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(More customer reviews)If you are one of a few that is actually reading this review, that means you are into audio far more than your average bear and probably have a good size investment in equipment and vinyl.
After a long hiatus from the audio scene, I've just rejoined the ranks (speaker surrounds and cone material gave out well over a decade ago). When I began reconstructing my new audio system early this year, I was very concerned about my old record collection. As you may be aware, vinyl is making a small comeback. There is something irresistible about a good vinyl pressing that a surprising number of audiophiles are beginning to discover (or rediscover).
I don't have a large vinyl collection, but if I did a head count, it would be over 200 LPs (probably the minimum requirement for a cleaning machine). Within my collection there are quite a few albums that are irreplaceable, and several without a CD counterpart to turn to. So one of the more important items on my list was to see how well my collection stood the test of time and what needed replacement, if I could even find a replacement. It wasn't long before I realized I may be in trouble. Even if the records were fairly clear of scratches and pops, many had lost life (less clarity and presence). That led me to record cleaning machines and this review.
I'm sure everyone reading this knows that dust and minute dirt particles (which are attracted to the record by static electricity) can destroy vinyl. Once your stylus hits these particles, minute explosions can occur which will gouge out tiny chunks of vinyl in the record groove, and if bad enough, wreak havoc with that expensive stylus as it tries to negotiate these roadblocks and potholes. In the old days I used the Diskwasher solution, but I was never happy with the results. Thus, I began taking my favorite records to the Hi-Fi store where they would be professionally cleaned (for a price). If memory serves me, that cleaning machine was a Keith Monk design, so I began searching online for that brand or something similar.
The only machine I found that was based on the Monk design also comes from England, and it's the Loricraft. Monk and Loricraft probably make the finest record cleaning machines in the world (they are essentially identical designs). They are also very expensive. Starting prices are about 2-1/2 grand for the Loricraft and my record collection doesn't warrant such an expense. If yours does, then I wouldn't hesitate to purchase either brand. After crossing Monk and Loricraft off my list, I looked at both the VPI and NittyGritty brands (and a couple of others, which were priced in the ionosphere). Both the VPI and NittyGritty looked like they would do admirable jobs, but both are noisy machines because of the vacuum (take a look and listen on youtube), but so are almost all of the others (although Monk and especially the Loricraft are significantly quieter).
So why the VPI? In all honesty, it came down to price (and I wasn't thrilled with the capstan design of the NittyGritty). I wanted to go as cheaply as possible just in case all the hype was just that. This is the least expensive quality machine I could find, and if one does a bit of research there are deals to be had (either in price and/or accessories). Yeah, the VPI 16.5 is big and bulky and the pictures don't flatter it by any means. I was actually relieved when I unpackaged it. Turns out it is not a bad looking unit at all and it fit nicely in the space I had available. It came with clear instructions, a bottle of cleaning fluid and a good cleaning brush, and I began washing my records within 10 minutes. So is it worth the price? Or is it just another audiophile extravagance?
I had my answer after cleaning the first 3 records. The first record I cleaned was in fair shape, but with the usual ticks, snaps, crackles and pops (I sound like a Rice Crispy's commercial) in many parts of the record. Much worse than that, there wasn't a lot of life in the recording. I can best describe the sound as dull or muted. Luckily, I found a new sealed version of the album online, so it wasn't going to matter much if the VPI helped my old copy or failed, since the new record had arrived just a few days before I received the VPI. However, it was going to be a good test and something I could do a quick A-B comparison with. The other two albums I cleaned were in good condition, but both were a bit noisy in spots (one had a small damaged section with two very severe pops) and both albums lacked clarity. I had searched the internet for weeks to find unused, sealed versions of these two albums, but to no avail. So my hope now rested with the VPI. Here are the results after the cleaning session:
Record one still has some ticks, snaps, crackles and pops but these areas didn't sound nearly as annoying as before, and it actually cleaned up quite a few of the troubled areas. An even bigger surprise came when I instantly heard life coming from this fairly dead recording. Highs sparkled, midranges were smooth and had depth like they should, while the bass was solid. After casual listening (no need for critical listening), I knew I wasted money, but not on the machine. I wasted money on the replacement album. It was THAT big of a difference.
