BEST Vinyl Records Cleaning & Anti Static PROOF! Why SPEND MORE?
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- In this video I am testing and comparing several different vinyl records care products at different price levels to see if we get more when we pay more or are the affordable products more than good enough. I test three different cartridge stylus cleaning solutions and then I test the two best products on the market for removing static from records to see which is the best. But there is much more than just that in this video as you will see - its a long and very detailed one - I hope you enjoy it.
Products featured in this video are
The Electrostatic tester I used in this video is geni.us/y0Mr
Flux HiFi Sonic cleaner available from Amazon here geni.us/Y4k2u3
The Project Clean IT stylus brush geni.us/AAsl9j8
The clear groove putty geni.us/DCVzAJS
Milty Zerostat 3 anti static gun geni.us/AyxHHz
The Furutech Destat 3 geni.us/SAZCa8
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Thanks for watching - Terry Ellis Pursuit Perfect System
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#hifi #vinylrecords #audiophile
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:12 Stylus cleaning
3:56 Flux HiFi cleaner
5:42 Stylus putty
9:20 Milty vs Destat
17:15 Static on the turntable
22:25 Does it even matter
22:43 Wet cleaning test
25:46 Final thoughts
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The HiFi System seen in this video and used for the review
Acoustic Treatments from GIK Acoustics gikacoustics.co.uk/ref/9/
Digital music source Eversolo A6
Chord Electronics Hugo TT 2 DAC
Speakers SVS Ultra Evolution Titan
Amplifiers
Gryphon Diablo 300
NAD M23
Galion TS A75
Primare Pre 35 Prima A 35.2
Power IsoTek EVO 3 NOVA / IsoTek Genesis One / IsoTek EVO 3 Titan
• NEW IsoTek EVO 3 NOVA ...
• IsoTek EVO3 Genesis On...
Tellurium Q Statement II Analogue Cable • Perfect HiFi Cables?? ...
Power Cables Tellurium Q Silver, Silver Diamond
• Tellurium Q Silver Ult...
Tellurium Q Statement II Digital cables
Tellurium Q Statement II USB cable
HiFi Racks - Quadraspire Q4 Evo • RACK FROM THE GODS HiF...
HiFi Racks Podium Reference. - Розваги
I hope you enjoyed the video, I need to point out I got the price of the Flux HiFi sonic cleaner wrong in this video its £120 not £150 - sorry about that.
For more details of the Electrostatic tester I am using here is a link to it on Amazon geni.us/y0Mr (This is an affiliate link but it doesnt effect you in any way)
That was really informative. A word of caution, however, about the ultrasonic stylus cleaner, which I have to say, I really like the look of. Some cartridge manufacturers, Ortofon being one example, specifically state that you shouldn't use liquid based cleaning methods. I believe this is because, over time, it can degrade the adhesive which bonds the stylus to the cantilever to the point where the it will actually detach from the cantilever, this is especially true of cartridges with boron cantilevers, apparently. If this does occur, then it would invalidate the cartridges warranty. So, before purchasing it would be a good idea to check the instructions just to see that its ok to use liquid cleaners.
There is always something to make things more confusing with vinyl :) thanks for the heads up
Yes, and Peter Ledermann of Soundsmith says the same thing about their cartridges. He suggests using Blu-Tack to remove the gunk.
Yeah, I would 100% stay away from that ultrasonic stylus cleaner. Aside from the liquid issue, the vibration/cavitation from the ultrasonic process is most definitely ruin the bonding
Terry, thanks for the hard work put into these vinyl care videos, I think they're the most thorough I've seen.
The ultimate solution for static is the DS Audio ION-001 Ionizer. It sits next to your turntable and sprays a continuous stream of positive and negative ions at the record to keep it static free from playback start to finish.
I had one here recently, sadly it had to go back before I got a chance to make this video, I had planned to test it in it. I did briefly test it and I didn’t get the result you might think but like I said I planned to test it again but didn’t get the chance to.
