All things vinyl — vinyl record cleaning

And What You Can Do to Fix It

Anyone who collects vinyl has heard it.

You lower the stylus into the groove, the music begins… and somewhere behind the instruments there’s a faint background of pops and crackles.

Sometimes it’s barely noticeable.
Sometimes it sounds like a bowl of breakfast cereal.

The instinct is often to blame the record itself. Perhaps it’s worn. Perhaps it was pressed poorly.

But in many cases, the real culprit is far more ordinary.

Dust.

And more...

What Vinyl Collectors Should Know

If you spend enough time around vinyl collectors, one topic will eventually surface.

Not cartridges.

Not turntables.

Cleaning fluids.

More specifically, whether alcohol should be used to clean vinyl records.

Some collectors swear by it. Others treat it like acid rain.

As with many things in audio, the truth sits somewhere in the middle.

Why Alcohol Appears in Record Cleaning Fluids

Alcohol is a very effective solvent.

It dissolves...

A Simple Guide to Protecting Your Cartridge and Your Records

A stylus is one of the smallest and most important components in a vinyl playback system.

It sits at the end of a thin cantilever, tracing the microscopic groove in the record and converting those movements into music.

The diamond tip itself is tiny. Under magnification it looks more like a grain of sand than a precision tool. And because it sits directly in the groove, it inevitably encounters whatever is sitting there.

Dust.
Residue.
Static-charged debris.

Are They Worth It for Vinyl Records?

Ultrasonic record cleaners have become something of a fascination among vinyl collectors.

The idea is appealing. A machine filled with water emits high-frequency sound waves that create microscopic bubbles. When those bubbles collapse, they release tiny bursts of energy that dislodge particles from the record groove.

In theory, it’s the perfect cleaning method.

No scrubbing.
No wiping.
Just physics doing the work.

But like most things in audio, the reality is slightly more nuanced.

How...

A Practical Guide for Vinyl Collectors

Vinyl records are remarkable things.

A stylus weighing less than a gram traces a microscopic groove, converting tiny physical movements into music. Done well, the result can be breathtaking. Done poorly, it can sound like bacon frying in a thunderstorm.

Dust, fingerprints and static are the enemies of good sound. They settle into the groove where the stylus lives, and once they’re there the cartridge faithfully reproduces every crackle and click.

Cleaning records properly isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about preserving the groove...