Once again Ken, indispensable advice for the masses. The bottom line is apparent, take care of your equipment, and then enjoy the defining hours of"guilty pleasures".
Records are very durable, all these records from 50's and 60's that people today pay big dollars for been played on many different turntables with many worn styluses with many misaligned cartridges, and people still say that these old records sound better then today's brand new reissues, so yes records are tough.
Hi from Wales. I have a gold ring 1042 stylus. As long as I keep it and the records clean it lasts a lot longer than six months. Great tips by the way.
Very good, Ken. You have confirmed everything I do in the first place. I will add that cable separation can be important as well. Years ago I moved and in the process of setting up my system I was getting some odd feedback from my turntable. Turns out, I had a speaker cable (I use Monster Cables; I like the concept of an actual gap between the wires themselves) coming into contact with my tt cable. Remedied that, problem solved. Also, I have been using Gruv Glide for decades. I swear by the shit. And I always clean a new record a soon as it hits the platter. The Gruv Glide also helps with static which is often an issue with new records as well. I have records that I bought over 45yrs ago and they look and sound every bit as good as the day I brought them home. Groovy. Carry on friends and stay safe out there.
But wait, there's more. I'm not all that comfortable with speakers on a stanchion or stand, per se. Seems too ridged. And I'm all about putting my shit on wood. My speakers sit on old wooden crates on a wood floor. The crates have a bit of give due to the weight of the speakers and the open design of the crates themselves bring a more full sound to the room (at least I like to think so). And keep in mind this is my shit and the way it sounds to me for my set-up. Every room is going to be different. Too much overstuffed furniture will suck up too much fidelity. I've gotten rid of pieces of furniture for just that reason. We all work within the space we have. And as Ken says, move your shit around and find the sweet spot. But never lose the fact that it's all about the fucking music, man!
Mission Audio in Great Britain made a TT Isolation platform that had half dome feet with Sorbothane that I have used successfully for over 40 years now.
Great video, Ken. It really is so important to have a clean record and stylus for the truest and best sound to be extracted from the grooves. Even brand new records (actually, especially new records) I’ve noticed leave little black particles in the used water. Of course most used / old records probably haven’t ever been washed, and as you mentioned, have smoke, a build up of finger oil, etc., etc. on them. Secondly, there’s no point in putting a dirty stylus on your clean record. I personally take the 5 seconds or so to clean my stylus before every play. Thanks, Ken!
I was running my stylus over 9 months to get my money's worth out if it! But I was thinking, just because it sounds great still, doesn't mean it's not getting worn! Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you wait until the sound quality degrades, you may have already done minor damage to the grooves!
Very informative video for those not in the know. Wish you would added room treatment which doesn't necessarily have to be pannels. On one forum someone didn't know how to handle a side wall of windows. His wife loved all the light and view. She didn't want curtains or mini blinds. I suggested plantation shutters. They are aesthetically pleasing, can be opened for the view, but most importantly when closed with the shutters partially opened, they act as a diffuser during listening sessions. A win-win situation for the wifey and the music listening husband. The guy and his the wife were thrilled with the solution.
Some good advice here. I’m using 1970’s McIntosh pre & power amp, 1980’s Denon direct drive turn table with same vintage Grado cartridge, along with Revel book shelf speaker’s & stands. While my “listing room” is far from ideal - Open Concept living, kitchen & dinning - I’ve been very satisfied with the quality of music reproduction. I do use good quality inter connects and speaker cable, but I’m not on board with the mega-bucks cables. Whenever I challenge a believer to a “blind test” of cables, they decline. I’m told that you must know the the brand of cable to truly evaluate it’s performance. 🤔
I totally agree with you about clean vinyl I use the squeaky clean rcm from3d canfab in Ontario Canada it works great I also use the "Revolve" record cleaning solution removes most if not all surface noise the best I have ever used also a isolation platform by auralex.
Hi Ken, thanks tons , TD 160, Jelco 550s Mk2 Grace F-9 Ruby cantilever nude hyper elliptical stylus , 3rd stylus in a year play many records a day ,use ultrasonic record cleaner and an Oki Noki . My music room is fantastic room is 17’ wide 32’ long
Yes moonshine really does work well!! I'll learn that tip from Frank at channel 33. I did not know that an album won't wear out if it's properly set up the turntable.. great video man
Hey Ken, I appreciate you thoughts on getting the most out of our sound systems - been into it for years but always appreciate new tried and true ideas to try out -thanks :)
Great tips.... I have a Spin Clean and Dr. Vac. For isolation I built a Turntable stand out of blanks of wood for making guitars, .. Black Limba wood and the side pillars are Tiger Maple used in the making Baseball Bats. Also, I keep the table at a low center of gravity and it sounds amazing. Made a video about it the other week, if you get a chance, check it out.