Terry, very useful and informative. I’ve had my Zerostat and Diskwasher for decades. I wondered whether there were better products at the same price point for sometime now. Your video pretty much covered off all the alternatives I was considering. Thank you.
Damn, I don't know how I did it?! I have been using the same old Discwasher I bought in the 70's and damn x2, my albums from the 70's that I took care of are still in great shape. Must be amazing good fortune!
Great follow up video to your last review of cleaning methods. I purchased the Audioquest brush and have been impressed by it's performance, certainly plenty of bang for the buck. I've ordered the Sonic cleaner based on your latest findings. Kudos to you for your efforts including the macro video, it looks like a lot of work. Y
Very much appreciate your efforts
A big thumbs up for you, your channel and the good things you bring to the community 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for the kind words
Good job. LAST is a product that will make your records sound better. I’ve only used their record preservative, since the early 80’s. Even a midfi setup.
I bought and used a kit in the 80s too - you could hear the difference:-)
I've been waiting for this review to drop since I first saw the OL kit appear in the background! Great review - I only wish I had £8000 for a turntable/arm/cartridge 😉😃
I have an original Ortofon sonic cleaner...brilliant bit of kit. If you can find one, get it .
Dont use that sticky putty..it eventually makes the stylus sticky and the dust gets worse....plenty of reviews confirming this.
Cheers for the heads up, I don’t like how much the putty is aggressive on the cantilever moving it a lot so yeah it’s not my first choice
I use a brush with little distilled water, works great, all I need
Makes sense why that could work
Enjoyed your testing and since I too use a Degritter to clean my records, I was especially interested in your discovery of a high static charge after drying. However, as it turns out, I have never put an LP into a new sleeve until I blasted it with an old film ionizing air gun made by Kinetronics in the USA (it is over 30 years old). It was designed to remove the static charge off film. The filtered air is produced by a tiny commercial air compressor and an air hose connects to the ionizing electronics (about a 4" cube in size). I just pull the trigger on what looks like a paint sprayer and out comes a 75psi blast of air that certainly blows anything off the record and after playing the record, I don't see any collection of dust on it. I then take the record and "spray" side 2 before playing it. I also use the DS Audio stylus cleaning "gel" and it works wonderfully. Since each LP gets 2 so-called "heavy" cleanings with the Degritter, I see almost zero residue collected by the gel off the stylus. Before I got the Degritter, I saw a lot! FYI, anti-static air guns of all types are on Amazon, with many in the $ 75 to $ 150 range. Does mine in fact remove static? I have no way of proving it other than I don't have a dust problem. It helps too, that I live in a cool Northern California coastal environment with a low "natural" static level (no shock when I touch things).
Thank you for doing this! Proof and tests are ALWAYS better than 'I always did it like this', isn't it? I do still think that Furutech thing is one of those curling stones and looks stupid, but it really does get results! Clearly I'm going to find the cheaper solutions for my turntable. Very cool to already know what to expect!
Yeah it is like a curling stone but that is likely because its shaped around the fan that is in it so it has the be that shape and its a very ergonomic shape to hold and move around which is why works so well I think
Great video. Thanks
ok, after almost 50 years using hifi products as my main hobby i've tried nearly everything over the years - sticky cleaners, Moth cleaning machines, all kinds of so called stylus and record cleaning methods, most of them do little no good and take your money, so here's what i use after a lifetime experience of using vinyl records. 1. stylus cleaning, AT607a cleaning fluid and brush, using AT cartridges nothing works better. 2. Milty zero stat gun, this works very well if you follow the instructions, use it FLAT on a table WELL AWAY from the turntable. 3. Record cleaning - the best system is the Knosti Disco Antistat record cleaning bath using VinylShelter cleaning fluid made in UK, also using a Tonar Wetgoat goat hair cleaning brush, the fluid also removes static from new records, even after they' ve dried! . These things really work, take my word for it and stop wasting money on machines, buy more records!
