last brushes will dramatically improve the sound quality of your records by allowing you to effectively clean the dried-on mold release off of your vinyl.

I recommend VPIs 16.5 highly. I am using mine with a hand held steamer and have been using 16.5 this way for quite a while. No ill effects from the spray are evident. 16.5 is loud but so are most every vacuum ive used. Save the money needed to acquire a more expensive unit and buy more vinyl.

The only extras for my 16.5 are another tower and tube for the last rinse. Another platter cover for the first side cleaned to be removed when cleaning the second side. I use these to reduce contamination spread. Also i use three VPI 17f brushes with my steam cleaning method. One for wash/steam one for 1st rinse and the last for final rinse.

I have cleaned lps in many different ways but for my ears steaming along with lab grade water for rinse included with your vinyl cleaning method produces the best sounding and quietest lps yet IMO.

Like most RCM users once you get one you will wonder why it took so long to make the move. If you are a lp buyer and get a fair amount of lps or have a large collection that needs cleaning this is when you know you made the right decision on a RCM purchase.