Loricraft Record Cleaning Machines

[@deeg8849]

I hear it turns lacquers to dust even quicker. Couldn’t resist. Cheers Michael. Hope you appreciate the humour

[@leonardosullivan963]

Great video. After much consideration regarding RCM’s I decided to purchase the PRC6I and did so yesterday from Loricraft in the UK. This is my first ever RCM of any kind so l’m excited about receiving it and beginning the task of cleaning.

[@Xenu20]

I used to own a Keith Monks RCA Oak finish machine that failed to work properly almost from day one. I had 10 years of agony, upset and frustration with this awful machine. Getting support proved more difficult than one could imagine. I finally got the threadless upgrade free for all the trouble and got it the hell out of my house forever. sold to China. Good luck I say. I at once bought a Loricraft PRC4i from SME direct who now own and manufacture the brand. Well I cannot praise SME enough. This machine is bloody incredible. It works and works and works, just like the SME V arm I have. This is what you get when you pay for English manufacture from REAL Engineers who care. The build quality and finish is what I have come to expect from SME. they are one of the finest quality manufacturers left in the UK. They survived the Thatcher manufacturing destroyer, the survived Blair and Browns tax revolution, the EU and they will God willing, survive the latest brain Truss we have to endure.

[@louisgreen3915]

First you put the liquid on then wipe it round the vinyl litely before you switch on the pump and start button. This way will not have any splashed liquid at all. I've done over 1000 records with this thing and found it out through many trial and errors. Plus you do around 2cm in before you lift up the arm and reverse the direction to put the tip of the arm down from the centre outwards.

[@ianmedium]

That record looked much cleaner than many you have shown which have been used on other machines. When I was much younger I worked part time at the Beeb in the archives and remember being show how to use the Keith Monks machine, it was a lot noisier than this and very heavy but it was very very effective and cleaning and removing a lot of surface noise! On a side note as I’m sure you will get the usual comments, I find it always refreshing to see your real world, dust and clutter listening room, it feels more real to me than some pristine lab like environment one sees in many high end listening rooms so please never change it! Oh, and can you tell us more about the Gillian Welch box set, I’m a big fan of her music! All the best from Austria.

[@mortlach186]

From someone who grew up cleaning there Lp's on a Keith Monk machine starting in the '70s, I have used early Spin Clean type devices, home vacuum systems, and an Audio desk and KLAUDIO (built like a tank), the Degritter simply shines above and beyond everything else that I have ever used. The way it cleans, the simplicity of use, no expensive parts replacement, the reliability, hell , it even tells you when it needs assistance, how can you not love it? But okay, I understand a lot of audio-centric people complain about the price so my next favorite is a simple Knosti Disco Antistat record cleaner but they're not the easiest to find and use. What I have done is take the brushes from a Knosti ( $10-$20.00 on Amazon), and modified them to fit a Spin Clean machine which frankly is a lot easier to use, and now you have the best of what both machines offer. It's those brushes that make the Knosti a better cleaner than the Spin Clean pads ( I wish I could put a photo up of the modified Spin Clean brushes). Honestly, I really don't care much for everything in between.

[@NickP333]

I think I can hear the string picking up the information in the grooves, just sped way up. The satanic messages obviously come through when you clean it backwards. Seriously though, I’ve always been intrigued by string RCMs. The record looks extremely clean too. Thanks, Michael.

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

it does slightly

[@ptbfrch]

How does a record sound before / after? Be useful to know how it does compared to other vacuum machines, as well as cavitation machines. Great demo video! I liked somebody else's suggestion to wipe the liquid on while the platter isn't moving. That could also allow it to soak in without centripetal forces.

[@LS-ti6jo]

Does the type of string used make a difference, say Egyptian cotton vs string imported from China? And does the color of the string make a difference? Perhaps Analog Planet could do a side by side string comparison?

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

it's an excellent design and performance with the Loricraft.

[@TheAioros261176]

Hi, how are you doing? Great video and sense of humor, love it! I just wstched your video on the ProJect VCS vacuum machine, very funny and entertaining. I got an issue when using a vacuum to to clean my records. When I play a record after cleaning it, the styli always gets full of junk/fibers. How can I avoid that? Thanks

[@LyndonSoulGroove]

Wonderfull, recently cleaned some records, amazingly heard better stereo imaging, also some compilation lp's by Ronco records even sound better when cleaned & these records have grooves more tightly packed together..

[@iamjezuzchrist]

Miss you, Michael. Hope you've been well!