Making a video for next week on the Wall Warts that power both the TT and Phono Preamp and replacing them with Independent Transformers. Have the choice now of what Power Cables I want to try. Hope you check it out !! Love listening to Rock and Jazz music. Got into listening to Jazz in the late 90's. Back then, I was getting all the Blue Note 50th's on Cd's. Even back in them days I thought.... "man, bet this would sound so much better on vinyl". What an awesome adventure back into vinyl the last couple of years has been.
👋 On the topic of vinyl cleaning. I use a Loricraft machine (now from SME). It seems to work well so long as I let the cleaning solution sit in the record surface for five minutes as per the machines instructions. Does anyone have any thoughts on record cleaning?
Really great tips here. I'm curious about record cleaning: has there been any amateur scientific research on the cleaning devices? I use a Vinyl Styl with goat's hair brushes, distilled water, Spin Clean solution and microfiber cloths to dry. I clean about 5 new records with one batch, and I think the audio sounds better than with the fluid & turntable brush method. And I'm curious about ultrasonic cleaners too. It's probably an expensive idea, but it would be great to see an experiment about these, and more expensive record cleaning devices.
Proof is in the pudding. Ultrasonic goes into the grooves like no other machine or hand can. You can see and hear the difference. To me it removes a level of grayness that you didn't know was there. I would never go back to hand cleaning, inefficient, messy and poor results even compared to a vacuum machine. It's designed to first spread the fluid, let it work into the grooves, then vacuum it off. Ultrasonic goes further with small bubbles that explode in the groove. It's been used to clean jewelry forever.
I'm so sorry, but i really need to point something very important out here, as this topic tends to go berserk, in various DIy solutions for cleaning records. First of all, you CANNOT make useable and good solutions yourself, and when ever i hear recipes like the above (distilled water, photo flow (or whatever), and some kind of alcohol, i'm about to scream silently for myself :-( Distilled water is NOT clean water (by far), so get rid of that (for a start). I could go on for hours and hours and hours, discussing this topic, but i will say one thing. I spend almost 3 years perfection this thing, and wen't from various DIY solutions, to now only use prof. liquids, and the best iv'e found is the ones from MOFI. If u think about it, and have a huge collection, it's really not all that expensive, if u really mean it (collecting vinyl)? U can go along way with 1. ltr of Super Record Wash (MOFI), but keep in mind that it's very useful to rinse your record, as a final step. MOFi also has a solution for that (pure water), but here i wen't on my own, and found some triple distilled (pure water), which is way cheaper than the one from MOFI. But u can look that up yourself ;-) And then buy a vacuum cleaner, like the ones from Project. They are relatively cheap and when i started using this machine 2 years ago, i was stunned by the sound of these old records coming to life, and even your new records should be cleaned before first spin, as there is a bunch of dirt and other nasty things in those grooves, as a record plant isn't a clean place (at all). Cleaning records as a topic, is perhaps the most toxic of them all, as everyone thinks they now how to do the job, but most don't. Take your time and read up on this, because if u do, you will NOT make your own liquid, and frankly...i cannot understand why u Ken (of all), goes with your own solution, and as u describe.....it' really doesen't clean your record. Even though you think so it does, it just makes them look nice, and perhaps you get rid of some static too. But you will never get into these grooves, if your not using the right liquid/solutions. So many audiophiles and records collectors, thinks they now best. But on this topic....really no. Buy the prof liquid, from a brand you are comfort with, and try it out for yourself. It took me years to come to this conclusion, and years and years of testing for myself, so i think this must be valid enough, for you guys/girls to wonder about ;-) Cheers from Denmark
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I own and often speak of my ProJect and Ultrasonic cleaners. Re the solution I use, it's also in use at Jazz Record Center, where the owner has sold many multi-thousand albums for many years. He literally wrote the book on collecting BLue Note records, and he's set the auction bar for many Blue Notes. So I trust his experience. It does make a difference when cleaning records. I also use this on the collections I buy and sell. I'm sure MOFI is great. In saying that, NOTHING touches an ultrasonic cleaner. It's a whole new technology, far beyond that of a vacuum cleaner. So, I use both. I agree for the need to do a final rinse in pure water.
