Post by Bigman80 on Sept 29, 2020 13:39:41 GMT
To E³ or not E³ ?.....that really is the question, as i have spent around 3 hours cleaning and listening to vinyl which has been cleaned by the plethora of RCM fluids i have at my disposal. All in the name of research.
A little while back now, i was sent a small bottle of Analogue Alchemist's "E³" record cleaning solution, but i never got to try it. I had so much other stuff on the agenda that by the time i was ready to go for it, there was a new batch available with an updated and improved recipe. Simon offered to send me another sample of the new finalised fluid, and i accepted. This time fully prepared and intent of giving my vinyl a thorough working over with it.
As i approached the task this morning, i did wonder how to be fair to all the cleaning fluids. Some for instance don't mention rinsing off the LP once it has been cleaned. Others want you to do this, so i went for the method advised by Analogue Alchemist (AA-E³ from now on) and applied it to every fluid unless they specifically stated not to rinse off.
So the candidates:
1) The ONE record cleaning solution
2) Unbranded fluid
3) E³ fluid
4) My personal blend of fluid.
As ever, my Okki Nokki will be used.
I decided to pick 4 LP's that were desperately in need of a good clean. They sound like they are on fire when they are being played, so this was going to be a tough test for all involved.
I then had a brain wave.....I would clean side A of all four with AA-E³, and side B with the other solutions. Perfect.
All four LP's cleaned, dry and ready to go, i went for side A of LP 1: Eric Clapton - Unplugged.
So Prior to cleaning, i gave this a listen and if you imagine yourself sat in front of a fire, with slightly damp wood, that will give you some indication of how noisy this LP is. It's one of the most played LP's i own. It's been well used.
With the needle in the groove, i sat down to listen before the track started. Immediately i am hearing clicks and pops. Less than before but there are still a fair few. Lp condition is to blame here.
As the guitars start to play, i am struck by the fact there is zest....or some kind of verve that wasn't present before. Almost like the Vinyl was newer and less worn. The background noise was quieter, giving the Music a "hanging in the air" type of feel. Reminiscent of when Simon brought his Paradise phonostage here. I must admit, my first reaction was "bull Sh#t"
I was totally imagining it. I had to be. Either that or the wife had slipped some magic mushrooms into my lovingly prepared cup of tea.
I lept up, and flipped the LP over. This side was cleaned by the unbranded stuff.
"Well, isn't that interesting" I say to myself.......The groove noise was clearly louder, the clicks and pops were still audible, but the verve and zest had completely gone. Obviously this must be a causal effect, as i play side 2 the most. I trot off to the kitchen and clean side 2 with the AA-E3. Drop it back on the TT and there it was....this new lease of life that i had heard on side one, was now on side 2!
I was a little sceptical still, so i moved on to LP2: SRV - Double Trouble
Side two was cleaned with my DIY fluid.
I played side 2 first. Groove noise was practically none existant, the LP looked really gleaming and deep black in colour and the sound quality was far better than precleaned. "I have cracked it with my fluid" i thought to myself quite smuggly.
Then i played side A....................bollocks.
The AA-E3 had somehow cleaned a bit deeper? The restorative effect it had on the previous LP was pretty much identical here too. This LP was not as dirty prior to a clean, but it was dirty enough to qualify. I went back to the kitchen and cleaned side 2 with the AA-E³ and whilst the difference was nowhere near as profound as i had experienced with the first LP, it still pipped the DIY fluid IMO.
This is pretty much how it played out against every RCM fluid i have here. So rather than bore every one with a blow by blow account, i thought i would talk about the fluid and it's effect it has had on my vinyl, and my wallet.
The AA-E³ has breathed new life into the few LP's i cleaned with it today. Some are now pop and click free for the majority, whereas the EC- Unplugged still has pops and clicks but far more pep and zest to the sound, like its a newer, less worn LP. This happened on everything i cleaned with it and without fail. The stylus seems to make less noise as it travels through the grooves and the reduction in background noise from this is pretty fantastic. As we know, noise masks all the little details in your playback and i have to say the AA-E³ has not been subtle in demonstrating it's worth to me.
The big selling point (i suppose) is the lack of isopropyl in the recipe. Now, i realise that not using isopropyl, or using it is a topic all to itself but if i am being honest, i felt somewhat more at ease knowing i wasn't using isopropyl on my vinyl.