[@polypetalous]

Record sure looked clean.. but does it really “get in there” and clean grooves? Crazy… string…thanks for sharing

[@DismasM]

Someone will correct me but the fluid and brush are what 'scrub' the grooves. The vacuum is to suck up the spent fluid and gunk. The thread is to provide a very slight gap so the vacuum doesn't stick itself to the record surface. Similar to a regular vacuum RCM. I used to buy used records from a shop (back in the early 80s) that had a Keith Monks and would let you clean your purchases for $1 each on their machine. I don't know any shops that do it now. I've always been a big believer in RCMs. I use a Okki Nokki now, which is just fine for what I need.

[@polypetalous]

@@DismasM ohhhhhhhh….thanks for the explanation, makes sense… though guess it kinda makes it more if a record “drying machine.” Interesting all the same.

[@dasbakon]

@@DismasM there's an amazing record store in Ottawa, Canada called The Record Centre that allows you to clean your records on their VPI for a dollar a record, and all the proceeds go to the local food bank. It would be nice if all businesses had something like this to benefit their community.

[@DismasM]

@@dasbakon Charity. That's an even better idea.

[@robertyoung1777]

I have the original prc4. It’s great, so I figure this new version is as well. It’s a slow process but because the machine is quiet. Cleaning records can be relaxing for the user. Follow the directions and it works very well.

[@dizzy6745]

What is the arm made of? My Loricraft has a brass arm. Have they moved to plastic?

[@JohnJohn-lk4lq]

Good question, I noticed that too

[@UKPhython]

Still brass, just sprayed black now.

[@jonathanlake6053]

@@UKPhython Makes sense, as mine has become tarnished over the many years of use. I noticed the guy did not follow Loricraft cleaning instructions correctly though.

[@GeoffT650]

I had one of these not the same model, but a prc3, nicely made machine. Unfortunately I found that although it left the record very clean, it also left very light scratches, which may or may not effect playback. So I sold mine on. Tell tale sign was very light marks in the run out area. So bear that in mind.

[@wilo1955]

how can it scratch the record it does not touch it

[@GeoffT650]

@@wilo1955 hi there, so the experience that I had with the one I had, was that although the nylon ball, at the end of the arm doesn’t touch the record, the nylon string does, and what would happen is the suction would pull the arm down hard enough to allow the nylon cord to leave very small marks on the record surface. Also if the record wasn’t entirely flat, it would cause the arm to momentarily loose suction and create a slight skipping motion. I only noticed it as I looked at the run out groove, and you could then clearly see it. So if it’s doing it there logic tells me it’s probably doing it on the playing surface as well.

[@theqrm]

How did it sound afterwards Michael?

[@thegrimyeaper]

You might wanna put your phone on mute before recording, All your videos are full of dings.

[@SubTroppo]

On starting to buy records at the age of fourteen (1970) in the UK I puzzled about how the Beeb managed to keep its records sounding so good. I suppose I should have written the BBC a letter to find out, but at that time I had other, more pressing (ahem) interests and mysteries to solve. I wonder whether anyone could enlighten us with the specific instructions produced by such institutions as the Beeb for the care of records. For some reason in those days the BBC seemed to think that by showing the technology behind production, the "magic" would be destroyed, so the less said about supporting technology the better.

[@ecyfoto]

The Loricraft seems like a deal compared to some cavitation machines and far less complicated. There’s something very appealing about the Loricraft that makes the Degritter come off as rather sterile and toaster like. I doubt you’d hear much difference in either’s results. So Michael, which actually is better as far as your ears can perceive, string or cavitation?

[@Licoricedisc]

The Loricraft is a more capable cleaning machine over Ultrasonic, especially dirty records. I have both a Keith Monks Gemini (dual platter) machine very similar to the Loricraft and a Degritter ultrasonic cleaner. When cleaning a record, I clean first with the Keith Monks, then a final clean using the Degritter.

[@Finn-McCool]

thanx 4 phoning it in, after all there are better things you could be doing right ? 😁Why wouldn't we want to pay an extra 500 dollars for a slightly taller version. So in-depth this review. amazing.

[@AnalogPlanet]

The real review is in Stereophile. The KZbin video is for the low rent wankers who complain about everything.

[@Finn-McCool]

@@AnalogPlanet Please, KZbin videos are for self aggrandized navel gazing. It's not a service it's a soapbox. For both content providers and commenters. I cannot get enough of your coverage of the high end shows and the manufacturing facilities. As much as I enjoy sharing my opinion of the sales tactics employed in order to move such merchandise into the hands of the desperate, lonely, over-treated fortresses of solitude they prepare as shrines to unbridled comfort spending. I appreciate the breadth and depth of the engineering prowess that men will cling to as superior. -✌🏼

[@kwd-kwd]

@@AnalogPlanet hello mike, I watch you tube cause it's nice to see a product in action, I will read your review in Stereophile, but please understand I am neither a wanker or low rent, many audiophiles are never happy, I know this well, as I sell lp's for a living and some people are miserable and mad no matter what.

