Vacuum Record Cleaner Rreplacement

@orthomead 

That hiss you noticed with the LOMC cartridge when not being played may very well be the line stage tube in the preamp (assuming your preamp is not solid state)

It was a high-end dealer's demonstration system, and the phono stage was a solid state Musical Fidelity component, feeding McIntosh power amplifiers of some sort. Obvious hiss is not something I had ever experienced in my own systems and I went back to the dealer to confirm whether the hiss was real. 

I really was not concentrating on the electronics the first time, because it was at major promotion for B&W loudspeakers.  I just happened to notice that the source was a linear tracking deck (Holbo) which impressed me, so I arranged to take some records for a private audition.  That's when I really noticed the hiss for the first time.

My guess is it is quiescent electronic noise amplified by the high gain needed for LOMC.  I ended up buying a very high output DS Audio optical cartridge instead, so hiss is only of academic interest to me at the moment.

@orthomead 

Sooo, here's the million dollar question-how do those of you who finish with vacuum drying eliminate the static charge and the dust Kamikazes?

Those Kamikazes appear from nowhere (or from me and my clothing?) after air-drying, but I can usually gently blow them away.  I play the record before sleeving it, and use a conductive brush before play, but ...

I've got another million dollar question.  Does the mere act of playing a record create new electrostatic charges?

The triboelectric effect creates electrostatic charges when dissimilar insulators are rubbed together.  Diamond and vinyl are dissimilar insulators.

Do these charges create any audible noises?  Or do they attract charged dust mites which in turn act as audible obstacle courses for the stylus?

@richardbrand, 

I've got another million dollar question.  Does the mere act of playing a record create new electrostatic charges?

The triboelectric effect creates electrostatic charges when dissimilar insulators are rubbed together.  Diamond and vinyl are dissimilar insulators.

Do these charges create any audible noises?  Or do they attract charged dust mites which in turn act as audible obstacle courses for the stylus?

The answer to your first question was answered many years ago - Phonograph Reproduction 1978, James H. Kogen, Audio Magazine May 1978 Audio-1978-05.pdf.  However, simple carbon fiber brushes unless connected to a ground will not dissipate static from the record.  If there is a static charge, the record will have a negative charge, and particles are mostly positive charge, so they attract to the record.  Absent a static charge particles should not drop on the record since the air current will draw air down and then across but above the record - Laminar Flow Over a Spinning Disk | Ansys Innovation Courses.  Additionally, particles deposit/drop from the air at different rates depending on the particle-size - CACR25_FINAL_LR.pdf.

Antinn, thank you for citing that 1978 issue of Audio magazine, in which in the section on ES charge, it is clearly stated that friction between stylus and vinyl does not cause significant ES charge to accumulate on the LP surface. Maybe that will finally satisfy RB.

@lewm 

Maybe that will finally satisfy RB

That's wishful thinking!

Compared with a 10-kV needle, significant becomes insignificant!

Shure themselves seemed surprised that they did not find significant charge from diamond rubbing in the groove, but they were comparing with other causes of static like friction with liners.

But it was lovely to go back all those years and see adverts for stuff I still have.