Hi folks,

I have a collection of about 50 LPs from the 1970s and 1980s which I
would like to transcribe to CD-R. Most of them are in surprisingly good nick
but a few of them - despite my best efforts with isopropyl-based solutions -
stubbornly continue to exhibit more pops and clicks than a Geiger counter in
a microwave oven. So I was thinking about buying a Record Cleaning Machine
for both the "difficult" disks and the ones that are OK but would
undoubtedly still benefit from a proper cleansing job. So I would really
appreciate some advice here...

The VPI machines seem to get good write-ups but I understand they can
literally deafen you if you stand next to them... that would certainly be no
good for me (well, actually, my neighbours!). The "Matrix" range from
ClearAudio is said to be "quiet" but I understand it's actually almost as
noisy as the VPIs. Other than its price, the Loricraft PRC3 seems ideal,
though I note its even more expensive brother, the PRC4, offers
bi-directional cleaning. Is it worth lashing out the extra for this?...

Some machines can clean both sides of the record at the same time but
I'm not terribly bothered about that. Indeed the amount of time needed to
clean just one side is of no matter to me, whether it takes one minute or
ten.

Perhaps a basic "Nitty Gritty" machine would suit me - though, as I say,
anything that's overwhelmingly noisy is not an option.

At the moment either of tehe Loricraft machines seem to offer the best
service. Yes, I know they're very expensive but I guess once I've doen my
own collection, I could start up my own little cleaning service to offset
the cost!

Of course the best thing for me to do is to see some of these machines
demonstrated... but I don't know of dealers here in the North West of
England who sell them....? Alternatively are there any little companies that
offer their own record cleaning service?

Many thanks in advance for any advice!

--

Cheers,

Dave Matthews

'New Avengers' and 'Professionals' sites at:
http://www.mark-1.co.uk