Anyone out there own a Clearaudio Double Matrix Pro Sonic?
I have resisted buying a record cleaning device for four decades. Just have not needed one. However recently I was given a collection of 78s and LPs from the 50's and they are filthy. I would have to change the water in a Spin Clean after every record. I have researched the topic to death and have decided on the Double Matrix Pro Sonic. My thinking is that it does not recycle cleaning solution and it vacuum dries the record removing all the water and filth. I watched You Tubes of it working but nothing is ever said about durability. I can get one new for $5,500.00 but for that kind of money I expect it to out last me.
Comments from users will be greatly appreciated.
I missed the "78" part... If they are not late vinyl 78’s and are instead shellac coated discs I suggest going to a 78 collectors site for info as to properly cleaning them, as cleaning them as vinyl discs will most likely (will) damage them. I have a small collection of 78’s (a few vinyl and most shellac) and I’ve yet to clean the older ones.
DeKay |
@dekay , It is not that complicated. Alcohol is the solvent used to melt shellac flakes (dried out insect saliva). Any cleaning solution with alcohol will potentially melt the record. In reality shellac is not easy to melt. When I make shellac varnish I melt the flakes in 100% denatured ethanol and it takes three weeks and regular shaking to fully melt the shellac. However, if you clean a French polished table with anything that has alcohol in it you will instantly ruin the shine. So although you would not melt the record you would probably make it much noisier. My experience with 78 rpm records has yet to begin. The ones I was given were not stored under ideal conditions and smell of mildew. Many of them have had the spindle hole reamed out by a changer mechanism. For all I know they may be unplayable. The plan right now is to use distilled water with a little clorox in it. I look at it as a learning process. For me it is really only a nostalgia thing. I was hoping to find a working old Victrola one day. Now I have records to play on it. |
The cleaning solution recipe that I use calls for 25% solution of isopropanol, not ethanol. As you know, ethanol is an alcohol with two methyl groups; isopropanol or propanol has three methyl groups ahead of the alcohol group. The capability of the two alcohols, ethanol vs propanol, as solvents may therefore be different. This question of isopropanol damaging vinyl is brought up over and over again, but I think it has been thoroughly debunked. ("Iso" simply denotes the arrangement of the 3 methyl groups with respect to each other, so isoprop and propanol differ from each other in secondary structure but are used interchangeably.) However, I am here to learn; can you provide documentation for your statement that "Any cleaning solution with alcohol will potentially melt the record"? In the context of momentary exposure to 25% propanol in the process of cleaning an LP, I doubt it. Distilled water, or any other kind of purified water, used alone is pretty much futile, if you want real deep cleaning. (In addition to propanol, I add about .05% Tween20 to my cleaning solution, to reduce the surface tension of water sufficiently to allow it penetrate into the grooves and to enhance its activity as a solvent.) |
@lewm , alcohol is harmless to vinyl records Lew. I was talking about shellac 78s. Thank you the chemistry review. I got an A+ in organic chemistry but that was a long time ago. Ethanol is a stronger solvent than Isopropyl alcohol but isopropyl will still damage the surface of a shellac record, just not as fast. Ethanol will do it instantly so make sure you have a good hold on your snifter before flipping a shellac record. Not only do you dissolve shellac flakes in denatured alcohol but it is a vital component of the French polish, an art form all it's own wherein you rub shellac into a wood surface with a tampon loaded with shellac and alcohol using pumice as the polishing abrasive and grain filler. It takes hours sometimes days to do right which is why very few people do it any more but boy is it beautiful. It has been replaced by nitrocellulose lacquer and acrylics. The finish on my stereo cabinet is a solvent based acrylic catalyzed lacquer usually used on kitchen cabinets. You get a similar result to shellac but 1000 times more durable only polyester finishes are tougher (piano lacquer) |
@lewm , I forgot to mention. I will use distilled water with a very small amount of bleach (to kill the mildew) and surfactant (Triton X-100) on the 78s. On vinyl records I plan on trying distilled water with propanol and Triton X-100. I think that will be enough with the Matrix Pro Sonic as it scrubs the record adding a mechanical component. It sucks everything off the record and brushes so it should not leave any residue. I plan on changing the brushes in the cleaning head after I run the 78s. I ordered two sets as I always like to have a set available just in case. |
