Cleaning LP's

Just getting back into lp's after a 30 year absence. Purchasing a Rega RP8. Just reading the instructions on the manufacture's website and came across this:
Do not use any record cleaner that works while the record is playing or any cleaners that use water or solvents. If you keep your records stored in their sleeves, avoid touching the playing surfaces and keep all water and fluids away, cleaning should not be necessary. Do not worry about visible dust on the record surface as this is brushed aside by the stylus during play. Dust collected on the stylus can be easily blown away. In general, record cleaning is overdone and one should not believe all the claims made by record cleaner manufacturers.
That is from Rega, WOW!

 

Life would be a bit easier if it really played out that way!

Enjoy your new table!

 

Perhaps they mean 'While the record is on your table / on the platter.'

As a warranty issue, I can see them warning you off decktop cleaning.

 

Should just throw that cheap spin clean in the garbage then.

 

I choose to believe not one word of that nonsense.

 

Don't tell me you are Cleaning Your Records!?

 

Yup, color me guilty.

 

Haven't they been saying for like 40 years?

 

As a longtime Rega owner, please just take a little advice from me. They're great. But some of the things they say are also totally whacky.

You purchased what I'm sure is a terrific turntable. Your records will definitely deserve way better than the advice they're giving. There's so much written about various cleaning stuff on here that you could go crazy. Have fun!

 

That advice is relevant, albeit a bit absolute, if you are starting with clean records. The problem is that a lot of used records have been stored and handled in less than optimal ways and are quite dirty as a result.

 

Rega make some nice stuff, but what they're saying about not cleaning records is pure 100% sheep dip.

I suspect it's because they don't make a record cleaning machine.

 

....and want to sell more cartridges. If you play dirty records, you'll wear out your stylus faster...and whoops!....they don't sell a replacement stylus. They'll be happy to sell you a whole new cartridge, however.

 

If you don't buy used records and handle your records carefully, then I don't think there's any problem with Rega's advice. I have many records I've never wet-cleaned. They sound good on my Rega turntable.

 

Enjoy the Rega/ disregard the instructions and hang on

 

And if you feel the need to clean your records use the cat!
How do you keep cats off your turntable

 

Doing the least possible to the surface of a new record is key to keeping them quiet. Most of my records are fairly new reissues and for quite some time the only thing I do is use a Hunt EDA Mk6 before each play and I have no noise build up as a result. Other tricks like playing them with the cover down and immediately returning them to their sleeves after playing helps.

 

I've seen plenty of new records that are dirty. Sometimes very dirty. Everything gets cleaned before it gets played.

 

For those new to vinyl looking to buy a Rega, I can see why they make this claim...

To make it sound like a plug-and-play straight forward setup with zero headaches

 

Or to rationalize the expense of all that cleaning equipment.

 

I just found it stange that a company that is only as good as the reputation of it's product would tell its turntable purchasers to not glean lp's. Rega "wants" it's purchasers to have the best possible sound (I guess) experience. 35 years ago it was a given to clean your lp's, and I will continue to do so in the future.

 

If I have a record that could use a cleaning, I do clean it. I get it wet and I vacuum it dry. I'm not opposed to the idea, and recognize the sound of a record can sometimes be improved by a cleaning. That said, I'd never heard of a wet/vacuum RCM until around 2005. From what I remember of 35 years ago, the only cleaning methods I saw around were the Vac O Rec and the Discwasher.

The idea that these dirty records will wear out a stylus seems flawed to me. Stylus wear is caused by continuous contact with the playing surface at two particular points on opposite sides of the tip. Intermittent contact in various places with debris on various records couldn't cause wear anywhere near as fast as normal play.

There are indeed some dusty new records out there. I've seen a forum threads about them, over the years. The ones I've gotten have occasionally have tiny paper fibers on them, which is as Rega says, something that will be or can be blown away. I once got a new record with fingerprints on it. I cleaned it. But just yesterday I unwrapped a new jazz reissue and plopped it on the turntable. Outside of the forums, there just might be a lot of us.

 

I'll bet that if you contact Rega, they will clarify the instructions. No TT manufacturer in their right mind would want you to play dirty records. Possibly someone slipped bogus instructions in as a joke?

 

I guarantee you, it's to dissuade people from using their machines to clean.

Increased Load on the Bearing and Liquids on the deck have to void the Warranty.

 

Much the same as my experience. I didn't realise you needed to change those very expensive styluses with the result that I ran my Linn K9 for, eh, over 20 years, albeit the heaviest usage was at the start of that time. The records I played back then still sound fine, no deterioration in SQ at all. A lot of them had been secondhand when I got them as well.

I do wonder if using cleaning fluids and the likes doesn't make things worse. When I read about all the effort required to remove all traces of cleansers it just does not seem right. I gave up shampooing my hair a few months ago and the dandruff went with it...

As for the idea that Rega say this to damage their styluses to sell more cartridges... Really? You seriously think that? (Linn do sell styluses and they had the same philosophy as Rega.)

 

I don't wet clean new records. I always wet clean used records.