[@paulomontero12]

Maybe put the solution before you start spinning it?

[@mjanovec]

It’s interesting how many “audiophile” channels use the cheap built-in microphone on their cameras or phones to record audio. A small investment for a decent external microphone would make these videos so much more pleasing to watch. And adjusting audio levels in editing shouldn’t be overlooked either. It’s amazing how much decent sound quality improves a video. It separates the amateurs from the professionals, Please give it some consideration! 🙂

[@AnalogPlanet]

It's amazing how you didn't ask about the microphone used, which was a very nice Audio-Technica shotgun microphone. Please give your uninformed criticism a rest.

[@mjanovec]

@@AnalogPlanet Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Audio Technica mics, then. 😆

[@kwd-kwd]

@@mjanovec video sounds fine to me......

[@sinajakelic]

at 4:20 am I high or I can hear the music at high speed actually being played :)

[@QoraxAudio]

Looks interesting, but the PRC6i is almost as expensive as my turntable... so it's not for me I guess.

[@NoEgg4u]

@2:03 "...and I'm going to show you how it works, now." But first, I will check my text message. ;-)

[@PrinceFluffy]

Very nice shiny clean record, did absolutely nothing to remove ingrained dirt in the groove, only way to remove ingrained dirt is to soak your vinyl in warm water so the gunk softens then use a cleaner with a brush, I use this method with a label protector then run it through my Spinclean and dry thoroughly with a microfibre cloth. Imagine some fly poop on your window, you clean the window and the window is crystal clear but the poop is still there until you use warm water and soak it for a couple of seconds to soften it, only then does it come off......

[@CrustyCurmudgeon]

Completely inaccurate assumption - it cleans dirt in the grooves very well. I had one of these in the mid-90's and the difference it made was astounding. So devoid of noise were the backgrounds of cleaned LP's that my audiophile friends couldn't believe playback was from vinyl.

[@cameraplus7233]

A number of years ago, I used the same cleaning methods you describe, along with various cleaning solutions & homebrew concoctions people recommended on a SpinClean & a Knosti. I even had a couple of vacuum cleaners. Yes, they cleaned the LP up to a point, but they were never as clean or as quiet as I was hoping & don't even come close. Then several years later I bought the Audio Desk System Pro ultrasonic cleaner. It totally blows every other cleaning method away. I agree that having a cleaned LP, is better, but if you use an expensive cartridge & have a decent LP collection, then it's a worthwhile investment buying a really top end cleaner.

[@COLDMKULTRA]

Excellent review Michael ... But sadly, for us mere Mortals, the project vacuum machines are the best bang for the buck ... and do a fantastic job. However, I often like to clean records very late at night ... the project is way too noisy for this. If I could afford it, I would buy the Degriiter (or better) ... hey ho ! I noticed in one of your old tours of an audio show ... a professional vinyl cleaning specialist was using mega expensive ultrasound products, and a project vacuum system ... interesting?

[@CrustyCurmudgeon]

Rather poor review, given that there's no before/after playback comparison. But having owned one of these in the 90's I can say that the improvement after cleaning was always dramatic. Backgrounds were massively quieter - so much so that a visiting audiophile friend once couldn't believe it was vinyl playback.

[@1999zrx1100]

Out of my snack bracket but sure looks like the way to go. Retired old guy will have to stick with the manual Spin-Clean. 😎

[@ronaldjennings8057]

👍👍🙏

[@Phil_f8andbethere]

All the fluid getting flung everywhere 🤣. It's technically just a record drying machine, the operator has to do all the work. I'll stick to my Nessie Vinylmaster - fully automatic and no mess for a lot less money too. The velvet strips comment is a bit over-egged in this video - it's a quick clean every 10 records or so - no big deal.

[@AnalogPlanet]

Speaking of no big deal: some fluid on the chassis. it wipes off in seconds. No big deal.

[@jonathanlake6053]

@@AnalogPlanet Depending on the waste of fluid X 100's of sides of records both in reverse & forward it is quite considerable.

[@matrix101redorblupill4]

Show microscope before and after cleaning... all other bla bla bla is worthless. Why the biiiiip nobody do that

[@NiklasMalmqvist]

4000$ ???? WHAT!!?? 400$ would be too much!

[@jonathanlake6053]

Not so in my humble opinion the difference in sound is day & night.

[@NiklasMalmqvist]

@@jonathanlake6053 Night and day? Yeah right! When it comes to audio, there is only minor improvements to be made, if any at all. Comparing a $10 freestyle with a $100.000 vinyl setup isn’t even a night and day difference.