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Vinyl “Pops & Clicks” eliminators

I’m betting a polarizing topic, but I ask the question as a truly curious audiophile who has just not honestly had the opportunity to do any real research on this category of products....so, am not asking as either a proponent nor opponent of this technology.   So, a few obvious items: (1) it’s best to work with clean, unblemished LP’s (for multiple reasons) and (2) obviously a product designed to “remove” an audible defect is also going to affect the audible spectrum; but in what ways, exactly, both desirable and undesirable do these devices affect the music?

I’m talking specifically about devices like the Sweetvinyl Sugarcube SC-1, but I’ve literally done zero research so far on how many devices like this even exist.   The “Sweetvinyl” box comes to mind only because I see their ad in TAS mag, but I don’t know if there are other companies with similar products.   
Question is....we all have LPs in our collection that we acquired and for whatever reason were not kept “clean” and have scratches resulting in audible pops/clicks.   Are these devices — essentially selective filters — selective enough to do their job on imperfect records without destroying the surrounding harmonics?    Or do we just discard & reacquire any scratched records we own?   Or is this a “better” solution?

I’m gonna guess that literally 10% maximum of the Agon’ers who reply here have ever owned/heard these products used, so maybe let’s all just mention whether our opinion, our response, is based on real-life observations, or just theoretical replies.    Both have value, but for different reasons.

Best,
Jim
jhajeski
jameswei
883 posts
 
mijostyn
jameswei, add the sweep arm. It is only $20.00. Your records will stay even cleaner as they will not hold any static charge so will not attract duct on their way back and forth to the record cover and any incidental dust on
the record will be swept out of the way of your 52,000 psi stylus.

Thanks for the advice -- I’ll give it a try. Reminds me of the old Dust Bug I used to have; but I know its different.

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,199 posts
 
James, I had a dust bug! They did not have conductive carbon bristles back then and we had the right idea but in the end I think the Dust bug increased the static charge on the record which led to more trouble. I even tried spraying it lightly with distilled water which helped for two or three sides before the felt bristles got dirty then you could not clean them effectively until it dried off:( The first conductive bristles came around in the early 80's. I bought a record brush that had them. In about a week it dawned on me and I cut up the brush and made a sweep arm out of an aluminum extrusion. It was not the prettiest thing but it worked great about a year later a very similar device was released on the market and I bought one immediately. It certainly was a lot more polished than my device but it did not have an adjustable counterweight and it leaned too heavily on its bristles. So, I added lead from fishing weights until I felt it balanced the way I wanted. So much for the polished appearance. This little cheap arm from Sleeve City is the first arm that comes almost ready to go. The sliding weight won't stay in one place so I moved it all the way up front and put a small drop of crazy glue on the shaft to hold it in place. The counter weight at the back is threaded. To keep it from turning once it was set I put some low strength Loc Tite on the threaded shaft. Adjust the counter weight so the bristles just touch the record. It will track the record best this way. Once set you will never have to touch it. 
jameswei
883 posts
 
mijostyn, I have just ordered one from Sleeve City per your link.  I am looking forward to installing it.

Your suggestions for how to adjust it are helpful.  I am glad it requires a bit of tweaking.  It'll keep me happy fiddling with it for hours. heh
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,199 posts
 
I forgot to mention Jim that you want to keep the back end high. I would have designed it with the bristles perpendicular to the record. I also stuck a square of felt down next to the turntables to wipe the brush off on between sides. I clean the felt once in a while with a record brush which I ceremoniously wipe off on my shirt to my wife's chagrin. 
Do let us know how you like it particularly it's effect on the static charge of your record collection. Also let us know how brand new records fair and whether or not you ever feel the need to clean them.

Thanx,
Mike
lewm
12,478 posts
 
The trick of the math is that the units are "pounds per square inch". Mijo is correct about how to calculate it, but the lie therein is that the pressure of the stylus tip on your finger in psi must then be re-divided by the actual area of the contact patch, to give a quantity equal to "pounds per area of the contact patch" which brings us back to the typical VTF or about 2 grams. That’s why your finger is not hurting, squashed, or perforated. The math is not wrong. The science is not wrong. The facts are just being misapplied. Similarly, that's why the groove does not catch fire.

Mijostyn, Thanks for the tip on the brush, but how do you then clean the brush so it does not itself become a source of particulate matter being dragged across the LP?  As for a dust cover, ..... feh.
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