Spreading becomes a combination of turning the record and moving the supplied brush (bottom left image). It took only a couple of records to master the amount of fluid required to fully coat the disc – the fluid bottle has a pull-down nozzle which helps eject only a drip or two at a time. It’s too low to have on the floor without back-bending, and too high to have on a table without the need to reach above it it was ideal on a calf-high stool, operated from a knee-high stool. Noisiness aside, it’s great fun to operate the Record Doctor. It wasn’t so loud that it persuaded us to wear headphones while operating it, though for long cleaning sessions you might consider it, as might anyone else around. So the cleaning task can perhaps instead be considered foreplay to your listening enjoyment. Neither can you listen uninterrupted to cleaned LPs while cleaning others, given the regular bursts of suction motor noise. Doing so with the RD-VI would be more akin to operating a hairdryer while the missus is trying to watch telly. With a simple bathe-and-wipe cleaning system you might spend a Sunday afternoon cleaning vinyl in the family room. One of the upgrades advertised for the ‘VI’ version is that it runs “cooler and quieter” than its predecessors – but the suction system nevertheless makes quite the hum. It’s ironic that a product designed ultimately to reduce noise levels should increase them so significantly during its operation. A black dust cover, similar to an inverted reusable shopping bag, is another useful addition for the VI edition. The latest version has various upgrades and updates, which include a larger turning knob which now fully covers the record label, also a new deeper-cleaning spreading brush for the fluid stage, and a better overall finish including a stain-resistant aluminium top (presumably previous versions were becoming marked by fluid dripping from over-lubricated undersides). Such has been the way of the Record Doctor since it was introduced 20 years ago. Repeat for the other side, and your LP is clean and ready to play or store. Next, flip the disc so the wet side is downwards and replace the turning knob, switch on the suction pump, and rotate the disc until the vacuum has sucked the underside dry.
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