As i say, there may or may not be a valid reason to not use ANY Alcohol, but i have not done any research, asked any experts or even given it a thought before today. I just felt that way and thats all i am saying.
The other thing that stood out to me was the finish on the surface of the vinyl. It wasn't as glossy, or shiny as it is after being cleaned by any of the other RCM fluids i tried. The cheaper unbranded stuff left the surface looking like it had been laquered. I was a bit surprised by this and initially i thought it was cleaner because of how glossy it looked, however under closer scrutiny, i could see way more of the whispy marks left on the surface of the vinyl with the AA-E3. With the listening, and everything i have described here, it certainly looks to me like that gloss or sheen is a bit of a smokescreen. If it looks clean, it is clean sort of thing.
I decided to do a 5th LP…..
Side A followed the guidelines for cleaning, Side B Did not. So, basically I did not rinse off the record after cleaning.
I genuinely did not think this would make one iota of difference. It did. It was clearly quieter in the groove after the rinse with water.
This has become very clear in my mind now, that I have possibly not been cleaning my records well enough for some time.
So, to the wallet......
No, i haven't bought any.....yet. This was a free sample and Simon knows that if i was to find it to be less than ideal, i would say so. It's very brave to send anything to me these days, and as the number of people that are willing to let me try their stuff dwindles, i'd just like to say thank you for letting me try it out. Truth is, it's a great product. It works. Not only did it work, it made an improvement to my sound quality. The sound i get as a whole is now better than it was before i used the fluid.
To me, that makes this fluid a no brainer.
So what's the wallet got to do with it?
Well, i was so sad that after washing my Eric Clapton Original pressing 3 times with the AA-E3 and still feel like i am listening to wild fire, i had to replace it. Such is my confidence in the AA-E3's ability to clean a record, i thought "if that cant save it, what can?"
A friend of mine has an ultrasonic cleaner, so i may pilfer another small bottle off Simon to try there and see what happens with the EC album, as an update in the future. I would like to know how it does in the Ultrasonic bath as I plan to make this my next addition to the cleaning regimen.
Do yourselves a favour and grab a little bottle of this stuff to try. It's not going to empty your wallet to try it, and it may make a notable difference to your listing.
That's exactly what it's done here, and It's going to be a permanent part of my cleaning kit from now on.
Big thanks to Simon for the free sample and well done!
A little while back now, i was sent a small bottle of Analogue Alchemist's "E³" record cleaning solution, but i never got to try it. I had so much other stuff on the agenda that by the time i was ready to go for it, there was a new batch available with an updated and improved recipe. Simon offered to send me another sample of the new finalised fluid, and i accepted. This time fully prepared and intent of giving my vinyl a thorough working over with it.
As i approached the task this morning, i did wonder how to be fair to all the cleaning fluids. Some for instance don't mention rinsing off the LP once it has been cleaned. Others want you to do this, so i went for the method advised by Analogue Alchemist (AA-E³ from now on) and applied it to every fluid unless they specifically stated not to rinse off.
So the candidates:
1) The ONE record cleaning solution
2) Unbranded fluid
3) E³ fluid
4) My personal blend of fluid.
As ever, my Okki Nokki will be used.
I decided to pick 4 LP's that were desperately in need of a good clean. They sound like they are on fire when they are being played, so this was going to be a tough test for all involved.
I then had a brain wave.....I would clean side A of all four with AA-E³, and side B with the other solutions. Perfect.
All four LP's cleaned, dry and ready to go, i went for side A of LP 1: Eric Clapton - Unplugged.
So Prior to cleaning, i gave this a listen and if you imagine yourself sat in front of a fire, with slightly damp wood, that will give you some indication of how noisy this LP is. It's one of the most played LP's i own. It's been well used.
With the needle in the groove, i sat down to listen before the track started. Immediately i am hearing clicks and pops. Less than before but there are still a fair few. Lp condition is to blame here.
As the guitars start to play, i am struck by the fact there is zest....or some kind of verve that wasn't present before. Almost like the Vinyl was newer and less worn. The background noise was quieter, giving the Music a "hanging in the air" type of feel. Reminiscent of when Simon brought his Paradise phonostage here. I must admit, my first reaction was "bull Sh#t"
I was totally imagining it. I had to be. Either that or the wife had slipped some magic mushrooms into my lovingly prepared cup of tea.