Here is the thing, if you use the Milty on a table the static is different to when you pick it up - so picking it up the static will go up a lot - so that is not the best method to use the Milty - I showed that in this video - hence the points about slightly changing our behaviour to get a better result.
There is also no way static is not there after wet cleaning and drying because any and all friction adds static to the record I showed that in the video. When you use a static tester which very few people seem to have done it shows you things differently - defo appreciate the comments here but I can see some issues in your application which is why I did all the testing
Also I proved how effective rhe Degritter is in my video under the microscope, its brought the dirtiest record you have ever seen almost back to new condition so lets not shun what proven to work really well ua-cam.com/video/kHH0YwhgWog/v-deo.html
"...stop wasting money on machines, buy more records!" - this is the way.
Great video 😁 use the flux cleaner about every 10 records as any fluid travels up the cantilever and can cause damage to critical parts, use a dry brush in-between, I brush everytime I turn a record 😁 flux also do a record hoover but not sure how good it is or if it works, I would give the people who build the flux a call and ask to borrow one, they will probably say yes as you gave the stylus cleaner a glowing review 😁
Terry, the best method I found to clean stylus tips and shank thoroughly is to use a wet cleaning system from 'Audio Technica'. They sell a small bottle (like a nail polish bottle) with a very fine soft brush suspended in the liquid. You remove the top with brush attached and clean the tip from back to front. It is extremely effective removing all debris build-up. It's alot cheaper than the Flux sonic cleaner you presented in the video. I got one free with an AT cartridge years ago and it's still going strong - highly recommended and doesn't cost a fortune.
I second that. Been using the AT liquid stylus cleaner for many many yrs. works like a treat.
I know some people may not like this old school method of keeping the lint and dust off the stylus. Old school dust buster from the 70's My space has a lot of lint and dust floating around so after a record or two without it I would have lint wrapped around the stylus. But with the dust buster it almost stops this from happening and has made the stylus cleaning much easier with just the brush and some light cleaning fluid. It worked back then and it still works now however I do understand some systems and tables may be so sensitive they might hear some noise from the dust buster brush riding on the LP. For me and my system / table I hear no noise. Good videos though keep them coming!!!
What a great video. The Destat makes the Zerostat seem prehistoric for me. It is so quick and easy and I can spend my time listening to music instead of being annoyed by that clicking. I make one run around the B side then the A side, and after playing the A side I zap the B again before playing. I never thought to use it while the record is spinning but that makes sense. I'm wondering how much static different platter materials can accumulate, as mine is acrylic. And hitting it again before putting it back in the sleeve is a great idea.
One thing I found with my Destat is that I try to use rechargeable NiMH batteries when possible, but if I do the green light turns orange. I guess it's because the NiMH are 1.2 V and the alkaline are 1.5 V, so I assume it isn't functioning correctly.
Anyway thanks for all the effort you put into this project.
Thanks
It would be interesting to analyze the ground wire of the turntable vs the static charge on the LP. Does a "better" cable reduce static or not? Thanks for this interesting video.
You've come a long way very quickly with vinyl very interesting.
something you could try best thing for cleaning your style is don't use at gel stuff it's not good leaves residue just a ball of Blu-Tack recommended by the cartridge manufacturers.
You could try a long stick fire later without the gas!! we'll do the same thing as anti static gun, interesting to know what the results would be? maybe you can tell me seems to work well for me.
You should naturally dry your records or play them damp and then dry them naturally in rack.
I wonder what it would be like using that static disc and suspending it just above the record while it's playing might be quite good worth trying it I'm curious because you get static when the needle is playing and that would get rid of the static.
It's good to see more vinyl reviews on your channel. The Flux HiFi cleaner is just too much cash for what it is. Have a look at the Hudson Hi-Fi UV Stylus Cleaner it works the same way as the FLUX but only costs $27.00 USD I have and I like what does and I have more money for records.
