Got a VC-E one week ago and just sent it back. The machine worked and did a fairly good job of cleaning records but had the following issues: 1. The clamp had too much screw down play so that you spent way too much time tightening and loosening it 2. The clamp itself is cheaply made with loose rubber bands on the handle and is made of a light plastic, sure to break eventually 3. The two switches for the motor and vacuum are poorly placed -- one on top of the other and too close so you will regularly select the wrong one 4. The problem noted above with the vacuum air being directed at the underside of the record is a killer, period 5. The brush had loose goats hair that started falling off immediately Am used to spending a lot of money for audio and vinyl equipment. Spending $500 for this RCM with the above problems, many of them cheap ones, makes me disinclined to try another Pro-ject RCM -- although the larger model looks slightly better.
This is such a disappointment. When the VC-E was first announced, I'd really hoped to get one, but there have just been too many reports of problems.
I have a question for owners of either of these RCM's. is the provided solution decent, or are you using your own formula?
It does the job. Is non toxic, and most importantly (for me) does not contain alcohol. I normally use AIVS Premium One Step Formula 6 with Osaga brush. This combo is far superior to anything that I used before. Regards
Man, I was halfway interested in the VC-E model but the vent thing seems pretty janky. However, after some googling it looks like it now ships with a Protective Plate which seems to be a simple acrylic turntable mat that you place on the bottom plate. You can see it in the unboxing vid below at the 2-minute mark. It’s a simple bandaid fix to a design flaw that should not have made it through the testing phase.
I’m trying to convince myself that the E is the way to go. Have you heard about more problems other than the weird vent issue that they have now at least acknowledged and tried to address in what must be the cheapest way possible?
I did. Other than the cheap clamp and the known vent issue it mostly struck me as extreme nitpicking.
With a bit of luck this weekend mine will arrive. I shall report my experiences after a good cleaning run. Grtz Peter
I respect that you were unhappy with it, but none of those things are an issue for me, and I'm still happy with mine: 1. It takes about 4-5 seconds to screw/unscrew the clamp. 2. Do you mean on the handle of the clamp? I never noticed, but now see there are 3 bands to aid in gripping it. It seems well made to me. 3. The switches are about as far apart as you can get. I selected the wrong one once or twice. It wasn't because they're too close, but because I'm clumsy and wasn't paying attention. 4. I only clean one disc at a time, so this is not an issue for me. However, it is good that they now include a clear plastic plate (thanks, Spartree!). I think it will help keep the entire disc level with the suction bar. I'm going to ask Pro-Ject to send me one. 5. I've lost one or two hairs, but is any brush immune to this problem? The brush will eventually need to be replaced anyway, due to dirt and bent hairs.
That "fix" negates what I felt was the smartest part of this design... eliminating putting the clean side of a record where a dirty side just sat.
I suppose you could do the first side without the acrylic platter and then use it only on the second/clean side. Still not ideal and obviously a cheap, quick fix to a major design flaw, but at least they did something to address it.
There is also the newly redesigned Okki Nokki. It does have a full sized platter, but is provided with a smaller one if you don’t want the record sitting on something. And it’s a single button solution, which should keep some people happy...
I've seen and heard plenty about the Okki Nokki One. It looks like an excellent solution, but until it starts hitting dealers stateside it's not really worth considering. I don't know that it's worth waiting on an unknown timeline when there are plenty of quality options on the market under $1000K.
Not everyone here is in the States, personally I really could not care less whether it is available stateside or not.
Even here in Okki Nokki country. Dealers have given up on a date.. For the One and Go. The pro-ject is is a bestseller now an is in limited supply. My dealer sold 5 this month and mine should be in transit. Grtz Peter
Hello everyone just a bit of information for owners & potential buyers,the goats hair brush that ships with any Project RCM is for evenly & thoroughly spreading the cleaning fluid, & like most/all natural hair brushes will loose strands which are easily removed. The supplied brushes are not for scrubbing as it's not this action that cleans ,it's the fluid that does most of the cleaning. A "light scrub" applied while platter is turning in either direction does help with in bedded mould etc. but you shouldn't bend the record to any "detrimental degree" while doing so! I've used quite a few cleaning fluids over the years & the project is my Gold Standard by far. It's the best at;cleaning,no rinsing needed, drying(by far), spreading (very little needed, about 20ml a side or less),others will have their own favorite. I've got the VC-S mkii the 2nd wood version & have no intention of changing it, even records I've purchased used in EX+ or NM that have allegedly been cleaned on a ultrasonic machine come up better on the VC-S mkii,this machine has saved & made quite a few records from a shed find near perfect for their age,& some will fetch a handy price if resold in their new condition. Anyone who's thinking of buying a RCM.....the Projects are a very good starting point & may just be all you'll ever need, thanks for reading. -evo777
I'm well aware that not everyone in this thread is stateside. However, I was specifically replying to someone that IS stateside who had brought up the Okki Nokki. Given that they are also stateside, that comment seemed relevant.
If I were the person to whom you were replying, who states are from Canada, I might just have been a little bit offended by you neo-colonialism. No doubt you would expect me to wait until it arrives in England!!!
My 2 year old VC-1 started to sound funny when I turn vacuum off, wonder if something is there.. It work just fine. Wonder is there way to replace vacuum motor, it only cleaned 1000 records so far..
Didn't intend to offend anyone. I actually specifically used stateside as a reference to most of north America given that we often get access all at one time, and sometimes through one distributor. My mistake if that came across as pushy or presumptive in any way.
So yesterday the Vc-e arrived... that was faster than expected. The extra plate was not in the box, but started cleaning any way and was very pleased with build quility! After cleaning 3 records the infamous "Fog" indeed appeared but cleared up in an instant on the underside of the record. Before the the next record I put the fan on for a couple of seconds that did the job for the next 2 records. But it is not how it supposed to be for sure. I normally only clean a record before its firs run so for me this works. But being a engineer in a nuclear research institute (Nikhef-Cern) I am not asking for the plate ( bit cheap solution Pro-ject... boo!). If I can find the time is a "Pro-ject " for me to engineer a nice flat tube from the hole to side of the record. But overal for the price I am very happy and the cleaning is superb. Hope my thoughts on this is of value for future buyers. Grtz Peter