#11 - Don't buy crappy quality vinyl. Do a bit of research, which shouldn't take much time, and look for good pressings. Especially avoid some of this crap from Europe (jazz repressing) and avoid crazy colored vinyl. If you are collecting, that's one thing, but if you want the best "sounding" LP, stick with the black vinyl if possible. Glad to see some new videos Ken. Any chance getting a Jimmy episode or is it still too early for that. Hope he's doing well and hope you're doing well too. Cheers! 👽🖖"Na-nu"
Some good suggestions.......but a RCM isn't really needed. Why spend $500+ for when when all you need is an old turntable and a wet/dry shop vac? It's simple, cheap and does at least as good if not better than any of the RCM.
I’ve collected vinyl for a long time and I have some very valuable records that also mean a lot to me. I won’t be cleaning them on an old turntable with a vacuum meant for cleaning dirt off of a floor. Use a tool designed specifically for the job for the best results.. A surgeon doesn’t operate on a patient with a hatchet. But for some people any old thing will do! Good luck with that
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 All an RCM is is a shop vac in a box. Here's a link if you are interested in seeing a method without the high dollar investment. ua-cam.com/video/-dCtcpesIFo/v-deo.html
Oh boy, why don't you just go digital, save the money and trouble, and spend the $5-10,000 you'll have on buying some better speakers? This is lunatic, I'm out.
Once again Ken, indispensable advice for the masses. The bottom line is apparent, take care of your equipment, and then enjoy the defining hours of"guilty pleasures".
Records are very durable, all these records from 50's and 60's that people today pay big dollars for been played on many different turntables with many worn styluses with many misaligned cartridges, and people still say that these old records sound better then today's brand new reissues, so yes records are tough.
No. Theres plenty worn records.
What fantastic advice! Thank you sir!
Hi from Wales. I have a gold ring 1042 stylus. As long as I keep it and the records clean it lasts a lot longer than six months. Great tips by the way.
Thanks. I’ve revise my thoughts regarding stylus life. Glad to hear it
Very good, Ken. You have confirmed everything I do in the first place. I will add that cable separation can be important as well. Years ago I moved and in the process of setting up my system I was getting some odd feedback from my turntable. Turns out, I had a speaker cable (I use Monster Cables; I like the concept of an actual gap between the wires themselves) coming into contact with my tt cable. Remedied that, problem solved. Also, I have been using Gruv Glide for decades. I swear by the shit. And I always clean a new record a soon as it hits the platter. The Gruv Glide also helps with static which is often an issue with new records as well. I have records that I bought over 45yrs ago and they look and sound every bit as good as the day I brought them home. Groovy. Carry on friends and stay safe out there.
But wait, there's more. I'm not all that comfortable with speakers on a stanchion or stand, per se. Seems too ridged. And I'm all about putting my shit on wood. My speakers sit on old wooden crates on a wood floor. The crates have a bit of give due to the weight of the speakers and the open design of the crates themselves bring a more full sound to the room (at least I like to think so). And keep in mind this is my shit and the way it sounds to me for my set-up. Every room is going to be different. Too much overstuffed furniture will suck up too much fidelity. I've gotten rid of pieces of furniture for just that reason. We all work within the space we have. And as Ken says, move your shit around and find the sweet spot. But never lose the fact that it's all about the fucking music, man!
Great video: Great Tips: Thank you for doing that Ken.
Mission Audio in Great Britain made a TT Isolation platform that had half dome feet with Sorbothane that I have used successfully for over 40 years now.
Great video, Ken. It really is so important to have a clean record and stylus for the truest and best sound to be extracted from the grooves. Even brand new records (actually, especially new records) I’ve noticed leave little black particles in the used water. Of course most used / old records probably haven’t ever been washed, and as you mentioned, have smoke, a build up of finger oil, etc., etc. on them. Secondly, there’s no point in putting a dirty stylus on your clean record. I personally take the 5 seconds or so to clean my stylus before every play.
Thanks, Ken!
In any great audio system the room is the most important issue to deal with. It can either make your system or break it in terms of sound quality.
I was running my stylus over 9 months to get my money's worth out if it! But I was thinking, just because it sounds great still, doesn't mean it's not getting worn! Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you wait until the sound quality degrades, you may have already done minor damage to the grooves!
Add this point I’m really not sure what the ultimate life of a regularly used stylus is. What do you think?
