I tried the clear dish soap and warm water method yesterday (in the kitchen sink), and one of my Jimi Hendrix albums that was absolutely trashed when I bought it (at a flea market) played almost flawlessly. there's still a few pops from time to time, but I think that's probably caused more by record wear than by dirt.
Yeah I have a couple of records that sound almost no better after cleaning. One has this really bad graint thing going on in the left channel and when I walk up to it the right speaker as wel. Another the guitars and vocals were SO scratchy and terrible. Oh well...
The most amazing result for me was at first hearing what sounded like the needle traveling over little dirt pieces ( microscopic rocks) inside the grove. A clean-up with a VPI record cleaning machine resulted in a complete silence coming from the start of the album.
Many folks even have a very special home mixture using photo-flow as well as other solutions. Many I have met have invented their own home brew mixture. There must be mixtures people have come up with posted on the web.
A better turntable will actually make the album sound like it is cleaner as the needle will travel down into the deepest part of the groove and not pick-up the surface scratches as much. In my collection I ended up with some records which were just too ruined to play. Funny though as some records have really deep grooves, you see all the scratches on the surface but the needle can travel down below the surface to where the musical information is, past the scratches, and gives you close to perfect play back in spite of the surface look! You have to play every record to see. Some different pressing companies ( like Apple Records ) have a great track record for being able to be played and enjoyed even though looking totally scratched to hell.
There is always going to be pops in places and after awhile you learn to mentally filter them out. Some folks new to records seem to get upset by the surface noise and pops.It just takes time to learn to filter the sounds out.
The most amazing result for me was at first hearing what sounded like the needle traveling over little dirt pieces ( microscopic rocks) inside the grove. A clean-up with a VPI record cleaning machine resulted in a complete silence coming from the start of the album.
Many folks even have a very special home mixture using photo-flow as well as other solutions. Many I have met have invented their own home brew mixture. There must be mixtures people have come up with posted on the web.
A better turntable will actually make the album sound like it is cleaner as the needle will travel down into the deepest part of the groove and not pick-up the surface scratches as much. In my collection I ended up with some records which were just too ruined to play. Funny though as some records have really deep grooves, you see all the scratches on the surface but the needle can travel down below the surface to where the musical information is, past the scratches, and gives you close to perfect play back in spite of the surface look! You have to play every record to see. Some different pressing companies ( like Apple Records ) have a great track record for being able to be played and enjoyed even though looking totally scratched to hell.
There is always going to be pops in places and after awhile you learn to mentally filter them out. Some folks new to records seem to get upset by the surface noise and pops.It just takes time to learn to filter the sounds out.
Tracking and anti-skating force do play a role, but when you are talking specifically about getting down deep into the groove, you're talking about the shape of the stylus.
Conical, Elliptical, Hyper-elliptical are the most common (in order from worst to best).
Getting deeper in the groove does not necessarily result in better sound. It's just a factor to consider.
I'm just responding with what information I feel I have learned and from what I have read. I had a ton of tables over the years old Panasonics, 1200s, then a TD160 then finally a Scout by VPI. I noticed the Scout and Clear Audio needle gave me a clearer sound with less surface noise and less scratches were noticed. I do not fully know why but my understanding is the needle is retrieving the musical information deeper in the groove and not playing the upper level of the groove. It may be that the signal from the deeper part of the groove is produced louder thus covering the scratches. This is just my experience. Tracking is also going to reduce surface noise I feel. I'm no expert here only a guy with a history of different turntables. It would be fun to record a disk played back on different tables and compare the artifacts between one table and another. The other problem starts to surface as when you get a larger investment in a needle you don't want to play bad records due to the fact that they wear the needle faster. Many I know have an arm for old records and an arm for new records. They will also have a mono arm. VPIs are cool as you can replace arms in seconds. Many folks will also have rigs with multiple arms which can be dropped at a whim. They are set up around the platter and dialed in ready to go. Most have two but if I remember right, I have seen as many as four around a platter.
