Topic: Ugly Audio Room

[carlbeck]

I figure my room has to be the most ghetto out there so to prove it I should post pics. Here is my office system spinning some JJ Cale today. Fortunately my wife doesn't come down here at all so I can hopefully have new sheetrock hung by the next century.

I also figured I would show off my home made record cleaning machine. It consists of a shop vac in the bottom hooked up to a VPI HW wand, I gutted an old turntable & bolted the platter in place. I clean every record before I play it for the first time. After it has been played it goes into a poly lined jacket & will only be brushed before playing again. With this set up there is no excuse for dirty vinyl, takes 2 minutes & cleans perfectly.

[thegreatgumbino]

Nice.  +T

Help us less informed out & tell us what components you have there.

[carlbeck]

The system is:

Thorens TD125 turntable with a Linn Basik LV-X arm with silver wire & Ortofon OM10 cart- I can't even describe how nice this sounds, beats my old VPI HW MKII table. Has built in speed control, heavy isolated plinth & weighs about 35 lbs. Will be replacing the Ortofon with a Denon 160 cart in a few weeks. The deck is older than me, made in the 60's, one of their finest ever made next to the 124.

Cambridge Audio 640p phono pre-amp- Will be replaced in less than a week by a Musical Surroundings Phonemena

Homegrown Audio Silver Lace cables-Silver cables to add some detail

Denon 3800 universal player- Very nice universal, I was pleasantly surprised honestly, bass is a little exagersted but works well in this system, not as natural as the Onkyo it replaced but is almost 1/3 the cost.

McIntosh 6450 integrated amp, 100 wpc- My first MAC, gotta say sounds very nice & I love the blue lights, could use a little more oomph sometimes.

Monster HTS 3500 power conditioner- Just flat out works & is cheap

B&W CDM1 SE speakers- Never had a pair of B&W's but I like them, close to the 805's but not quite.

Zu Cables Wax shotgun speaker cables-Another reasonably priced cable that compares to my AZ Satori's.

Overall, the system is pretty nice, does everything I need it to do in this room. Is it perfect? Nope, it is close to what my main system was but is still missing a little pixie dust somewhere to get it perfect I guess, for now I am just enjoying it 

[cshepherd]

Carl,
That's a stylie record cleaning machine.  Big Props for that.  The Loricraft is next on our list.  We just ordered a bunch of MoFi sleeves for the cleaned records and picked up a new brush too.

Chris

[carlbeck]

Clean vinyl is happy vinyl! It was super easy to make, I bought the cabinet at Wal Mart & added to it. Keeps everything at the right height, no excuses not to use it. I am going through poly liners like you read about though.

PS - I also forgot to note my home made sand isolation box underneath my table. Simple to make & works very well.

[bhtoque]

Hey Carl,

What you going to do with the old phono pre??

My AR XA should be back from Audio Pro next week, and I'm looking for one.

JAson

[carlbeck]

Like everything else in my life (including Nick) it is for sale, drop me a line & we can work out a deal.

[som]

This is your scaled-down playback system, right? 

Looks pretty sweet to me!

Great idea on the record cleaner, too! I would love to hear more of the how-to details and/or see more pics!

[bhtoque]

Like everything else in my life (including Nick) it is for sale, drop me a line & we can work out a deal.

You can only rent Nick out for a few hours. We all know you only have him as a sublet from Sarah.

I'll give you a call about the amp.

JAson

[cshepherd]

We were shopping for record cleaning machines at CES.  The Loricraft / Monk design was an easy choice.  I love how a piece of thread keeps the cleaning arm at exactly the right distance from the groove for maximum velocity. It was a great demonstration.  The record was spotless and we were practically drooling on ourselves.  Our dealer discount is only 10%.  The deal is, we get it...and our customers get it.

Chris

Oh btw, Freelunch...we're going to pick up a Squeezebox 3 later this spring and check it out.  Thanks for the conversation on that last month.

[carlbeck]

This is your scaled-down playback system, right? 

Looks pretty sweet to me!

Great idea on the record cleaner, too! I would love to hear more of the how-to details and/or see more pics!