Someone else recommended similar cleaner to the hifi flux which looks identical to the one you recommended. So either it’s branded different in different countries or it’s being bought in from China and rebranded - either way if it’s doing a good job for you then great. I can’t say anything about a comparison but I really like what the flux is doing
Years ago, I had the Audio Technica ultrasonic stylus cleaner. Relatively cheap and extremely effective.
Thank you..That was very helpful..Did the originlive turntable have an anti static Matt on the platter.
It has a multi layer platter which maybe is designed to deal with some static but there was nothing added to the TT platter, I didn't add another mat, you don't need to with that platter as its integrated to it. Video about it coming out today
Will you be testing the DS Audio anti static product
Have you tried using an ionic hairdryer to remove static electricity?
I've had great results with the Thunderon antistatic brush. It would have been interesting to see your results from having tested it. I believe it works better than the Milty, which I used many decades ago.
I find that using he ortofon style cleaning brush with a drop of stylus cleaner works quite well.
I have a simple question
How does weather and time of year.
Effects static forced air heating , hot water ,and air conditioning ?
Great informative detailed review Terry.However , static numbers don't really mean very much when they are not related to sound quality , I would like to actually hear the difference in sound /interference on the same record with a zero reading and again with say a reading of 4. I use a brush and get zero static sound interference.
I am looking at it from a dust and dirt build up on the record point of view because that you can hear if gets too bad - if everything is clean is then we get the best sound from vinyl I think that can be agreed on.
I knew you'd like the Flux cleaner! There are other ultrasonic stylus cleaners around but, much like the Degritter, the frequency the Flux operates at is more effective than cheaper alternatives.
I think you're holding the Zerostat too close to the record, try holding it about 12"/30cm away from the record whilst holding it in your hand, should give better results.
I tried with the zerostat further away as well it was the same it’s always the same, the only way to make a difference with it is use it like how you use the destat and circle the record that gives you a lower reading to 0 in places. I couldn’t get 0 out of it any other way.
Thanks for the tip on the flux cleaner I couldn’t remember who suggested it as there has been so many comments on my vinyl videos but thanks again
@@PursuitPerfectSystem There's another method I've heard of that it would be interesting to hear if your tester gives any different readings - squeeze the trigger whilst pointed at the record, release is whilst pointed away. I guess you could try that with the centre and circling methods.
Are we going to see a review of your Origin Live turntable & arm soon?
I will give that a try and see what happens, I am struggling to see how that would work as the press of the trigger pushes positive ions out so not cancelling them with the negative phase surely will make the situation worse but I will test it. OL review should be out Sunday
Audio Technica did a sonic stylus cleaner in the mid 90's.
A cheap hairdryer does the same job and a very good paint brush for your black record with music on it
Check my video under the microscope you will see brushes have a limited effect I tested loads of them under a microscope ua-cam.com/video/kHH0YwhgWog/v-deo.html
You have the Degritter - beyond my budget, so I am using a basic Vevor ultrasound unit. How about a comparison? Less than£150.
The Degritter was a present to myself last year from a years grafting. I dont think I am the right person to compare the cleaners but never say never
Bought a zerostat back in 1980 for $21.00 Put the record on table and let'er spin while shooting with zerostat. Did a good job at killing the static but the album would always have twice the spark after playing for 20 minutes. In time I realized there is no point to using it unless you stop the music 2 or 3 times per side so you can keep shooting it.
It wasn't that - shooting the zerostat at the record while its playing is adding static so its making the situation worse I tested and showed that in the video - it explains your experience there as 20 minutes later the static would have dissipated some
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Indeed. We live and learn.
Thats the point its hard to know with something like static, which is why I jumped in with 2 feet otherwise it would have been bugging me and that makes me lack confidence talking about something, so I can't do my job like that.
You can buy a dynavox hfc-50 for under 40 euro’s. Much cheaper than the flux hifi sonic, but works exactly the same.
