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It has been nearly 20-years since I’ve used a record brush. My Thorens TD-126 contains a Thorens dust-bug, which rides on the record and collects the dust as the record plays. However, I have a new SOTA Millennia, which I must say is an awesome turntable and a definite improvement over the Thorens, but it doesn’t contain a dust bug and there doesn’t seem to be a convenient way to attach one. Consequently, I find myself needing a record brush to dust off the records before play.What do you guys recommend?
Follow Ups:
i like the audioquest one best.
Hello John,i hardly use a record brush, i have a dustbug (Transrotor Plattenbesen) running since eons with best results. But the one i am using is no longer made by Transrotor. I could make you a copy if you pester me enough. Point is: the dust-bug's brush has to have its tracking force minimized so that it just keeps the track. With too much TF, "skating" pulls the brush spindle-wards too fast.
I use my Hitachi electric rotating carbon fibre brush or my Nagaoka rolling cleaner to clean my platter but not my records. My records hardly ever see a record brush. If needed, i use a record washing machine like you do.
Greets,
Bernhard
just forgot to mention:
use Nagaoka antistatic inner sleeves and say goodbye to static pops and noise. Just for the case you didn't know.
In my experience, for light dusting just prior to or right after playing an lp, the Pledge Grab-It (blue package) works better than any brush I've used (Audioquest/hunt) and the cloth DOES NOT contain anything in it whatsoever.I would not recommend this for very dirty lps.
I use the Grabit before and after rubbing the disk lightly in spots with a soft cotton cloth. The combination removes not only dust, but fingerprints as well. This is what I do before playing a record that is new to my collection.One or two records have arrived in very poor condition. I use Clorox concentratrd bleach undiluted (painted onto the record with a dedicated brush) and rinse it off with filtered water which is soft enough not to leave any deposits. and then I let the record air dry. If one treatment dose not work, two or three will. I have extracted amazing detail from old vinyl using this method.
The Bleach is not to be used on early pre Gruv guard records. I experimented with a couple expendable disks and found that they soften up and start hissing. The slightly later, more flexible vinyl cleans up beautifully.
right now, it's been the Hunt, but I think that the Decca is just fine too.
This is part of a response I received from the Disc Dr. re the use of his cleaning system. The quoted portion pertains to JE's questions:"Please make sure that you have a carbon fiber brush available for use
before and after each playback (as described in the pamphlet which
accompanies all order or can be mailed or emailed upon request, also
available at our web site). A CFB previously used on less than thoroughly
cleaned records can be regenerated by soaking the 1/4 to 3/8" of the tips
overnight in the full strength fluid followed by several rinses with
distilled water. If available, periodic use of a ZeroStat-type device will
keep the brush at maximum efficiency. We offer the Audioquest carbon fiber
brush, discounted to $13.50. We do not recommend the current versions of
the Hunt or Decca brushes as they are less efficient & contain additional
synthetic bristles
which can scratch some vinyl formulations when applied dry."
Use one exclusively on records you've cleaned using his system both before, and especially after playing, (after you've knocked the remaining particles free.)And then a second carbon fiber brush to be used on dirty records.
I have yet to be as disciplined as the good doctor would like...
It looks like I have to make a choice between the Hunt and the Audioquest. Perhaps I’ll just buy both.Thanks again for the input.
to supplement your VPI 17.I also used canned air to blow the dirt off the record after I use the brush. But I'm just strange.
I think there is good logic to Larry I's comments.
For my self, I'm too cheap to lay out for a vacuum machine.....yet, but find a combination of Disc Doctor regimen ...and...the Audioquest brush keeps the surface noise to a minimum. The Audioquest brush does reduce static on a record when that is present. It will also pick up the surface lint and dust acquired from the sleeve. For a deeper cleaning, distilled water and one of the disc doctor brushes will do substantial good in a matter of a few minutes. For me this is practical because counter tops and a kitchen sink with dish rack is near by. For deeper cleaning still, the full disc doctor regimen will do the best possible cleaning by hand I've seen. Amazing how shiny the record is after one of these sessions.Just my 2c.
Let me know when it's time for a System's Gallery photo.
Hi Steve,Yes, of course, Larry is right. I just need a brush to lightly dust the records before play. Presently, I’m using a can of Enviro-Duster, but it sometimes doesn’t remove all the specks. I keep my records very clean with my VPI-17 and I always replace the inner sleeve after running them through the record-cleaning machine.
I’ll be taking pictures in the very near future. This Millennia is absolutely awesome. Of course, the SME V is beautiful, too. Now, I don’t know if the Dynavector XV-1 is the best sounding cartridge in the world, but it certainly is one of the best looking, IMO. I’ll get some pictures to you very soon. I’m just amazed at the musicality of this new system.
Forget about a brush. Those things tend to just push the dirt around, and, because friction is inevitable, create a static charge. Get a decent cleaning machine like a Nitty Gritty or VPI. The expense is negligible, given that you have made a very substantial investment in the SOTA system.
Hi Larry,Brad is correct. Actually I’ve had the VPI-17 for only about ten years but I had a Nitty Gritty before that. Yes, I agree with you; however, I only clean my records when necessary and then I replace them in their inner sleeve. I just need a brush to lightly dust them off so the stylus doesn’t pick up so much crud during play. I really liked the Thorens dust-bug because it kept the stylus free of debris. Perhaps I’ll try to incorporate something like it on my Millennia.
By the way, congratulations on the upgrade to the SOTA. I recently went from a VPI HW-19 IV/Graham 1.5t to a Debut V (vacuum) and Vector arm. I was expecting an improvement, but I was really surprised at the magnituded of the difference. I suspect that the Millenium is similar since they are both heavy, well-damped suspended designs.
Hi Larry,You definitely have a topnotch record player. I considered the Basis Debut V, but I discovered the SOTA, which was less expensive and appeared to be very nice in the pictures. Yes, it is a very noticeable improvement over my old Thorens TD-126. Of course, I also have a new tonearm (SME V) and cartridge (DV XV-1) of equivalent quality, so the improvement is substantial.
Surprisingly, the Millennia does not incorporate a suspended design in the sense that it has a spring suspension. It sits on several rubber (Sorbothane) washers inside the posts and it is quite solid compared to what I though it would be. However, it seems to work beautifully and it sounds better than anything I’ve ever heard in my system. I’m just glad that I built a special stand because I think it benefits from a solid platform.
Fortunately, I just moved into a new house that is constructed on a concrete slab, so my living room floor is concrete underneath the carpet. I built an oak table that sits on cones to couple it to the concrete. Then I placed a layer of Sorbothane on the tabletop with an addition marble top on the Sorbothane. It is very solid and stable.
Hi,> > >
Forget about a brush. Those things tend to just push the dirt around, and, because friction is inevitable, create a static charge. Get a decent cleaning machine like a Nitty Gritty or VPI.
> > >If you read a post that John made earlier today, you'd see how he's had a VPI-17 for nearly 17 years.
Have a great day,
Brad
I have both a Hunt EDA and an Audioquest. The Hunt has two rows of carbon fibers with a 7/8 inch wide piece of felt between the rows. If the record has lots of stuff on it I'll use the Hunt. For a record that just has minimal or very light dust I'll use the Audioquest.
I have to echo the rec for the Audioquest - no substitutes (see D. Dr. for rationale).
I got mine from the Disk Doctor, but I'm sure lots of people carry it.
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