The first thing to note is that whilst the Vinyl Cleaner Premium is far from silent, the level of noise it does make is surprisingly low and has neither the annoying loud roar that afflicts the VPI vacuum pump, or the irritating whine of the Kuzma’s ultrasonic bath. Secondly, although cleaning an individual record will produce a pristine, dry disc, if you batch clean records a single drying cycle may not perfectly dry the surfaces. In that case, pressing the Start button and holding it down will initiate an extra minute of drying time, which normally gets the job done. Alternatively, keep a spare micro-fibre cloth handy to wipe away any reluctant drips. It also helps to get the machine really level – which means levelling the surface it’s sitting on as there’s no built-in levelling facility. Alternatively, you could fit basic, levelling feet, which wouldn’t be difficult to do.
Practically speaking, there are also a few things to consider. Like all wet record cleaners, the fluid is a consumable. One bottle of ADS Gläss concentrate should be good for 100 records, at which point the fluid will need to be replaced. After 500 records, the company recommend that you check and consider replacing the brushes, wiper blades, drive rings and the fluid filter, which occupies the smaller rectangular slot behind the tapered record slot in the top-plate. A complete set of parts and five bottles of concentrate is available for €140.
If you want to clean 7” or 10” records you will need adaptor parts to support and drive the smaller diameter discs. These are a one-time buy, at €199 each.
Finally, despite its fully automated operation, the Vinyl Cleaner Premium is not a fit and forget machine. As well as needing to stay on top of fluid levels and monitor evaporation (helped by siting the machine in a cool, constant temperature location) ADS Gläss recommend against leaving fluid in the machine for longer than a month, to avoid it developing organic pollutants or an unpleasant odour. Fortunately, emptying the unit is perfectly straightforward, using while tilting it to ensure that any debris is carried away with the used fluid. Lightly used fluid can be stored and re-used, once the machine has been rinsed and dried. I haven’t reached the 500-record mark (yet), but I’m well into my second hundred and, having followed the instructions regarding monitoring/replacing the fluid, I’ve experienced no problems.
In fact, the Vinyl Cleaner Premium has quickly become a regular part of the listening process. Has it replaced the (remotely located) Kuzma for batch cleaning duties? No. The Kuzma’s 10-fer functionality is still hard to beat. Likewise, it’s no substitute for the, dual bath, hand-plus-ultrasonic process favoured by the truly obsessive. But for day-to-day cleaning or re-cleaning of records in use, the Premium is quick enough and quiet enough to satisfy the immediate itch, without the irritating noise and significant space demands of the Typhoon. Expensive? It might seem so at first glance but, once you get used to the sheer convenience it offers, the Vinyl Cleaner Premium will quickly become an indispensable part of playing (extending and preserving) your record collection. In many respects, it really is a record cleaning dream come true.
