Improving the sound of vinyl

.. If my mate would ever get round to bringing back my LP12.

Are you lookin’ at this old pal?

Mr Tibbs

I have to say that my advice presumes ownership of a record player.

Alex

Alex, how much is the gritty machine? I have one of those chepo anti stat jobs but it has no sucky bit, always useful.

I bought mine s/h from shahreza - thanks again - I think a basic model would be $300 - don't know who imports.

Believe me, this thing works miracles (cleans better than the Loricraft expensive thing I think but makes quite a racket).

As in other areas of life, gary, its the quality of suck that is important.

Alex

Indeed, now that I think of it I think he offered to sell it to me but I forgot.

As in other areas of life its important not to forget your sucking facilities.

I will allow you to bring it over, you can fix my bloody system whilst you are here ;-)

You know that funny line that goes through Watford; are you north or south of it?

Alex

Not sure about the NittyGritty, but KAB who do a simpler, cheaper version under license, and also sell distribute NittyGritty apparently have a UK outlet:

DIGITAL RECORDING Services
68 HIGH STREET
SHEPPERTON
MIDDLESEX
TW17 9AU
UK

01932 225242

KAB's web site is:
KAB USA

It's my intention, next year, to get one of the KAB cleaners, which is the same as the NittyGritty, but uses a domestic vacuum cleaner to create the suction the clean the records - obviously the liquid is filtered out before it reaches the vacuum,

Chris L

I am not sure I follow you Alex, unless you are referring to the A41, in which case South, I am in the Bushey Area.

I'm a southener - I don't go north of Watford. But you're south, so, yes, sure, any time you like . . .

Alex

Hi all:

I second Alex's remarks on the Nitty Gritty. I have a 1.5FI (fluid injection!) and although being noisy it does a great job.

I've dealt with KAB on a couple of occasions and their service is excellent. The fella here in the states is Kevin. KAB also supply (from stock) most parts and consumables for the NGs such as new pads and rubber drive capstans.

FWIW, new pads made a big difference to the performance of my 2nd hand unit.

Best Regards,
Mark Dunnó

quote:

---

You know that funny line that goes through Watford; are you north or south of it?

---

I think that's the other Watford.

(But I'm happy to be corrected.)

Paul

Alex you don't mean the gap do you?

I had a washer up to come to my unit one day as my porter was sick. he turned up at 4 in the after noon instead of the 7.30 am agreed time. he had got buses and trains to watford gap and did not understand why he had been asked to travel so far.

I am about I would guess 15-20 miles from central London as the crow flies. If you get on the M1 at brent cross/wembly you will hit Watford in around 15 minutes. on a quiet day of course. If you get a train to Euston and then to bushy on the fast one it takes 20 minutes.

Oh Shit!

Alex,

I take it you are trying to break it to me gently that the Lp12 doesn’t belong to me anymore, possession being nine tenths of the law and all that guff?

Oh well, most of my records went the same way, so a wee Dansette would do me rightly now anyway.

Mr Tibbs

Not one bit concerned about his minging grooves.

Mr Tibbs
Clean Grooves

IMHO Mana is great under an LP12 but didn't work under my current CLearaudio turntable - something to do with its metal feet in contact with the glass- it sounds edgy and nervous on Mana, a wooden shelf is much better.

The record cleaning machine, when properly used, provides a much more tangible improvement than at least the Phase 7 or 8 I reached under my LP12 - but of course this depends largely upon how dirty the records were to begin with...

TC '..'
"Girl, you thought he was a man, but he was a Muffin..."

Mr Tibbs

I've had a Nitty Gritty for at least 18 years. It is killer. You really get the sensation that your groves are CLEAN after listening to and feeling that vacuum pull the crap out of the record groves.
Never even had to replace the "fingers" over the vacuum aperature. Been through a couple of gallons of the cleaning fluid too!
David

I do not own a record cleaner - and I can't help wondering how you manage to get your records dirty in the first place???

I take mine out of the sleeve, place them on the turntable, put the needle in the groove, close the lid.

I then play the record, maybe play "side 2" then replace the record in it's sleeve. The discs sound and look pretty clean and any dust seems to be swept aside by the needle.

No fuids to clog everything up, no fabrics to introduce static - just play 'em and enjoy 'em.

OK, if you lent a record to someone who spread their breakfast marmalade all over it, then get is cleaned professionally.

What exactly are you doing to your records guys????

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

Second-hand lps?

Mr. Tibbs:

My mum still has that very same Dansette up in her loft! On the old forum I once desribed how I'd gotten into music by saving that player from destruction by bin diving and fixing it after my old man threw it out. I must dig it out the next time I'm home.

Oh happy days.

Best Regards,
Mark Dunnn

quote:

---

I do not own a record cleaner - and I can't help wondering how you manage to get your records dirty in the first place???

---

Try a cleaned record with one of these machines and you'll understand.
David

quote:

---

Try a cleaned record with one of these machines and you'll understand.

---

Quite. My records are not dirty to look at; we are talking largely invisible dirt. Even a new record should be thoroughly cleaned to remove all that shitty release agent.

The improvement is difficult to quantify in Mana levels or cartridge upgrades but the point is its massive and in all the right places - the music flows, times and grooves (ha-ha) better and the noise floor drops a long way. The final, tiny vestige of superiority that CD had over vinyl, ie low noise (but not low noise floor), has now been blown away.

Alex

PS Gary, send me an email if you'd like me to come over - it might be good to get Dev along too (he works not far from you), he's rather good at getting SBLs to sound good. . .

LPs and CDs are dirty when new, and both benefit from a good wash.

I've used a Nitty Gritty for twelve years. Best sound improvement for the money I've ever spent.

OK, Point taken......

"Borrow" a professional disc washer.....

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......