I just ended up using the full size ones that are the same size as a turntable mat. /edit to add: Its a wonderful machine that works as advertised. If the album is rather light, I'll use the Groovy Rings, regardless of the groove guard presence or not. I flattened one very light album (under 100 grams) by letting it heat up for only an hour, then shutting it down for a manual cool for a few hours. I've only over cooked one, and that was a trashed album that was 125 grams or so....I tried it on the medium setting and it melted down some grooves. Heavy weights come out flat every time.
Thanks for the info and my faith is somewhat restored based on you experience Just another question - What are the Groovy mats doing for the flat LPs with no groove guard? Are they just reducing the heat and essentially protecting the vinyl by not providing direct heat contact with the the heating plates of the ORB? I assume the groove edge LPs are protecting via the raised label and outer edge raised groove which prevents the playable area of the LP from making contact with the heating plates. Do I have that correct? Thanks for the info/advice… Cheers, Vin.
there are 2 hour set modes at low/med/high heat. To run a short mode you just power it down after 30 min or an hour. Quite easy. It would be nice if they would build those in a preset
Ah got it - Thanks. Well, I just found out earlier today that the unit I purchased is now not in stock as I was led to believe by the eBay listing with a delivery at the end of the month, and was asked if I want to wait 1-2 months for it to ship. I told them no and to cancel. I will see if I can source one elsewhere but if it proves too difficult, I think I am just going to go with the Vinyl Flat and save myself $1200/1300+ I would prefer the Orb but I think for the minor warps I need to address and given that I am not running a service, it may be a good compromise and at least give me something to try for when those LP's turn up with those slight annoying warps! Truly appreciate all the info/support everyone and keep safe!
Hi All, Just curious as to what peoples experiences has been using the ORB with colored/clear vinyl versus regular black vinyl. Is there a better setting to use with colored/clear LPs for examp,e, is it. Est to use the low heat setting for those versus the medium heat setting which seems to be the standard? Would love to hear about your experiences and what has worked best for you, as I am now going to go down this route given my rather underwhelming experience with the vinyl flat. Cheers, Vin.
I’ve got it pretty well down at this point. Ive flattened a few $500 dollar records now with confidence. The key is to use the low setting and purchase a smart plug with a good interface. I’ve been using the BN-LINK ones. Just start with a shorter duration and then step up in 20-30 minute increments until flat. I usually start with an hour unless the vinyl is super rare or thin. This prevents over-flattening 70’s vinyl, different compounds, colored vinyl, etc. The machine is truly amazing once dialed in.
Do you also use the adapter disc? Or just straight on the glass? Any experience with using the Vinyl Flat Groovy Rings with the ORB? I've noticed that, even when the outer edges is flattened, there is often still a wave in the centre of the play area, so I'm wondering if a little pressure there might help. I've got a set on the way to try.
Thanks for the tip and that's good to know, as I assumed using the standard built in time of 4 hours (2 for heat and 2 for cooling) would be safe on a low setting for any vinyl- so are you suggesting that has not been the case and one can damage colored or thinner vinyl even using the low setting at the standard built in 2 hours setting of the Orb? Appreciate the clarification/guidance here, as I though this was plug and play with no issues to be expected without having to play around with the durations for heating... shame one can't select shorter run times from the Orb unit itself...
Yes the ideal version would use the same hardware and either have an integrated timer or an app that gave control down to the degree/minute. The truth is one setting will never work for all vinyl. There are so many compounds that all have different melting points and pressing weights. You will probably be fine just using the stock setting. I just like knowing that the vinyl only go exactly as much heat as it needed to “relax” and no more. When the vinyl get too much heat it gets deformed with an eccentricity - as if it was pressed off center. Some people are fine with that when the other option was a warp. I really want the disc to be perfect. Hence the timer and repeat runs. If it takes me years to find a record I don’t really care if it takes a few extra hours to get it flat.
Thanks and totally understand your reservations and cautious approach. So if I wanted to be extra cautious myself and simply start by just using an hour, would I just simply start the heating process and then one hour later, simply stop the unit and then leave it sitting in the Orb for an hour and check the results?
Yep- just kill the power and check after 2 hours+. The glass makes it very easy to see if the warp is flat and the whole process only takes a minute or two.
Thanks. I guess the switch you mentioned make sense now, as there is no off button on the Orb - so one has to cut the power from the actual mains - a little crude, but I guess no way around that. Appreciate the advise and I'll probably go with the low heat and run it normal on my first problem LP and see what happens from there - if I run into issues, then I will try your method of run it for one hour and then check an hour later and if still LP not fixed, then I'll run for 1.5 hours (Additional 30 minutes) and check again from there. I would hope that for the majority of my needs, I can simply use the Low setting at the fixed 2 hours and if not improvement, then go with medium heat which most people tend to find works very well. But to your point, if its a super expensive LP, then at least one has the option to take 'baby steps' in keeping things at a lower risk to eventual success...
My DF-01iA+ has a power switch (top left), and I thought the 01iA was the same hardware (juat without the adapter discs). Do you have a different model?
it won’t fix speed bump type warps or obviously anything with deformed heat damaged sections. Large edge warps are fine as long as they are spread out.
just checking in with the thread....i bought the Orb over a year ago and its a life saver indeed. i think ive toasted only 2pls in the device, due to using medium setting over the low. I dont have those fancy rings for the edges and I find using the 2 table mats (groovy rings?) help with the lighter weight albums. I tend to use the 'groovy rings' most of the time. its getting where i can get really close to guessing the weight of the LP before I put in on the scale prior to flattening. A friend gave me a collection and a lot were warped. Did the 'power down early' method one time as well, with good results. Ran it just for an hour, then shut it off and let it sit overnight. The LP in question was at 98 grams and it came out intact, with the warp reduced enough to pass.
Finally using the Orb and what a solid piece of equipment this is - truly nicely made. Couple of questions: 1) Should the 'Heater On' light be flashing periodically during the heating process with the 'Heating' light solidly lit? 2) When you open the cover, does it slightly tilt as I noticed mine is a little uneven with it dropping down a little on the left? I would assume this is normal as the support is only on the right hand side of the unit Otherwise, I am almost 30 minutes into the first LP bake on the Low setting for 2 hours and will be interesting to see if it corrects this 180g clear colored vinyl (with groove guard at the end) which has a slight warp to it.
both are normal - the hinge has play in it so the glass’s sets flat and the light blinks I believe when actively heating. I hope you let first record went well. Be sure to check for any side to side movements of the cartridge as this is a sing it for more heat than needed and deformed slightly. Welcome to the club!
Thanks for confirming those two points as I thought my unit may have been physically damaged - the slight tilt of the top cover downwards to the left I guess is normal as the lever holding the cover is only on the right side, which makes sense. I definitely saw an improvement to my LP which was great as I could never get any improvement using the Vinyl Flat. I could try running another cycle on the low setting or go to the next level up - however, it is pretty close to being perfectly flat and I may just leave it alone and not risk overdoing it although, I am curious to try again…
I would suggest running a few times at low before stepping up - I have seen multiple cycles improve a disc.