As far as the other two records were concerned, I encountered the same astonishing results. Honestly, these two albums sounded like brand new pressings. I couldn't believe it. They had very few ticks and snaps. The damaged section on the one record was still there of course, but not nearly as disturbing (perhaps it sucked up a loose chunk of vinyl?). And the sound was clear and full of life. To tell you the truth, I was both shocked and thrilled. I simply wasn't prepared for such a dramatic change. I guess some of the hype isn't hype at all.
From the above two paragraphs, my answer to the "worth the price" questions is an obvious yes, but with a caveat (as I'll explain in the final note). And no, I did not get these startling results on every album I cleaned. A few were so badly damaged and/or scratched that nothing short of a replacement will help. Others were in very good to excellent condition to begin with (I did try to be careful most of the time in the old days). But for records that have been somewhat neglected or never thoroughly cleaned, the improvement is readily noticeable, even surprising, especially in the restored clarity and presence. However, I've never found any album that was totally free of ticks and snaps after I cleaned them (but I didn't expect to).
As far as rating the VPI 16.5 is concerned, I think a 7 out of 10 is in order (or a marginal 4-star rating). As I've stated above, there are grander cleaning machines available (even from VPI) if one can afford them, but for the price the 16.5 is pretty much impossible to beat. There is real value here. The VPI 16.5 does what it advertises and does it very well indeed. And it seems to be built like a tank. What's most important is that I am extremely pleased with the results. But alas, nothing is perfect and neither is the 16.5.
One irritation is the size of the record clamp that screws on the spindle and holds your record fast to the cork turntable pad. Ideally, one would like this to cover the entire paper label to keep it from getting wet (strange why they claim it does in the technical details on the Amazon ad). The clamp for the 16.5 has a very small diameter, so one needs to be careful not to spill or brush cleaning solution onto the label. One also needs to be careful when screwing the plastic clamp down (it needs to be tight, but don't force it) as the spindle's metal threads can damage the internal threads of the clamp over time.
The biggest problem I see is the truly idiotic way one must drain the spent cleaning solution. One must tip this unit at an angle (the instructions say ... get this ... "approximately 10 degrees" ... uh, okay). Once tipped, the hose needs to be unclamped to drain the dirty solution. Sounds like a two-person job to me. And people living in a desert area like myself (SoCal) won't be able to drain it because it will evaporate within minutes ... meaning there will be a residue build up from the dirty solution, which will need to be flushed out periodically. That makes for a very poor and unbelievably lazy design choice as far as I'm concerned, and that is the reason I knocked off one full star (I guess a simple slide out tray was too much to ask).
Other than the above complaints (one minor, one not so minor), I have no further issues and would certainly recommend this unit (or almost any reasonably designed record cleaning machine) if one has a good-sized library of vinyl music they want to protect and get the most out of. A thorough cleaning will prevent further damage from occurring, take care of a surprising amount of ticks and snaps, and bring back the sparkle and clarity to many of your records, even some that you may have given up hope.
Note 1: Many people would rather not spread the cleaner or work the solution into the grooves with a brush and prefer the type of machine that does this for you (a machine with a second arm with a cleaning pad/brush that pumps the solution and applies it evenly over the width of the record). Personally, I prefer to do it myself and feel a pump is just another part that can go wrong or would need periodic replacement. If you prefer the former, both the VPI 17 and the VPI Typhoon HW27 have this capability (as do many, if not most, other machines in the industry).
Note 2: This is not a machine that can clean records all day long, one after another. Trying to do that will overheat it quickly and it will automatically shut off. While VPI certainly...Read more›
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