Analogic Forum

[sandro]

As mentioned by Dice45 in a recent thread, I think it would be interesting to have a forum for 'Analogic Audio' :

Turntables
Arms
Cartridges
Insulations systems
Reel-to-Reel (... are we sure that a CD RW sounds better than a Revox B77 ?!)

I just wanted to post a new thread to see if there is enough people interested in this, so the site owner can figure out if the A-Forum makes sense or not.

bye
sandro

 

[dice45]

Sandro,



my vote is in! Analog sources forum! But as i was the one to bring this topic up (dunno if i was the 1st to do so as i am relatively new to this forum), i hesitated to post that wish myself, my volume is turned up enough



Opinions will differ wildly!

But if you span the field that wide, we should not forget AM and FM tuners, they can sound magic! My heavily modded Denon TU-500 certainly does.

I have no idea how deep the interest is in analog reel2reel tape recorders, As far as the Revox B77 is concerned, this would not be my 1st choice to challenge a CD-R, but a well-working Braun TG1000 or an early ASC 6002 (noone still understands why this complex, circuitry-flawed, German-style-overengineered piece makes so much music) can perform extraordinarily well. And the Telefunken M5 and M12, well, they are the refererence. Not only IMO, at an AAA fair in Stuttgart I participated on a listening comparison between the mastertape played on a Telefunken M5 and an audiophile LP cut with that very machine and that very tape as signal souce. The whole audience was stunned.



OTOH, i already got examples what is possible if hardddisk recording of LPs is done with love and care and skill. And the right equipment. Amazing. I want to be able to pursue this myself! A pursuit for a distant future, admitted. I abandoned reel2reel, not because of sound which was great but because of the hassle with the always creative ACS machine and later with aging tapes going gooey and polluting the machine all the time. Too much hassle for a person with clear focus on vinyl and shellac.

 

[J Epstein]

I'm interested. There seem to be some good options for DIY/kit analog these days, I think there would be some great discussions.

 

[Joerg]

Hi,

I would be interested in a analog forum too.
This site might be a place for an informed and relaxed discussion about these topics.

Joerg

 

[eila]

my interest is record cleaning/restoration

I'm very interested in an analogue forum as my special interest is in the cleaning/resoration of vinyl. I'm including my letter below as a way of introduction.


RE: Bernhard wrote about a discussion concerning a record cleaning machine using a microfibre towel to get the record dry after cleaning insted of sucking it dry. No more noise

REPLY:

I think the one area where I may have an emerging
degree of knowledge is in the vinylite disk. My
careful microscopic examination and reading feeds my
fascination more and more. Record cleaning and care
presently seems to be my niche, and I look forward to
joining any discusssion in this (and all other
directly connected issues ie cartridges, tonearms and
their setup). Till I find the forum myself, please
forward any of my thoughts (anything that might be
interesting that is, though I may have more to learn
than contribute).

I think the microfibre towel will work fine provided
it has sufficient absorbancy. I think little covers
for sponges would be good. Where is your source for
this fabric? Is it similar to the Discwasher brush
fabric?

I should describe my cleaner and method. I mentioned
the basics: portable vac ("dedicated" -- I don't clean
the car with it : ) and turntable. I've retained the
original mat reversed, coated with an anti-static
floor finish. The central label area is layered felt
to keep the vinyl off the mat. I clamp the records on
with a clear PVC container lid (hole cut for spindle).
The lid protects the label from fluids (I use lots)
and also provides a traction guide for my vacuum
brush.

Then pressed onto the spindle is a carefully drilled
hockey puck. I've done hundreds of LPs and this clamp
has never let go. I'm sure the puck clamp is very
widely used and for good reason. It's amazing.
Records can be turned with puck or, as I prefer, by
the record edge (of course, wearing white gloves).

My vac is powerful, and at first I cleaned with its
full force. Then I realized that this was unnecessary
pressure, and I came to use the leading and rear edges
only (rather than flat on). Really, the vac only
needs to pick up excess fluid. My microscope shows
that my prior brushing when I apply the fluid (I use
something like a big parastat for this) loosens up any
oils or dust, so it's unnecssary and potentially
hazardous to apply too much suction. Professional
units like the VPI are designed so the vac head
doesn't touch the lp, and that's good, but I think my
head works just as well. I've compared results with a
VPI and like my unit better precisely because it's
very "hands on."

I think many soft fabrics can become abrasive if too
much pressure (vacuum suction or other) is applied.
My sister gave me a couple metres of good quality felt
(no shedding), and I change the head every 50 or so
cleanings. I never allow the felt to wear.

Microfibre is great, and I'd like to buy some, but I'd
be very careful about overusing it.

By the way, after cleaning, I rinse the record surface
twice with distilled water using a fine atomizing
spray bottle. It's interesting how fine spray will
highlight any residues missed by the cleaning. I also
finally buff the record well by covering the vac head
with super-soft anti-static cloth, the kind that's
used for dusting and can be found in any store.

Nowadays, there are so many new anti-static fabrics
that I think we are justified in regarding vinyl as a
still viable and wonderful musical recording medium.
I'm sure that someday we vinyl lovers will have to
accept the sonic superiority of DVD, DSD, or whatever,
but I'm dedicated to exploring the potential of vinyl
however I can.

By the way, I bought a couple hundred near-mint lps at
auction some time back. Sadly, some had old PVC
sleeves, which left smears (audible) on the vinyl.
This has to be the greatest cleaning challenge, and I
am testing some rather strong cleaners specifically
for this. I'd appreciate your thoughts and advice on
this or anything else.

I'll be looking for the appropriate forums and will
meet you there, but till then please email anytime.

Cheers, Ron Peltomaa

 

[dice45]

Hello Ron and all,

thank you for your flattering email and your post, yes, the antiskating guy, that's me.

I too built a record cleaning machine; the thing was an advanced design outperforming NittyGritty and VPI vastly, even outperforming the Keith Monks and equalling the cleaning effect of a high power ultrasonic cleansing tub (because of possible record surface damage, i must warn from using an ultrasonic cleanising tub -- keyword pressing bubble -- even if the cleansing effect is the reference standard). OTOH, my machine was noisy to the extent of being unbearable, and it was ugly, unsellable . So the project faded away. But in case there is interest, i would like to throw in my knowledge, too.

One of my friends tried out a record cleaning and drying method using modern hightech µfibre fabrics and reported results coming close to what my machine back then was able to achieve. Particularly the drying effect of the ultra-absorptive fabric caught my attention, i always wanted to get rid of the noisy vac. It seems that this towel manages to get one record completely dry. Washing several records in a row would probably require a drying stand for, say, 9 towel cushions while the 10th towel cushion is in use.

But this is getting off-topic, shouldn't we open a new thread for record washing? On the new analog sources forum maybe?