Feast your eyes on these pictures while I go try it out.
And the conclusion???
Superb...excellent...I should have bought an RCM many moons ago....
A little bit about the unit.
BUILT
Heavy and very sturdy. Weighs about 11 KG... as heavy as decent hifi kit.
It came with a solid power cable too but unfortunately...it came with a european plug so had to use an adaptor.
The on and off switches for the rotating platter and vacuum is very industrial and solid. kind of old school.
The clamp is also heavy and solid with a brass 'lock' in it. This is actually one feature that I think needs to be improved.
This brass slot locks into the platter pin by means of friction ie: there is no thread to screw this clamp onto the pin. You still needs to turn it counter clock wise while pushing it in. And after about 6 sides LP wash, the pin became hot and might have expanded a bit. It was then almost impossible to push this clamp in for my 7th wash.
And also I have a concern that this brass part will wear out which will then make the clamp loose.
The bottom of the clamp has a rubber lip which is quite effective in keeping the fluid out from the LP middle label while you are cleaning.
The outlet rubber hose comes with a clip to avoid the fluid dripping while you clean. You just need to unclip it after you are done and drain away the dirty fluid.
The vacuum arm is made of plastic and easily detachable from the unit together with the spring.
FUNCTION
The motor that spins the platter is sooo quiet... And it is quite flat based on the flat-o-meter I use.
The vacuum on the other hand is as loud as the house vacuum cleaner. Really noisy it is. But it works like a charm. The LP is really dry and the clamp works well too in keeping out the fluid away from the middle label.
The cleaning is straight forward...:
1. Place the LP on the platter
2. Clamp it
3. Turn it on and let it spin.
4. Brush it gently to remove and dirt
5. Spray or apply the cleaning fluid onto the LP. (I use a spray bottle)
6. Maintain the brush perpendicular to the LP spinning
7. Turn the vacuum arm counter clockwise onto the LP and turn it on.
8. Let the vacuum suck out all the fluid from the LP.
9. Turn the unit off and inspect the LP to make sure it is as dry as possible.
RESULTS
I cleaned 2 old LPs from the 60s and 70s I think...the hit Hindi movie Bobby OST and The Sound of Music OST.
Prior to the clean, both LPs were very noisy to listen to with lots of crackle. The Sound of Music is even worst as the sound level produced is very low when played.
But after cleaning, less cracking sound can be heard and the the Sound of Music sounded louder like any other LP.
I find that for an old and very dirty LP....it will need more than 1 wash. Both LPs...I washed it twice and after the second wash gives me even better results.
And this is the fluid that came out of it.... and this is from 2 LPs that I actually already manually cleaned it before.
CONCLUSION
Definitely a must have for those with vast collection of LP. I think this unit is retailing at about RM1300. I still think its worth the money...Lucky for me that I received this as a gift.
So again... A BIG THANK YOU TO MY FRIEND AND MENTOR...MR SK FROM JAKARTA...
The unit can actually be purchased from Synthesis HiFi in Amcorp Mall. Contact Simon Liew below.
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