I lept up, and flipped the LP over. This side was cleaned by the unbranded stuff.
"Well, isn't that interesting" I say to myself.......The groove noise was clearly louder, the clicks and pops were still audible, but the verve and zest had completely gone. Obviously this must be a causal effect, as i play side 2 the most. I trot off to the kitchen and clean side 2 with the AA-E3. Drop it back on the TT and there it was....this new lease of life that i had heard on side one, was now on side 2!
I was a little sceptical still, so i moved on to LP2: SRV - Double Trouble
Side two was cleaned with my DIY fluid.
I played side 2 first. Groove noise was practically none existant, the LP looked really gleaming and deep black in colour and the sound quality was far better than precleaned. "I have cracked it with my fluid" i thought to myself quite smuggly.
Then i played side A....................bollocks.
The AA-E3 had somehow cleaned a bit deeper? The restorative effect it had on the previous LP was pretty much identical here too. This LP was not as dirty prior to a clean, but it was dirty enough to qualify. I went back to the kitchen and cleaned side 2 with the AA-E³ and whilst the difference was nowhere near as profound as i had experienced with the first LP, it still pipped the DIY fluid IMO.
This is pretty much how it played out against every RCM fluid i have here. So rather than bore every one with a blow by blow account, i thought i would talk about the fluid and it's effect it has had on my vinyl, and my wallet.
The AA-E³ has breathed new life into the few LP's i cleaned with it today. Some are now pop and click free for the majority, whereas the EC- Unplugged still has pops and clicks but far more pep and zest to the sound, like its a newer, less worn LP. This happened on everything i cleaned with it and without fail. The stylus seems to make less noise as it travels through the grooves and the reduction in background noise from this is pretty fantastic. As we know, noise masks all the little details in your playback and i have to say the AA-E³ has not been subtle in demonstrating it's worth to me.
The big selling point (i suppose) is the lack of isopropyl in the recipe. Now, i realise that not using isopropyl, or using it is a topic all to itself but if i am being honest, i felt somewhat more at ease knowing i wasn't using isopropyl on my vinyl.
As i say, there may or may not be a valid reason to not use ANY Alcohol, but i have not done any research, asked any experts or even given it a thought before today. I just felt that way and thats all i am saying.
The other thing that stood out to me was the finish on the surface of the vinyl. It wasn't as glossy, or shiny as it is after being cleaned by any of the other RCM fluids i tried. The cheaper unbranded stuff left the surface looking like it had been laquered. I was a bit surprised by this and initially i thought it was cleaner because of how glossy it looked, however under closer scrutiny, i could see way more of the whispy marks left on the surface of the vinyl with the AA-E3. With the listening, and everything i have described here, it certainly looks to me like that gloss or sheen is a bit of a smokescreen. If it looks clean, it is clean sort of thing.
I decided to do a 5th LP…..
Side A followed the guidelines for cleaning, Side B Did not. So, basically I did not rinse off the record after cleaning.
I genuinely did not think this would make one iota of difference. It did. It was clearly quieter in the groove after the rinse with water.
This has become very clear in my mind now, that I have possibly not been cleaning my records well enough for some time.
So, to the wallet......
No, i haven't bought any.....yet. This was a free sample and Simon knows that if i was to find it to be less than ideal, i would say so. It's very brave to send anything to me these days, and as the number of people that are willing to let me try their stuff dwindles, i'd just like to say thank you for letting me try it out. Truth is, it's a great product. It works. Not only did it work, it made an improvement to my sound quality. The sound i get as a whole is now better than it was before i used the fluid.
To me, that makes this fluid a no brainer.
So what's the wallet got to do with it?
Well, i was so sad that after washing my Eric Clapton Original pressing 3 times with the AA-E3 and still feel like i am listening to wild fire, i had to replace it. Such is my confidence in the AA-E3's ability to clean a record, i thought "if that cant save it, what can?"
A friend of mine has an ultrasonic cleaner, so i may pilfer another small bottle off Simon to try there and see what happens with the EC album, as an update in the future. I would like to know how it does in the Ultrasonic bath as I plan to make this my next addition to the cleaning regimen.
Do yourselves a favour and grab a little bottle of this stuff to try. It's not going to empty your wallet to try it, and it may make a notable difference to your listing.
That's exactly what it's done here, and It's going to be a permanent part of my cleaning kit from now on.
Big thanks to Simon for the free sample and well done!
