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Spin Clean seems to add noise to records?

Hi,
On the strength of good reviews and enthusiastic forum comments, I recently purchased a Spin Clean record cleaning system and cleaned around 20 records with it. I'm a little perplexed.
On the positive side, music sounds great: clearer, more "alive" and more dynamic. On the negative, I'd swear that quiet parts of the record, e.g., the lead in groove and and pauses between songs, sound noisier: more clicks and pops. This doesn't seem to be what a cleaner record should sound like!
Could I be doing something wrong? I've followed the directions carefully. And I could certainly see blackish crud settling to the bottom of the chamber.
The only ambiguous part is how to hold the record when you dry it off with the drying cloths. I tried holding it upright and gently wiping both sides, but that seemed to risk stressing and bending the vinyl disc. I also tried laying it on a table on top of a clean towel or a couple of the drying cloths and then wiping the top surface dry.
Let me also mention that I am using distilled water, and that I have read the "noisy records" item in Spin Clean's FAQ, here:

http://www.spincleanrecordwasher.com/faq.html#15
Eager for your thoughts and advice.
rebbi
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,325 posts
 
Just fyi - AI sells a Step 2 "super cleaner" product that's supposed to follow the Step 1 enzyme solution treatment.

http://www.audiointelligent.com/products.htm
valinar
474 posts
 
I have used my spin clean only on new records so far. I read somewhere that it is a good idea to clean new records to remove film that may be left from the pressing procedure. But after cleaning some there is a static. On the A side of Dylan's Another Self Portrait there is a level of static that renders "Pretty Saro" , my favorite song on the album, almost unlistenable. I ordered the brush with the ground wire from Mapleshade this morning. Hopefully it will help. Any other suggestions that don't call for the purchase of another cleaning machine are welcome.
rebbi OP
1,326 posts
 
Valinar,
Do you a before and after comparison? In other words, did you play the disc before cleaning it?
tablejockey
4,051 posts
 
Valinar, good luck with the Mapleshade brush. I have their footers/slabs and interconnects and I'm pleased with results.

Tried the brush and IMO, junk. Bristles stuck in cart which I then had to tweezer to get out! My pos Hunt is good enough.

A sweep on a record left bristles, which the cart picked up.

Luckily the customer service is good and they took it back with a return label, no hassle.

As far as the Spin Clean goes, I've had mine many years and I'm not giving it up-unless an Audiodesk ultrasonic is 1/3 the price it is now.
valinar
474 posts
 
Rebbi,
Yes, I did a comparison on the Dylan record I mentioned in my earlier post. I brought the record home, removed it from the sleeve, and played it without any prior cleaning. Maybe a pop here and there, nothing out of the ordinary. After cleaning it with Spin Clean the static noise problem arose.
Tablejockey,
The Mapleshade brush is supposed to arrive today via UPS. I will see if that helps. Even if it doesn't I have been wanting the brush for some time,as I think it is a good addition to a vinyl set up.
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