Record DoctorVI High-Performance Vinyl Record Washing Cleaning Machine (Carbon Fiber)

I have been busy cleaning up old records after having got a rebuilt Bang &Olufsen 8002 tangential tracking turntable, with the $1,000 B&O replacement cartridge . I am frankly surprised at just how much the cleaning improves sound quality. It gets rid of tons of clicks, pops and click/hiss (i.e. a sort of continuous clicking I have on one old record I recently bought. And you notice the lack of gunk on your stylus after playing, which may have something to do with a general increase in clarity which I did not expect. Many passages, usually loud or high frequency based, which previously sounded as if the vinyl was worn, now play cleanly. As for the build quality, mine looks excellent, I see no signs of cheap construction that one reviewer dwelt on. Possibly he had a bad or used unit. The only real operating part is the vacuum. It is loud but not requiring ear plugs and is somewhat quieter than my floor vacuum machine. I anticipated not liking having to turn the disc by hand, but it is easy to do and allows you to locate and concentrate on brushing specific record locations which may have spills or other visible gunk, so in some ways that is a more useful feature than an automatic disc spinner. I am no Luddite but it is true that some lp's sound better than their cd replacements. I am thinking right now of my September album by Frank Sinatra. The CD messes up the ambience, making the sound harsh. The lp is much more mellow and listenable. Overall, I am thrilled by the Record Doctor and am now looking for more old lp's to purchase.

You've possibly noticed an essay some guy wrote on this machine. Won't compete with that. But it is important to know that this machine cleans records well but does not repair damage. All records are damaged to some degree because of the extreme heat generated by the stylus; the hot, soft vinyl expands and contracts leaving permanent cracks, and dust will leave divots in the impressionable surface. Use LAST record preservative to reduce this heat -- it serves as a kind of lubricant (for lack of a better word). But all records pop and crackle.For you newcomers, a cleaning machine is just one element in a larger equation. You have to keep the stylus clean and replace it every few years... Records are a lot of work. But if it's worth it to you (as it is to me), this machine -- small and convenient -- is a terrific device. I particularly like the fact that it's all manual. Mechanical things break.I've used a variety of liquid solutions for vacuuming records over the years. Distilled water with a little iso-alcohol works just fine (but carful with alcohol, as it softens vinyl). I'm occasionally using Boundless record fluid. Works fine. A friend of mine is diluting Record Doctor fluid with distilled water or using distilled water with a touch of isopropyl alcohol and couple drops of Foto Flow (a film developing agent) and says it works great. Best to carefully research it yourself. But you do have some inexpensive options.

Is it a bit pricey? Yes.Does it do a fantastic job cleaning records? Absolutely!In my opinion it is worth every penny. I've had new vinyl releases as well as records dating back to 1970. The Record Doctor VI cleaned them all incredibly well. Minimal to no hissing and popping. Those that still had those issues I cleaned again and they were just fine. I've cleaned over 125 LP's with this and have had to clean only three of them more than once. After that second cleaning they sounded perfect!Where it really impressed me is I purchased a few jukebox 45's from 1996 and 1997. One of them had an area towards the end of the song where the needle "stuck". Manual cleaning helped a little bit with the sound but not with that area. One cleaning with the Record Doctor and not only did it sound wonderful but the 45 played through with no more issues!The one downside is this machine is LOUD! I wear earplugs when cleaning records as I am going through my collection to start them all on a nice clean slate when they get played. I normally clean between 7 and 10 LP's per day. Almost done! :)After cleaning I also place them in nice new protective sleeves as to minimize the dust/paper from older record sleeves.Without a doubt I would highly recommend this Record Doctor VI cleaner as it does the job and it does it undeniably well. You won't be disappointed if you make this purchase to protect your vinyl.