Yes, this is my scaled down system to replace my main system but it still sounds pretty good. Anyway, as far as the record cleaner is concerned, it is a must IMO for vinyl playback. It is a real simple concept & there are a few articles on the web where I stole the idea from but I will go over it step by step at this point. If you have any vinyl you can build one for $100-200, I splurged on this one a little but still worth every penny & works as good if not better than the commercial machines. I clean every record before I play them for the first time then I put them in a poly lined sleeve for future enjoyment. Since they have been cleaned when I take them out all I need to do is use my carbon brush & they are good to go. Vacuuming will remove most if not all the surface noise most find offensive. I also clean my stylus every few hours of play, in other words a few times a night or day & when I am done for the day.

So I started with a basic microwave cart & modded it to fit the vac. I shortened the top drawer so I could route the hose behind it to the top of the cart. This allows me to close the drawer but still use it for storage of all my trinkets, stylus gauge, cleaner, etc. The vac sits on the floor of the cart with a hole cut in the side so the cord can run out the side & be plugged in. I am in the process of installing a toggle switch on the side of the cabinet so I do not have to open the door & turn the vac on. Lazy I know but hey, it's my baby, might as well pimp my RCM. For now I open the door & turn the vac on when I need it via the switch on the vac.

I then purchased a cleaner wand from a VPI HW 16 record cleaning machine. This was a definite splurge, you can easily make one using the nozzle of the shop vac but I wanted it to be easy so I would use it without scratching records. I mount the shop vac hose underneath the top of the cart to the wand. I used a hole saw to drill the hole so the wand could be screwed in. The wand is removable for easy cleaning or replacement of the felt pads.

Next I bought the cheapest table I could find on E-Bay for parts & stole the platter & bearing assy. of of it. I then drilled the hole large enough to mount the bearing flush into the top of the cart. From there the platter just slides on the spindle & it rotates freely. Again, you can use a wooden lazy susan to save even more money but I wanted something nice that would last. You could also make it motorized, I may in the future but for now I like being able to spin the platter by hand.

Finally I clean stuff with it. It is at the perfect height for me to work with & I make sure I can see what I am doing when I use it. There are plenty of choices for cleaning chemicals but I keep it simple. I use RRL Super Vinyl Wash on every record & scrub it in with a Nitty Gritty bristle brush. I like this because it is a one step process & not a real heavy cleaner. For nasty jobs I have the RRL Super Deep Clean but that requires a rinse afterwards with the Super Vinyl Wash anyway. So to keep it simple most records require one step of the SVW & a vacuum, quick & simple! I scrub the record then vac it off & it is ready to go, 2 minutes flat for both sides. There you go, simple easy happy clean vinyl 

[carlbeck]

Here it is in use with a record on it. I turn it by moving the platter not the record. Wonder what I will be listening to after dinner?

[som]

Very cool....+T!

All I use is a dry brush and a liquid stylus cleaner/brush. I've eyed some of the more expensive record cleaners, but find it hard to justify the cost. This looks like a great DIY solution. Considering that much of my vinyl dates back to when I was 13 (I'm 47 now), it could probably stand some thorough cleaning. Hadn't though of the special sleeves for cleaned records, either....easy to keep track of what's been cleaned!

Oh yeah....enjoy The Band!

[cshepherd]

+T's for all the turntable and vinyl love.

Chris

[carlbeck]

Sort of. I used a microwave cart, an old turntable platter with the bearing, new shop vaccum & a VPi cleaning wand. Works slick & is a quarter of the cost of the vpi cleaning machine.

[carlbeck]

Yep there you go. Its the best money you can spend on analog & its wife friendly.

[terrapinj]

any particular brand or solution to look for?

i've got 350+ old albums in need of cleaning

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

Yep, an adapted vacuum cleaner is a solid idea

I recommend the Fishman 2000.

It sucks, but thats it's job.

[Tim]

Yep, an adapted vacuum cleaner is a solid idea

I recommend the Fishman 2000.

It sucks, but thats it's job.

