Aluminum Foil test for Audio Desk Vinyl Cleaner

Emailists, My process takes 20-25 minutes per side because I do the following:

1. AIVS #15 - 5 min.
2. AIVS Enzyme - 5 min.
3. AIVS Cleaner - 5 min.
4. AIVS pure water rinse - 2 min.
5. AIVS second water rinse - 2 min.
6. ZeroStat zap - 1 min.
7. Handheld Demag - 1 min.
8. New inner and outer sleeves - 1 min.

Of course I do both sides before steps 6, 7, and 8. I do this while reading emails and catching up on the computer which is next to my Loricraft station. I know it takes way too long and may be excessive, but the LPs sound better than when I had a shorter routine.

Tomorrow I will be taking a few of my cleaned LPs to my friend's house to compare with his Audio Desk. I plan to listen to 2 LPs, then clean them on his Audio Desk and listen again. We may or may not hear a difference. I will then take my recently cleaned Audio Desk LPs back to my system, listen and then clean them again with my Loricraft PRC4 and listen again to see if I hear a difference again.

I figure this way we will be able to hear them cleaned in reverse order in two different systems. I already know that the Audio Desk is MUCH more convenient. It may also clean better. I want to hear it myself under these somewhat controlled conditions to be sure.

I have found that records usually sound better after being cleaned a second time regardless of the machine used. That is why I plan to do the test twice in reverse order on the same LPs. There is the possibility that if I use two copies of the same LPs that they may sound different simply because of the different pressings and not because of the cleaning machines, which is why I want to use the same LP and clean it multiple times, reversing the order.

It will be interesting.

Benjie, I don't doubt your results. It is certainly possible that the ultra sonic agitation loosens debris in the grooves better than the solutions and vacuum. My comparison was very brief which is why I want to do a more careful one between the two machines. I bought my Lori when the Audio Desk was having initial quality issues. Those have clearly been resolved now.

I sometimes notice static in the Winter, but I immediately zap each side with a Zerostat before I put the cleaned LP into a new inner sleeve. So static is not an issue which effects the playback in my system.

Hey Syntax, having a bad day?

Try to get past the first sentance this time.

Hmmmm.. I have an ultrasonic bath that I had made for me locally, big enough to soak an entire LP. I just have a plastic label cover with O-ring to protect label.
After 10-15s, I get a few holes in foil. I Have been using it for about 3 years now and have not noticed any bad side effect so far. I read somewhere that you need ultrasonic head that is at least 40,000 Hz to get all those bubbles into the groove and the regular 20,000 Hz one will not do anything much if I remember correctly. Have no idea what is the rating on my machine though. In comparison to using my Clear Audio Matrix with various cleaners, I don't think there is much benefit as far as sound quality is concerned but on some LPs, there are less ticks and pops than using Clearaudio machine alone even if I soak the LP in water for a day or two with dishwasher liquid first before cleaning with machine. I generally use ultrasonic bath, rinse with tap water then run it through Clearaudio machine at the end, zap any static with Furutech DeStat and that's that. I have also been thinking about Audiodesk system now that it seems that all the kinks had been worked out although a friend bought one last year that had to be sent back to Germany because something became loose inside.
I definitely like the idea of one button operation. Using ultrasonic bath and then cleaning machine becomes tedious after awhile especially when I get in a batch of used LPs.

The biggest effect I heard on an LP after cleaning though is Hassl record cleaner (sp?). Impressive looking machine, looks like a Rolls Royce of record cleaner with a price to match (if VPI is a Toyota equavalent). I heard it demo at a local show and a friend brought his LP that was well cleaned and we played it first then cleaned it with the machine and listen again and the difference was impressive.
I don't think the machine does anything much more than other cleaner but look and feel much much better. May be it is the cleaning solution. Unfortunately local dealer will only sell cleaning fluid to customer who bought the machine from them only so I will never know.

anyone using other cleaning solutions other than the supplied one from Audio Desk?