Record Cleaning

Randy, just to be clear. Some people use their turntable to do a quick clean of the record before playing. They use products like DiscWasher which has been around since the 70s. Rega discourages this on their tables, probably because the suspension is somewhat fragile and DW requires pressing down with a bit of force. I doubt Roy Gandy is against the idea of cleaning vinyl on an external RCM. If and when you start dumpster diving in the $1 and $2 bins, you'll quickly discover you have to deep clean these things. They sound terrible if you don't. There are lots of different ways to do this. VPI HW-16.5 is a classic example, but there are less expensive creative methods like steam cleaning that are gaining in popularity. Search for steam cleaning in the analog forums on you'll find some excellent info. A carbon fiber brush like the Audioquest should be a supplement to deep cleaning. I hope this helps. -Mark

Another cleaning option is to buy the Nitty Gritty Record Doctor III - you have to turn the record yourself, but it is WAY cheaper than alot of other machines and mine does a great job. I use the Audio Intelligent fluids with it, which are great - it's a three step process with an enzymatic fluid, the regular cleaner, and a pure water step. I have had excellent results with that system. I have a P5, by the way. I also agree with the Audioquest dry brush suggestion. They are great.

I have exactly the same cleaning regimen and RCM as Learsfool and recommend it highly. Good luck, Dave

Rbschauman

Thanks for the information .... I also like the simplicity of set-up of rega tables ..... And they are excellent performers for the money ......... Enjoy your table ...

Chuck

Thanks so much for all the commentary. I'm going to investigate RCM’s, hopefully I'll see some on Agon - thanks for suggesting a few possibilities. I’ll also pursue a dry brush as added arsenal to support my efforts.

My LP collection is in pretty good shape, but through the years a click here and pop there have surfaced. I’m curious as to how effective RCM’s are at removing these blemishes? I suspect the success depends on the severity of the blemish, but I am wondering just how much of this can be cleaned away?

One other item: I’ve begun pursuing a major revamp of my collection by buying 180 or 200 gram LPs. They do sound pretty good but are rather pricey. Any one care to comment on these?

Thanks again all,
Randy