Very informative video for those not in the know. Wish you would added room treatment which doesn't necessarily have to be pannels. On one forum someone didn't know how to handle a side wall of windows. His wife loved all the light and view. She didn't want curtains or mini blinds. I suggested plantation shutters. They are aesthetically pleasing, can be opened for the view, but most importantly when closed with the shutters partially opened, they act as a diffuser during listening sessions. A win-win situation for the wifey and the music listening husband. The guy and his the wife were thrilled with the solution.
Great idea
Thanks Ken
Some good advice here. I’m using 1970’s McIntosh pre & power amp, 1980’s Denon direct drive turn table with same vintage Grado cartridge, along with Revel book shelf speaker’s & stands. While my “listing room” is far from ideal - Open Concept living, kitchen & dinning - I’ve been very satisfied with the quality of music reproduction.
I do use good quality inter connects and speaker cable, but I’m not on board with the mega-bucks cables. Whenever I challenge a believer to a “blind test” of cables, they decline. I’m told that you must know the the brand of cable to truly evaluate it’s performance. 🤔
I totally agree with you about clean vinyl I use the squeaky clean rcm from3d canfab in Ontario Canada it works great I also use the "Revolve" record cleaning solution removes most if not all surface noise the best I have ever used also a isolation platform by auralex.
Hi Ken, thanks tons , TD 160, Jelco 550s Mk2 Grace F-9 Ruby cantilever nude hyper elliptical stylus , 3rd stylus in a year play many records a day ,use ultrasonic record cleaner and an Oki Noki . My music room is fantastic room is 17’ wide 32’ long
Yes moonshine really does work well!! I'll learn that tip from Frank at channel 33. I did not know that an album won't wear out if it's properly set up the turntable.. great video man
Superb video pal, you have given me lots of think about 👍
Hey Ken, I appreciate you thoughts on getting the most out of our sound systems - been into it for years but always appreciate new tried and true ideas to try out -thanks :)
Great tips.... I have a Spin Clean and Dr. Vac. For isolation I built a Turntable stand out of blanks of wood for making guitars, .. Black Limba wood and the side pillars are Tiger Maple used in the making Baseball Bats. Also, I keep the table at a low center of gravity and it sounds amazing. Made a video about it the other week, if you get a chance, check it out.
Brilliant!
Making a video for next week on the Wall Warts that power both the TT and Phono Preamp and replacing them with Independent Transformers. Have the choice now of what Power Cables I want to try. Hope you check it out !! Love listening to Rock and Jazz music. Got into listening to Jazz in the late 90's. Back then, I was getting all the Blue Note 50th's on Cd's. Even back in them days I thought.... "man, bet this would sound so much better on vinyl". What an awesome adventure back into vinyl the last couple of years has been.
Sandbox audio stand. Have a Birds eye 2 “ , 2 selves 75 years old now , 800 albums
All great comments and ideas. I offer #11: clean out that ear wax!! 👂👂😀
Good point!..people forget this so often!
👋
On the topic of vinyl cleaning.
I use a Loricraft machine (now from SME). It seems to work well so long as I let the cleaning solution sit in the record surface for five minutes as per the machines instructions.
Does anyone have any thoughts on record cleaning?
Thank you.
Really great tips here. I'm curious about record cleaning: has there been any amateur scientific research on the cleaning devices? I use a Vinyl Styl with goat's hair brushes, distilled water, Spin Clean solution and microfiber cloths to dry. I clean about 5 new records with one batch, and I think the audio sounds better than with the fluid & turntable brush method. And I'm curious about ultrasonic cleaners too. It's probably an expensive idea, but it would be great to see an experiment about these, and more expensive record cleaning devices.
Proof is in the pudding. Ultrasonic goes into the grooves like no other machine or hand can. You can see and hear the difference. To me it removes a level of grayness that you didn't know was there. I would never go back to hand cleaning, inefficient, messy and poor results even compared to a vacuum machine. It's designed to first spread the fluid, let it work into the grooves, then vacuum it off. Ultrasonic goes further with small bubbles that explode in the groove. It's been
used to clean jewelry forever.
ThxK 🔌🧠
Records do wear by the way.
#11 Use Moving Iron Cartridges ❤
What about sitting your TT on partical board?
Particleboard is the same as Mdf I believe. Not optimal.
Thanks Ken! What album are you playing in the background?
Bill Evans : Portrait in Jazz/song:autumn leaves
Also: Bill Evans/Explorations..song: nardis
Disagree about spin clean, previously used Nitty Gritty vacuum cleaner and SC does just as good as NG.
