RECORD DOCTOR VI RECORD CLEANING MACHINE

IT’S EASY to dismiss the recent resurgence of interest in vinyl records as a youth-driven phenomenon, with millennials embracing vinyl more for its hipness factor than for the great sound that it can deliver. But in the course of my day job setting up and maintaining high-end turntables, I’m finding that much of the rekindled attention is actually coming from my fellow Boomers and Gen-xers. Some of us never stopped playing our records. Others, it seems, simply stashed theirs in the basement decades ago when CDS seemed so convenient and are just now pulling them out to appreciate all over again.

Vinyl enthusiasts know that cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to their records. So how do we deal with all the accumulated gunk resulting from decades of storage? Another problem is not having a clue where those mucky used records snapped up from record shops, garage sales, and thrift stores have been. Heck, even brand-new records can benefit from a good cleaning to banish the gritty debris that floats around in pressing plants and often ends up on the vinyl.

WET OR DRY?

Record cleaning methods can be split into two basic categories: wet and dry. In the latter category are cleaning tools like brushes and pads, with dry brushes in particular doing a decent job to remove loose surface dust and leftover weed particles from that crazy frat house party 40 years ago. Wet cleaning systems, meanwhile, use a liquid to release and suspend the muck, which is then removed using some kind of vacuum system. For removing more stubborn grime like fingerprints, mold from damp storage, and even pressing plant residue, there’s no beating a good wet cleaning system.

SPLISH, SPLASH

Wet cleaners, too, can be split into a few distinct categories. At the most basic level there are hand-turned bath-type devices like the Spin Clean that sell for around $100. These do a good job of cleaning the grooves and suspending the dirt in a cleaning solution, but because they don’t vacuum away the solution, some of the dirt will inevitably settle back into the grooves as the record air-dries. At the other end of the spectrum are what are known as cavitation machines such as the German-made Audio Desk. These are astonishingly good at cleaning records, but at an average cost of a few thousand dollars, they are hard to justify for all but the most committed vinylphiles. Taking up the middle ground are vacuum-type cleaners such as the Record Doctor VI under review here that typically range in price from a few hundred up to a few thousand bucks. These saturate a record with cleaning solution and then use a brush to scrub the dirt out of the grooves, suspending it in the solution. Next, a vacuum system sucks the dirty fluid away, leaving the record clean and dry.

SUCK IT UP

While there are numerous ways to vacuum a record dry, the most popular method uses a slot that sits under the wet rotating LP and sucks the dirty fluid into a catch tank inside the machine. Fresh fluid is used to clean each record, and once you’ve completed a couple dozen LPS, you simply drain the collected dirty fluid out of the machine.

All slot-type cleaners I know of do an excellent job and are roughly equivalent when it

comes to their cleaning ability, but there are big differences in how automated the cleaning process is with each machine. Some use a motor to turn the record and a pump to apply cleaning fluid, while a few even clean both sides of a record at the same time. At $300, the Record Doctor VI is pretty much the most affordable slot vacuum record cleaner on the market, but you don’t get any of these fancy fripperies and virtually everything is done manually.

CALL THE DOCTOR

Operating the shoebox-shaped Record Doctor VI couldn’t be more simple. A spindle and record label-sized rubber pad that you sit the record on is located on its top surface. Under the pad is a small metal roller bearing so the record can spin as you rotate it using a second pad called the record turner. Both pads have grippy rubber surfaces that sandwich the label area of the record; these let you get a good grip to turn the record as you brush the fluid on. The vacuum slot is aligned radially under the record and stretches across the entire playing area from the label to the outside edge. A pair of replaceable velvet strips running along either side of the slot create a semi-seal for the vacuum and act as cushions so the hard-plastic slot doesn’t damage grooves in the record.

There have been earlier versions of the Record Doctor, and as of this writing the Record Doctor V remains available for $100 less than this new version. The two machines are very similar, with a larger record turner and a quieter, cooler-running vacuum motor representing the key upgrades for the new Record Doctor VI. Although I haven’t used the

V, If the VI is quieter, then the earlier version must be pretty deafening, because I would seriously consider earplugs to be an essential accessory for any extended Record Doctor VI cleaning session.

Fit and finish is quite good considering the Record Doctor VI’S fairly modest asking price. My review sample came with a black brushed aluminum top panel and carbon fiber-effect cladding on the sides, but high gloss black is another no-cost option if you want a somewhat more formal look.

MR. CLEAN

To use the Record Doctor VI, you place a record on top of the lower pad, then hold it in place with the record turner pad sandwiching the LP. A line of the provided cleaning fluid is then dribbled in a radius across the playing area, which

you spread around the record by turning it under the supplied brush. Record Doctor says you should rotate the record two to three times to ensure proper coverage and allow the fluid to penetrate all of the embedded muck in the grooves. Once the record has been scrubbed, you flip it over, switch on the vacuum, and rotate the disc another three or four times while the dirty fluid is sucked up, leaving a dry surface. Repeat the process for side two and you’re done.

According to Record Doctor, unlike earlier versions, the new Mk VI runs cool enough so you can clean records continuously, although you should take a break to drain the dirty fluid catch tank after every 20-25

LPS. To do this, you simply hold the machine over a sink and pull the drain stopper on the bottom of the tank to release the waste fluid.

I was able to get excellent results with the Record Doctor VI even with its fully manual, hands-on approach. Records that were plagued with fingerprints and other dirt came out looking shiny and bright, and surface noise was substantially diminished in listening tests while the clarity of the music itself was enhanced. Of course, cleaning can’t repair scratches or fix existing groove damage, so caring for your records remains important.

In the course of cleaning a bunch of records, I discovered a few techniques to more efficiently use the Record Doctor. First, if you keep the brush over the vacuum slot area while turning the record under it, the slot will provide support, making your brushing more effective. (In some ways, the Record Doctor’s lack of automation can be a benefit, as it lets you focus extra attention on areas of the record that are especially grungy.) I also found it useful to brush any leftover debris from the velvet strips with a toothbrush after cleaning a side, as this keeps them clean for the next side. The velvet strips do eventually become worn out, but replacing them is easy and inexpensive. For my review I used the supplied brush and cleaning solution, but there’s opportunity for further experimentation in this area, with a host of third-party cleaning formulations and brushes available. Some vinyl collectors also like to mix up their own home brew solutions, with plenty of suggested concoctions available online.

CONCLUSION

The Record Doctor VI represents the entry level into the upper echelon of record cleaning, doing an excellent, if somewhat noisy and operatorintensive, job of scrubbing your vinyl. It’s just the thing to take care of your latest thrift store finds, or an uncle’s longforgotten classic jazz collection that you discovered in the attic.