I didnt know that existed - yes it does look very similar just not a sexy to look at 😁
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I agree on the looks, but for that price I don’t care that much. This principle is very old. Audio Technica had their AT-637 in the past
Yeah I believe you, its all new to me otherwise I would have bought the cheap one as well and compared that too.
I have the Milty myself and I have had many problems with it clicking almost every time I pull the lever, no matter how slowly I pull it. It can be influenced by the air quality in your room. I notice you hold the gun much closer than you say in your video. Also, the problem with both positive and negative areas when moving the gun is simply because you need to have it still for both the pulling and letting go or it won't work. Hold it about 25-30 cm away from the record. You can do it in a triangle pattern (pull 3 times in three places) to cover the whole record. While the Furutech Destat is working well, it's way overpriced, as with all their products.
I tried the Milty further away and the result was slightly worse, defo no better hence why I was using it fairly close. Yes to get the best result would be about coverage and yes its tricky to get trigger not click. Given all that the Furutech makes your life far easier and does a better job. Therefore its hard to say its overpriced when there is nothing else better or as good that costs less.
I don't bother cleaning my cartridge stylus. I only do minimal cleaning if I hear a change in the sound quality. e.g. If a lot of lint collects on the stylus, the sound might get a bit muffled, so I see about getting rid of the lint. If I happen to see a lot of lint on the stylus before putting on a record, I may blow it off the stylus. I don't really feel totally comfortable using a liquid cleaner as I wonder if it will wick up along the stylus and cause degradation in other parts, reducing the life of the cartridge. I have a highly resolving $13,000 Lyra Atlas Lambda SL cartridge on a top spec Linn Sondek LP12 turnable, so would be able to easily tell if the sound quality drops. I do have a Furatech device to remove static. However, I rarely use that. I don't use a record brush. However, I have a Degritter ultrasonic cleaner that I clean the records once. I work through my entire collection of records rather than play an LP over and over again. As such, I may only end up playing a specific record once or twice a year. To me, it is about listening to the sound of the music to determine if some action needs to be taken. I don't see any value in adding hassle when I can't hear a difference.
That is exactly what I thought until I cleaned the stylus with the machine and that was enough to know its worth doing - but I get it your cart is very expensive so maybe you dont want to get it wet, I understand that too.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem It is my sense that the turntable itself may play a role. Turntable designers try to provide the best experience for a given cost. e.g. The static level dropping when you placed the record on the turntable was designed in. As such, the better the quality of the turntable (with arm and cartridge), the more aspects the turntable itself may try to deal with these issues.
I bought one after seeing this video. Because all new records are hopelessly static and using liquids to resolve this always give me some pops and clicks after cleaning. So I tried it this morning on a brand new and terrible static record. One on which my leather mat sticks trying to get it off the turntable. You know what I mean. After using your method it seems to work. No sticking mat. BUT. Then I brushed the record with a (anti static) brush from a well known brand. Result: ALL the static was back! A sticky mat included. Tried it several times. Repeating the whole process. Same results. Well … that is not helping at all. Have you tried this already?
I must add: already wet cleaned records did not add static after brushing the record.
Which product did you buy? Have you seen my other videos about cleaning records I look at the so called anti static behaviour of a lot of things including brushes, its very easy to add static back to a record. The best way is brush before you put it on the turntable then anti static with the destat or milty or dont brush it at all if you dont need to. See my other videos its all there
@@PursuitPerfectSystem thanks. It’s the ‘famous’ golden one from audioquest. But not using the brush at all (except first use) seems not right. There is always some dust after getting it out of the sleeve and putting it on the turntable. Seems obvious to brush it first? I bought the zerostat. And also as I mentioned brushing already cleaned records did not add any extra static. Only after using the zerostat.
Yes that dust can be just on the surface and not in the grooves and the audioquest brush only works well for the grooves, the surface its not brilliant. Yeah trying to keep dust off in and out of sleeves is another thing I am looking into - that is all static again vinyl kills ya brain doesnt it.