I rather spend $500 on new turntable then a cleaning machine. I been cleaning my records manual with some record solution for years, works just fine.
I’m sure that works fine but ultrasonic cleaning is a whole new level. There’s nothing else like it. It can transform some dirty records.
I'm so sorry, but i really need to point something very important out here, as this topic tends to go berserk, in various DIy solutions for cleaning records. First of all, you CANNOT make useable and good solutions yourself, and when ever i hear recipes like the above (distilled water, photo flow (or whatever), and some kind of alcohol, i'm about to scream silently for myself :-( Distilled water is NOT clean water (by far), so get rid of that (for a start). I could go on for hours and hours and hours, discussing this topic, but i will say one thing. I spend almost 3 years perfection this thing, and wen't from various DIY solutions, to now only use prof. liquids, and the best iv'e found is the ones from MOFI. If u think about it, and have a huge collection, it's really not all that expensive, if u really mean it (collecting vinyl)? U can go along way with 1. ltr of Super Record Wash (MOFI), but keep in mind that it's very useful to rinse your record, as a final step. MOFi also has a solution for that (pure water), but here i wen't on my own, and found some triple distilled (pure water), which is way cheaper than the one from MOFI. But u can look that up yourself ;-) And then buy a vacuum cleaner, like the ones from Project. They are relatively cheap and when i started using this machine 2 years ago, i was stunned by the sound of these old records coming to life, and even your new records should be cleaned before first spin, as there is a bunch of dirt and other nasty things in those grooves, as a record plant isn't a clean place (at all). Cleaning records as a topic, is perhaps the most toxic of them all, as everyone thinks they now how to do the job, but most don't. Take your time and read up on this, because if u do, you will NOT make your own liquid, and frankly...i cannot understand why u Ken (of all), goes with your own solution, and as u describe.....it' really doesen't clean your record. Even though you think so it does, it just makes them look nice, and perhaps you get rid of some static too. But you will never get into these grooves, if your not using the right liquid/solutions. So many audiophiles and records collectors, thinks they now best. But on this topic....really no. Buy the prof liquid, from a brand you are comfort with, and try it out for yourself. It took me years to come to this conclusion, and years and years of testing for myself, so i think this must be valid enough, for you guys/girls to wonder about ;-) Cheers from Denmark
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I own and often speak of my ProJect and Ultrasonic cleaners. Re the solution I use, it's also in use at Jazz Record Center, where the owner has sold many multi-thousand albums for many years. He literally wrote the book on collecting BLue Note records, and he's set the auction bar for many Blue Notes. So I trust his experience. It does make a difference when cleaning records. I also use this on the collections I buy and sell. I'm sure MOFI is great. In saying that, NOTHING touches an ultrasonic cleaner. It's a whole new technology, far beyond that of a vacuum cleaner. So, I use both. I agree for the need to do a final rinse in pure water.
#11 - Don't buy crappy quality vinyl. Do a bit of research, which shouldn't take much time, and look for good pressings. Especially avoid some of this crap from Europe (jazz repressing) and avoid crazy colored vinyl. If you are collecting, that's one thing, but if you want the best "sounding" LP, stick with the black vinyl if possible.
Glad to see some new videos Ken. Any chance getting a Jimmy episode or is it still too early for that. Hope he's doing well and hope you're doing well too. Cheers! 👽🖖"Na-nu"
Thanks Frank. Now that it’s getting warmer Jimmy will open up his stand and we will do some videos.
Some good suggestions.......but a RCM isn't really needed. Why spend $500+ for when when all you need is an old turntable and a wet/dry shop vac? It's simple, cheap and does at least as good if not better than any of the RCM.
I’ve collected vinyl for a long time and I have some very valuable records that also mean a lot to me. I won’t be cleaning them on an old turntable with a vacuum meant for cleaning dirt off of a floor. Use a tool designed specifically for the job for the best results.. A surgeon doesn’t operate on a patient with a hatchet. But for some people any old thing will do! Good luck with that
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 All an RCM is is a shop vac in a box. Here's a link if you are interested in seeing a method without the high dollar investment. ua-cam.com/video/-dCtcpesIFo/v-deo.html
Ortofon warn NOT to clean records or needles.
Oh boy, why don't you just go digital, save the money and trouble, and spend the $5-10,000 you'll have on buying some better speakers? This is lunatic, I'm out.
Why not just use Spotify and play music on your phone? You'll save even more money!
What JON said 👍🏼😂
Close the door behind you
Thanks Ken