VPI HW 17i Record Cleaning Mac vs ClearAudio Smart Matrix Professional Record Cleaner

[1KW]

Trying to decide on a record cleaning machine . The VPI 17 is supposed to offer automatic fluid dispensing and scrubbing and then you vacum. Anyone have either of these ? Comments appreciated.

[mbovaird]

Originally Posted by 1KW

Trying to decide on a record cleaning machine . The VPI 17 is supposed to offer automatic fluid dispensing and scrubbing and then you vacum. Anyone have either of these ? Comments appreciated.

Have you ruled out the Audio Desk?

[1KW]

Originally Posted by mbovaird

Have you ruled out the Audio Desk?

Not looking to invest that much in a record cleaner

[Removed]

Originally Posted by 1KW

Trying to decide on a record cleaning machine . The VPI 17 is supposed to offer automatic fluid dispensing and scrubbing and then you vacum. Anyone have either of these ? Comments appreciated.

Don't waste your money on machines with fluid dispensing.....if your using cleaning fluids with Enzymes and many are today they will loose there effectiveness in less than a day if exsposed to the enviroment......your paying a fair amount of money for that feature, doesn't make the machine clean any better. Another thing is you end up wasting fluids because now you need to guess how much to fill the dispenser for the amount of LP's you going to clean....just as easy to sqirt fluid on the LP as it is to push a button and fill the dispenser! and with the built in scrub brushes.....they scrub at a constint pressure, you have no control how much pressure to apply, sometimes you need more and times you need less....another waste of money on a gimmick feature.....

[mbovaird]

Originally Posted by 1KW

Not looking to invest that much in a record cleaner

It is pricey - but oh so worth it IMO.

[1KW]

Thanks Jeff makes sense . Which cleaner do you recommend ?

[Josquin des Prez]

I bought an Okki Nokki for $500 in summer of 2011 and have been using it since. It works great in conjunction with the AIVS fluids. I have two sets of brushes and vacuum tubes. One for the cleaning fluids and one for the pure water rinse.

[Removed]

In the $500-$600 budget VPI 16.5 or the Okki Nokki.....if you want a better built machine, quieter the CA matrix $1500 and if you want to step it up from there look at the HannL Micro $2525 this is what I use.....a few are into the Audio Desk, buggy machine....will see after people have them awhile if there dumping a bunch of money into them just to keep them running.....I know a few that have had issues with them.

[MyPal]

Yes I had an initial malfunction with the Audio Desk after 200 washes, but now is stronger than ever. I push this unit hard. There is no other product out there that is completely automated & can wash so many records in an hour. And what a superb job it does! Show me otherwise...

[1KW]

I brought a record I could not get clean with the spin clean to soundstagedirect today to take Seth up on his offer to demo his record cleaning machine. While he sells expensive record cleaning machines he says you really don't need anything better than the VPI 16.5 and some good cleaning solutions. I gave him a 1979 Supertramp album called Breakfast in America. I could not get the crackles and pops out of with my spin clean. First Seth cleaned the record with mofi super deep cleaner and then with mofi super record wash. It took about 2 minutes to ie 1 minute with each solution with a vacuum inbetween. We then placed the album on his VPI turntable hooked up to a Luxman integrated amp. with pmc speakers. There were one or two pops at the very begining as the stylus found the grooves and then no more crackles and pops. As this was one of my worst sounding albums I was sold and bought the same thing with 2 packages (100) of mo fi master sleeves. I was going to get the VPI 17 but he talked me out of it . I came home and took out a Beatles Abbey Road album that always sounded lousy on the Here Comes the Sun track due to some releasing compound that I could never clean out of the grooves. I assume it was releasing compound because it sounded bad from day 1 brand new but I could not be bothered to exchange the album since I have more than 1 copy. I performed the above procedure on this album and now the song Here Comes the Sun sounds perfect like it should.