I am gonna chime in with my opinion on a few recent topics.
Spin Clean is something that I (so far) stand 100% behind. Unless I don't have any distilled water on hand, nothing touches my TT without going through a spin clean. If I could afford one of those fancy vacuum cleaning systems, we might be having a different discussions. I can't. The spin clean works so friggin' well for my mid-fi needs. Any audiophile that is considering a spin clean is likely one that won't spend the money for a vacuum system. Great! I never wash 20-30 records. I only wash records until my two drying rags aren't working anymore. That has done the trick so far.
The second question/statement/concern is on the whole TT making the difference. "A better turntable will actually make the album sound like it is cleaner as the needle will travel down into the deepest part of the groove and not pick-up the surface scratches as much." This statement sticks out more than others (is that because someone bolded it?!)
I think the cartridge (and thusly the attached needle) has EVERYTHING to do with how deep the stylus travels in the groove. I believe the elliptical tip on my cartridge is designed to reach better parts of the groove. The point of the TT is reducing secondary noises and speed regulation, no? A better system drives the platter at a more consistent speed and with better sound isolation for all the moving parts necessary.
What I'm suggesting only is the tracking of the arm and quality of the table allow that needle to stay in the lower part of the groove. This is only a guess on my part.
Fair enough... but I suppose that is further parting out the whole vinyl/TT experience. The tone-arm (tonearm?) is another piece that -at least in my system- can be swapped out and certainly adjusted. But I think specific stylus shapes can get into grooves better at the same tracking weight as other shapes...
Seriously! I am glad I am happy enough with the system I have. The possibilities are near endless. Upgrades begetting other upgrades.
...also I have been grooving out to some heavy garage rock on vinyl most of the night Black Keys and now The White Stripes... and drinking high alcohol winter beer. Apologies if anything comes off as anything less than friendly. Fired up!! Wheeeee!
I agree that the whole sum of possibilities is truly endless. I have had slow improvements in equipment over the span of 34 years. I have seen and heard 30K table rigs with 20K stylus set-ups played with 50K worth of preamps, amps and speakers. It is really a hobby that can go as far or as simple as you want to make it. I guess the best part is anyone can get a $20.00 dollar table and a couple of $1.00 thrift store records and make a great start.
Fair enough... but I suppose that is further parting out the whole vinyl/TT experience. The tone-arm (tonearm?) is another piece that -at least in my system- can be swapped out and certainly adjusted. But I think specific stylus shapes can get into grooves better at the same tracking weight as other shapes...
Seriously! I am glad I am happy enough with the system I have. The possibilities are near endless. Upgrades begetting other upgrades.
...also I have been grooving out to some heavy garage rock on vinyl most of the night Black Keys and now The White Stripes... and drinking high alcohol winter beer. Apologies if anything comes off as anything less than friendly. Fired up!! Wheeeee!
So true, the great part is he uses a $30.00 thrift store Kay guitar which he has loved and became close with over the years. It's not always about money but where your head is at and the passion you bring to the music!
Anything sounds great with the right volume and a little fluid enhancement!
I've read it does a better job than the Spin Clean - I only learned about it after I brought the Spin Clean. Maybe I'll buy one sometime down the line, but I'm pretty happy with the Spin Clean for the moment (at least based on before and after visual inspection - I'm still waiting to take delivery of my TT so I can actually start listening to some records!).
That looks kinda cool but the position I'd have to get in with the brush in one hand and turn the record with the other would be too awkward and complicated for me. If the record turned itself then that could be a potential new product for me.
I've read it does a better job than the Spin Clean - I only learned about it after I brought the Spin Clean. Maybe I'll buy one sometime down the line, but I'm pretty happy with the Spin Clean for the moment (at least based on before and after visual inspection - I'm still waiting to take delivery of my TT so I can actually start listening to some records!).
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
