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  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Boston
    Posts
    458

    KL Audio RCM Review

    I have now cleaned quite a few LPs with my new KL Audio RCM. I have tried different cleaning cycle times and drying cycle times. I have mostly cleaned records that have been previously cleaned with my Loricraft Audio PC-4 Deluxe machine using a four step process with the AIVS fluids. I had thought these LPs were already very clean, but the KL Audio further improves the way they sound. Most LPs were cleaned with one five-minute wash cycle and one four-minute dry cycle. The handful of records that had quite a few ticks and pops were cleaned with two five-minute wash cycles followed by one four-minute dry cycle.


    I also bought a sound proof enclosure called the Silencer. Here are the results of its efficacy using my Radio Shack SPL meter, dB C weighted:


    1. Wash cycle - 70 dB, with Silencer, 52 dB
    2. Dry cycle - 71 dB, with Silencer, 55 dB


    The interesting thing is that the wash cycle sounds much louder, but it is a higher frequency noise. The noise even with the Silencer, is somewhat annoying because of the high frequencies to which I am sensitive. I had thought I could clean a batch of 10 LPs while reading/working at the computer, but now I’m not so sure. I want to protect these ears and high frequencies irritate me. Unfortunately, I may have to move the machine to a different location, further away from my desk. The dry cycle is fine, just a mild fan noise.


    I still have to try cleaning records that have not been previously cleaned with the Loricraft, and I may try reversing the order to see if the Loricraft improves LPs that have already been cleaned with the KL Audio. I should add the obvious: this is the most convenient cleaning machine that I have ever tried. It is a joy to use and it is built to a very high standard.


    I am very impressed with the cleaning results that I have gotten so far. The LPs look pristine when they are finished and they are completely dry. I had bought this machine thinking it would simply be more convenient to use than my Loricraft, and it might eliminate a few ticks/pops. Boy was I in for a surprise. I am reminded by what an experienced analog guy once wrote. I think it was either Doug Deacon or Mike Lavigne. Paraphrasing: “A good cleaning method is not so much about removing pops and ticks as it is about hearing more into the music.” A clean record allows you to hear more information and become more deeply involved in the listening.


    Hall information: My very first impression was from hearing Cantata Domino, Proprius PROP 7762, and being shocked at how much larger the stone cathedral in which it was recorded sounded. At first I thought the singers were further back in the soundstage, but the more I listened, the more I realized they were standing in the same place in my room, but now my room boundaries further disappeared and I was hearing those singers in the vast space. The reverberations from the voices and organ were cleaner and better defined the dimensions and character of the recording venue.


    Resolution: The next impression was from the Janaki String Trio, Yarlung. I heard an increased sense of, and appreciation for, the contrast between string texture, the movement of the bow against the strings, and the resonance of the wooden instruments’ bodies. The three instruments were more distinct sounding, the timbres more unique and accurate, and the overall impression was more natural. The sense of clarity increased. The overwhelming impression I get from hearing the BSO is the incredible clarity of the sound. This string trio now reminded me of that. On “This One’s for Blanton”, the piano sounded less “tinkly”. Brown’s bass had more body, more fullness, and it was more extended. I became very aware, for the first time, of Brown’s fingers moving up and down the neck and squeezing the strings. On “For Duke”, M&K RealTime Records, the brass was extraordinarily dynamic and the sound was piercing, but it was less shrill, less fatiguing. It just sounded cleaner, less distorted and more natural.


    Room fill: At some point a couple of years ago I began to pay attention to the distinction between the size and location of the instruments or voice within the soundstage and the sound as it leaves those images and fills the space around them and then the listening room. The newly cleaned records now produce an even greater amount of room filling sound. It is as though the sound from the instruments, voice, piano, violin, trumpet, is greater and freer, leaving its source to more completely fill the listening room with its energy. The sound is more effortless, more enveloping.


    My audio friend Al M. came over last night to listen to my newly cleaned records. After hearing a few, we listened to my recording of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata with Heifetz on RCA Victor Living Stereo, LSC-2577. I had not yet cleaned it. We listened to the first movement and he remarked on the quality of the sound of the violin, the transients, the tone, but he said that the piano did not have quite as much body as he has heard before from this recording in other systems. I then took Al upstairs to demonstrate the use of the KL Audio RCM. We listened to the first movement again without changing anything else. He heard the differences immediately and said that the piano sounded fuller and much better now. The violin also had more energy.


    At the end of the listening session, I asked him for his thoughts. We did not want to influence the other with our own thoughts, so Al asked for a piece of paper and wrote down his impressions. I then told him how I thought the KL Audio improved/changed the sound of my LPs. I basically described what I wrote above. He then told me what he had written on the Post-It Note: 1. Cleaner, 2. More energy, 3. More body of piano.


    We heard pretty much the same thing. The improvements are easily audible in my system. The KL Audio RCM has increased my enjoyment of my music collection. I had been contemplating buying one for some time now and am very glad I finally did it. It allows me to hear deeper into the music. I am still experimenting with how to optimize its use, and it does indeed reduce the numbers of pops and ticks, though it has not yet fully eliminated them on some of my records. Perhaps it never will. I may try multiple repeat washing cycles on one LP to see if I can get it really silent without damaging the vinyl.


    What a great addition to my vinyl system.

    Attached Images Attached Images
    Link to my system thread: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threa...l-sound.32867/
    Analog: Micro Seiki SX 8000 II, 2 NOS SME 3012R tonearms, 2 vdH Colibri Grand Cru, Colibri XPP
    Electronics: Lamm LP2.1 Deluxe, Lamm LL1.1 Signature, Lamm ML2
    Speakers: Vitavox CN-191 corner horns
    Cables: Stock SME phono cables, DIY ICs and speaker cables, Ching Cheng power cords, custom rack and amp stands

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Cleveland Suburbs
    Posts
    207

    Re: KL Audio RCM Review

    I also have the KLAudio RCM. I don't have the silencer on mine but keep it in another room for noise which I think is less than my old VPI 16.5. I like that it only uses distilled water at $.99 per gallon to clean my records. My records do sound better immediately after cleaning than cleaning, putting them away and then playing another day. I think it is due to the static being eliminated on the freshly cleaned record. I now don't have any excuses for not having clean records since it is so easy to clean both sides at the same time.
    Paul

    Main Stereo System:

    Harbeth 40.3 HD, Jay's CDT3 MK3, Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC, Aurender N20, Luxman M900 & C900 , (2) JL f113, Shunyata Denali 6000v2 Power Conditioner, Altaira, AZ Cables, Stillpoints & Symposium shelves under everything.

    Theater System:
    JVC RS400 projector, 130" Stewart screen, Oppo 105D, Audio Physic Classic speakers, REL 3D subs, MC8207 MX136, Synergistic Research Powercell, AZ interconnects, speaker cables and PC's.

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    North Central Florida
    Posts
    3,483

    Re: KL Audio RCM Review

    PeterA.......That is an enjoyable review of the KLAudio Ultrasonic Record Cleaner. I can identify with your experience since it parallels my own experience.

    If you are interested, here's my review of the KLAudio RCM: https://www.audioaficionado.org/show...Cleaner+Review
    Dan

    STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital coax,
    Sonos Connect, Stillpoints Ultra SS & Ultra Mini, PurePower 2000, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario

    LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205 Signal Sleuth, Sonos Connect, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable,
    Sony DAT 60ES, Nakamichi BX-300, Micro Seiki DD40 w/m505A tonearm, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Stillpoints Ultra Mini, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113

    VINTAGE - McIntosh 4300V, McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, JBL 4312A

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KL Audio RCM Review

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