I use a gell cleaner after every lp side
I would never use liquid to clean the stylus.
@@user-ex1vc2vg2u what is a gell cleaner? Liquid so far is amazing to me
@@PursuitPerfectSystem maybe ge'll is the wrong description. it's the vinyl passion dust buster.
Many cartridge manufacturers advise against using liquid cleaners.
That’s the same as I showed in the video, if you read the other comments people feel they add sticky to the stylus and make the dust situation worse. That’s the biggest problem with vinyl. Everyone has a different and conflicting opinion, if I break a stylus with this liquid cleaner I will know that it’s true to be worried about it. These things needs testing properly and if everyone is scared to we find out nothing
The Zero Stat gun is a con it does nothing, I brought one years ago, it makes no difference to anything with static on it.However the Ultra Sonic cleaner does work, the difference in sound is day & night,
I have shown the Zerostat works using the tester, so it works its just not perfect, maybe you had a faulty unit
Yeah, you had a faulty unit. Mine works. Loads of videos of the zerostat 3 doing its thing.
Where's your Bergmann...?
Making way for me to spend some time with different tables to build up my experience.
The one product sounds like “Fuhrer tech”. The brand name sounds off putting.
It’s Japanese and I dare say the way it’s pronounced in Japanese would not sound like that. I also dare say the word has a deeper meaning as is often the case
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I expect the name is from the company's relationship with Furukawa Electric a large Japanese conglomerate. From Furutech's website (translated) "Furutech was founded in 1988. It started by selling Furukawa Electric's PCOCC (unidirectional single crystal high purity oxygen-free copper) cables". Furukawa is a Japanese family name literally meaning "old river". Y
Or you could spend a couple of quid on a melamine sponge and be amazed.
ALL TT’s draw off static from the record mate. It’s a physics thing not particular to yours at all. Probably why these antisat gizmo touts always do this test in hand. Lowering static to zero is just not necessary. Life is electric.😉
But the record has to start in your hand and it’s in your hand for a while and if you put it on the TT with high static on it that static doesn’t dissipate straight away so there is time for dust and debris in the air to stick to the record, I have had a record under a microscope in my earlier video and I could see the dust sticking to the record as I was was watching it’s crazy. I will admit I don’t think the problem is a big one but as we are dealing with such a sensitive system I think even very small problems are magnified at times.
"dust build-up" shows poor record preparation
Why buy even that when you could just buy CDs and play them?!
Why would anyone want to listen to CD's in 2024 - streaming gives a much better experience. Vinyl is about having a different experience. By choosing to listen to CD your making a choice for a lack of convenience just the same in a different package.
I still buy cds and i think its because i like to have it in my hands, open it up and place it on the tray, and it belongs to me. Also i think its far more superior than streaming because it gives you 16bit/44.1KHz and thats all you need. @@PursuitPerfectSystem
Vinyl is not worth the hassle in my opinion.
It feels like that and can be frustrating until you get a system thats balanced just right for it and then vinyl sounds awesome and that makes it worth all the hassle to get there.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I don't like the hassle so don't clean my cartridge (unless it makes a difference to what I hear). However, I find vinyl from the 70s and 80s totally outclasses streaming digital from that timeframe. My streamer, including cables, is about $10,000 (does not include DAC). My turntable, phonostage, and cables is at the $50,000 level. ie. I have a very resolving system for both vinyl and streaming so the difference in sound quality is quite obvious.
@@matthewbarrow3727 I don't stream cds and sacd only. Plus they take up less space.
"brand-new" records need to be cleaned
I have made 3 videos about this going into extreme detail under a microscope and more. Maybe check them out
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I agree. I don't buy many brand new LPs, as I try to pick up original 1st pressings from the '60s. I have to say that new LPs are typically in a really shocking state from dust & paper sleeve junk & that's even before you consider the static that's on them. Micheal Fremer has done quite a few pressing plant tour videos & he quite right states that these plants are simply factories that have loads of dust in them & are not "clean rooms".