This may sound strange, but I have forgotten much of what I'd learned about electronics and acoustics since I struck my head when I fell a few months ago. I was never an expert, but I used to know more than I do now.
I have an SS system which my friends (a declining number) say is great. I am quietly dissatisfied however. I won't (can't) go deeply into describing it, because I know it is modest and unimportant to most of you.
I am proud of my homemade record cleaner however, and the recent addition of a dissecting microscope (Celestron 4020 40x) has taken my obsessive interest in cleaning to a new level. I want to upgrade to 400x and experiment with cleaners and possibly dry lubricant compounds.
I have decided not to upgrade my present systems ( I have two) but rather build an entirely new one with a precision turntable, tube amplification and horn speakers. I am looking for low power purity for a small space. I am very intrigued by the audiophile philosophy of the Short Path, but this is a very long road for me, as I have to learn almost everything about audio again. I feel like "grasshopper."
Maybe someone can suggest a good site for me to get the basics, particularly for amplification and acoustic theory.
Hello to Japanese and Scandinavians!
I have an SS system which my friends (a declining number) say is great. I am quietly dissatisfied however. I won't (can't) go deeply into describing it, because I know it is modest and unimportant to most of you.
I am proud of my homemade record cleaner however, and the recent addition of a dissecting microscope (Celestron 4020 40x) has taken my obsessive interest in cleaning to a new level. I want to upgrade to 400x and experiment with cleaners and possibly dry lubricant compounds.
I have decided not to upgrade my present systems ( I have two) but rather build an entirely new one with a precision turntable, tube amplification and horn speakers. I am looking for low power purity for a small space. I am very intrigued by the audiophile philosophy of the Short Path, but this is a very long road for me, as I have to learn almost everything about audio again. I feel like "grasshopper."
Maybe someone can suggest a good site for me to get the basics, particularly for amplification and acoustic theory.
Hello to Japanese and Scandinavians!
Hello Ron,
welcome!
Your homebrew record cleaning system, this really interests me!
quite some years ago, I built a record cleaning machine myself but being short of money. sold both prototypes. Since then I mused how to do it better and came up with some nice modifications. Although, my machine's vacuum dryer made so much noise it was pain
Just today i happened to discuss the issue with my friend Manfred and he inspired me to some interesting ideas how to get rid of the noisy vacuum cleaner completely and drying the records otherwise.
Can you tell us more about how your record cleaner works? Is it Keith-Monks style or VPI style? or completely different?
DTopic,
for regaining your audio knowledge i cannot imagine a better place than this very site. Just ask specific questions and you will be surprised how helpful and knowledgable the folks around here are. I do not know a site explaining life, the universe and everything
(citing "hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy"), but if you ask here for sites covering particular topics, the folks here know them
DTopic,
just biased me but if you aim at TT, tube amps, horn speakers, you seem to have forgotten the wrong stuff and remembered the right path . Recently the wish for a TT-related forum board arised here, happy to have another TT lover on board.
welcome!
Your homebrew record cleaning system, this really interests me!
quite some years ago, I built a record cleaning machine myself but being short of money. sold both prototypes. Since then I mused how to do it better and came up with some nice modifications. Although, my machine's vacuum dryer made so much noise it was pain
Just today i happened to discuss the issue with my friend Manfred and he inspired me to some interesting ideas how to get rid of the noisy vacuum cleaner completely and drying the records otherwise.
Can you tell us more about how your record cleaner works? Is it Keith-Monks style or VPI style? or completely different?
DTopic,
for regaining your audio knowledge i cannot imagine a better place than this very site. Just ask specific questions and you will be surprised how helpful and knowledgable the folks around here are. I do not know a site explaining life, the universe and everything
(citing "hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy"), but if you ask here for sites covering particular topics, the folks here know them DTopic,
just biased me
but if you aim at TT, tube amps, horn speakers, you seem to have forgotten the wrong stuff and remembered the right path . Recently the wish for a TT-related forum board arised here, happy to have another TT lover on board.
Thanks for your reply. I thought after sending my letter that I sounded like an idiot. It's true that I've had a concussion though its effects are apparently difficult to quantify. At least I still hate Bose and love my wife (who buys me marvelous used records in Japan).
My record cleaner is simply made from a rugged DD turntable and high-power portable vac. No technical innovations, but my cleaning brush head (gentle but persuasive), diy fluid and technique (always being refined) seem to work well. Most of my LPs are mint, but others I've picked up cheaply at auction sound amazing with improvements after each cleaning. Some I have cleaned six times with no sign of "overcleaning." My sense is that a gentle cleaning system will allow multiple cleanings and is preferable to the "once only" school. I don't use acetone as suggested on some sites! My standard recipe is typical (but safe I think), comprising three parts distilled water, one part lab grade alcohol and a couple drops clear dishsoap. Records must be thoroughly rinsed with distilled water. I use lots of fluid. I suspect dry brushing is abrasive. I'm presently experimenting with windshield washer fluid and whitboard cleaner, though obviously in VERY minute quantities.
Two immediate thoughts on cleaning: 1) long term effects must be evaluated ie examining records up to 50 plays (by ear and microscope). 2) I think any moisture on a record while playing (especially trace cleaners) is potentially destructive. I may have introduced background noice on my Kubelik recording of Mahler's 1st this way.
Thanks again for your advice.
Ron from Canada
My record cleaner is simply made from a rugged DD turntable and high-power portable vac. No technical innovations, but my cleaning brush head (gentle but persuasive), diy fluid and technique (always being refined) seem to work well. Most of my LPs are mint, but others I've picked up cheaply at auction sound amazing with improvements after each cleaning. Some I have cleaned six times with no sign of "overcleaning." My sense is that a gentle cleaning system will allow multiple cleanings and is preferable to the "once only" school. I don't use acetone as suggested on some sites! My standard recipe is typical (but safe I think), comprising three parts distilled water, one part lab grade alcohol and a couple drops clear dishsoap. Records must be thoroughly rinsed with distilled water. I use lots of fluid. I suspect dry brushing is abrasive. I'm presently experimenting with windshield washer fluid and whitboard cleaner, though obviously in VERY minute quantities.
Two immediate thoughts on cleaning: 1) long term effects must be evaluated ie examining records up to 50 plays (by ear and microscope). 2) I think any moisture on a record while playing (especially trace cleaners) is potentially destructive. I may have introduced background noice on my Kubelik recording of Mahler's 1st this way.
Thanks again for your advice.
Ron from Canada
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.