[carlbeck]

Mikey, I use the Record Research Labs products as well as Last Enzyme cleaner for the nasty moldy stuff. Here is a good starter kit for a great price:

http://www.elusivedisc.com/prodinfo.asp?number=RCLEAN1

What I do is clean every record before I play it the first time, new or used. I use either the super vinyl wash on new stuff or the super deep clean & then the vinyl wash on used stuff. If it is really nasty I use the enzyme cleaner then the super & finally the wash. After I clean the record I put it in a plastic lined sleeve so I know it is clean, then from there I just brush everything before I play it while its on the table. Honestly it takes a ton of effort at first but if you keep up on it once everything is done (which I still haven't done!) it is a bot easier to maintain. You would be shocked to hear the difference between a properly cleaned record & one that isn't, there are almost zero pops & clicks. My father was amazed when he heard my analog system vs. his, complete black backgrounds with no pops. Even if the record is new trust me it needs to be cleaned, most of the vinyl comes out like crap from the mold. Build a cleaner set up like mine, it is cheap & actually kind of fun.

[terrapinj]

Mikey, I use the Record Research Labs products as well as Last Enzyme cleaner for the nasty moldy stuff. Here is a good starter kit for a great price:

http://www.elusivedisc.com/prodinfo.asp?number=RCLEAN1

What I do is clean every record before I play it the first time, new or used. I use either the super vinyl wash on new stuff or the super deep clean & then the vinyl wash on used stuff. If it is really nasty I use the enzyme cleaner then the super & finally the wash. After I clean the record I put it in a plastic lined sleeve so I know it is clean, then from there I just brush everything before I play it while its on the table. Honestly it takes a ton of effort at first but if you keep up on it once everything is done (which I still haven't done!) it is a bot easier to maintain. You would be shocked to hear the difference between a properly cleaned record & one that isn't, there are almost zero pops & clicks. My father was amazed when he heard my analog system vs. his, complete black backgrounds with no pops. Even if the record is new trust me it needs to be cleaned, most of the vinyl comes out like crap from the mold. Build a cleaner set up like mine, it is cheap & actually kind of fun.

awesome thanks Carl!

i have access to a vaccuum system locally but want to get my own solution to use - not looking forward to all the cleaning but anxious to hear all this vinyl thats been sitting around for 20 years in my folks garage

[carlbeck]

Don't forget plastic lined sleeves! No sense cleaning & using those crappy paper sleeves again.

[carlbeck]

Moke I got it from music direct I think. Check the link I left for mikey, they have it listed as well. It was about $70 & I thought it really gave my unit a nice finished look as well as the best cleaning over the typical DYI vacuum nozle hack jobs I have seen.

[carlbeck]

I thought about leaving it motorized but sometimes I need to scrub the records & that means turning it back & forth.

[Nick's Picks]

I thought about leaving it motorized but sometimes I need to scrub the records & that means turning it back & forth and I dont want to have to bust a move quite that often as i'm very white and look like a donkey..

fixed that for you buddy.

[Nick's Picks]

http://www.musicdirect.com/category/26?brandFilter=&sort=&category_id=26&start=75
oh, and that too

[carlbeck]

Looking like a donkey is fine but your wife loves that I am hung like a donkey!

[carlbeck]

Carl,
Is this the part that you have?
http://www.musicdirect.com/product/82881

thanks!

Yep, thats the one.

[Nick's Picks]

now I get it.
finally, i understand all those jack-ass comments she constantly makes.

[carlbeck]

Was it jackass or jackhammer? 

[carlbeck]

It does pivot but I don't know if it will work. There is a retainer pin that you can grind out. Let me check mine when I get home. 

[Nick's Picks]

Way to go Mike for bustin' out that ol Victrola!
the rockin' shoes are in the closet, btw.

[carlbeck]

Wow that is an awesome piece for sure!

[Sanjay]

"Crank Up That Old Victrola, Break Out Your Rockin' Shoes..."

[flipp]

not too obvious, maybe too punish though

Carl, need a dust cover for that Thorens?

[BC]

I've already named it. 
The Vactrola.

too obvious?

nice!
 

[carlbeck]

not too obvious, maybe too punish though

Carl, need a dust cover for that Thorens?

Thank you but I already have one for mine.

[Tim]

That is freaking sweet!

[Gutbucket]

I've already named it. 
The Vactrola.

too obvious?

I love it, now you just need to modify the logo to have the dog licking the record instead of listening to the horn!