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I finally got a record cleaning machine. First thoughts.

As I previously mentioned, I was given a load of 78 RPM records which are filthy mandating a cleaning device if I want to play them. After months studying the situation I opted to get a Clearaudio Double Matrix Pro Sonic. A lightly used one came up so I jumped on it. Why this machine and not an ultrasonic cleaner? Several reasons. It uses fresh fluid for each cleaning and discards the waste. It sucks everything off the record. Even distilled water will leave a residue if it is dried by an evaporative method. It uses mechanical scrubbing which my instinct prefers over ultrasound. There is an ongoing argument over what ultrasound will do to shellac. The Clearaudio has a reputation for being very well made and it is.

As for it's performance the Double Matrix is fast, quiet and very effective. The fact that it does not drip fluid all over the place is amazing. Records come off spotless and bone dry. You can play them right off the machine. You can tell that each and every function of the machine was carefully thought out. 

After cleaning  new records that were played once before cleaning, there is no change in noise levels and there is no difference in sound quality. However, there is a noticeable improvement in turntable hygiene! There is always dust on new and old records. I see it when I clean my sweep arm between sides on black felt. Now there is all but zero and everything under the dust cover stays cleaner. THERE IS A MARKED REDUCTION IN STATIC! Vacuum platters will create huge amounts of static under dry conditions but every single record I washed develops none that I can notice. I am not sure why this should be the case but it is. Play a record not washed then static. Play a washed record then no static. The fluid I am using for vinyl records is a proprietary formula of distilled water, Triton X-100, Isopropyl alcohol and benzalkonium chloride. Obviously, this is not the formula to clean shellac, you'd melt it. In one week I am going to replay some of these records to see if the anti static effect is durable or not. My guess is it won't be. You might ask, why benzalkonium chloride? Fungus can live on vinyl. BAK is antiseptic. It also has surfactant properties. 

Lastly, after playing 10 records that had just been wash I inspected my stylus under magnification and there was no residue on it meaning that the fluid and cleaning process left nothing in the groove the stylus could pick up. 

Next I am going to clean some old really filthy LPs I got with the 78s and see how much I can bring them back. 

I have never cleaned new records. My sweep arm collected any dust removing it from the path of the stylus and for decade this worked well. But, I am a clean freak and I like not having to clean the turntable after a listening session. After playing a record, once the vacuum released on removing the record I would frequently get a loud pop or two when the static on the bottom of the record arced to ground. The sweep arm discharged the top of the record during play so none of this affected the sound quality. Static does not turn 180 degree corners. However, it is nice not to have any static at all. So, there are positive attributes to cleaning records that go beyond reducing noise and improving sound quality. It is also fun to watch the Double Matrix do its thing. Worth $6500 for a new one? Only if you have extra money lying around or like buying used records. 

OK, now you can beat me up:-)
 

128x128mijostyn
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mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn OP
8,160 posts
 

Thanx @kellyhilton001 😉

That may be true Lew. Nothing is ever perfectly neutral and there are so many sources of static and varying conditions under which charges develop. Charges definitely travel over surfaces, that is how our speakers work. They are huge. 8 feet tall and three feet wide. If I get near the diaphragm with a grounded screwdriver the entire panel will discharge into it (and make quite a spark). Does the charge make a "U" turn in time? I have never looked for that and would have to develop an experiment to look into it. I can not use the turntable because the record always arcs out to the spindle when removing it. If I leave the record on the table after shutting it off the record discharges through the grounded spindle. We need to charge one side and watch what happens in time. I'll play around with an old record and see if I can rig an experiment to show what happens. 

pratorious
124 posts
 

I have the basic Clearaudio Matrix which replaced a VPI HW-17. The clearaudio had a smaller footprint along with manual brushing and I hoped it would be quieter. I prefer the manual brushing. I was using the clearaudio brand fluid but importing became annoying so switched to Record Time.

Through experimentation I have learned cleaning new records removes some noise and improves sound. It just depends how excited I am to listen whether I have the patience to clean a new record. But the moment I hear that first tick or noise I end up taking it off and cleaning it anyway and that clears it up. I should just be more patient but sometimes it’s the Mingus Ah Um one-step and and… well you know how that goes.

 

 

 

 

ghdprentice
6,358 posts
 

@pratorious 

 

+1 I am the same way. I can get too excited to hear a new album… but a lot of ticks… and it comes off together a cleaning.

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn OP
8,160 posts
 

@ghdprentice , @pratorious My guess is that what you are hearing is the incidental dust (lint) that all records attract. I never hear that because the conductive sweep arm removes it from the path of the stylus and dumps it all in the runout area. Clearly, cleaning is the best way of removing it for a while anyway. I do not hear a before and after difference because of the sweep arm. What noise is left is due to poor pressing, bad vinyl, air bubbles and such. As we all know it is possible to make extremely quiet records where all you hear in the background is that quiet rushing sound. I have discovered that removing that dust totally before playing results in a much cleaner turntable which I do like. Then there is that static issue I have not figured out yet. I suspect it has something to do with the cleaning fluid I am using. I have to clean out the machine and clean a record with straight distilled water to see if there is a difference then add one ingredient at a time to see if one of them is responsible. I still do not see any residue collecting on the stylus.

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