MoFi enzyme based cleaner and pure rinse

Curiosity: I think a couple of folks remarked to the effect that the Mo-Fi fluids leave residue. Where does notion come from? I was under the impression that the rinse took care of any residue.

Markd51 - Good description of "safe" scrubbing (which I didn't describe). Also, I completely agree that a pre-cleaning dust-off of some kind is fully appropriate, and do so with and old VPI record brush (and usually a few Zerostat zaps to deal with the static).

It's a darn nutty ritual, isn't it? But feels somewhat virtuous.

I got some good advice from a guy named Roger at Music Direct, who suggested I try MoFi when I started listening to vinyl again last year.

On Lps with dirty pop/click grunge, I use the MoFi Super Deep Cleaning fluid. I also use a MoFi brush. I get the fluid on and spread it around, then I use a gentle scrubbing motion for about 30 seconds. (Roger didn't mention the scrubbing--I decided to try this after I found I wasn't seeming to have enough success without scrubbing, and I saw some suggestion somewhere that scrubbing helped, and let me emphasize -- GENTLE SCRUBBING ON PROBLEMATIC RECORDS REALLY WORKS.) Then I walk away for about 2 minutes, then come back with the brush for 30 more seconds or so, then vacuum it off. (I use a VPI 16.5)

After that, I do a simple and quick "rinse" with the Super Record Wash, vacuum it off, and I'm done.

Does that work 100% every time? Nope. There are some records that I haven't been able to fix. I'd be inclined to try an alcohol-based cleaner for those (whether it's viewed as a no-no or not--once isn't going to kill a record, in my view), however, I haven't looked hard enough to find one. (I think VPI cleaner used to have alcohol in it, but I really don't know.)

I've read darn near every long post on Audiogon on record cleaning fluids (which are exhaustive and exhausting), and I do not recall ever having heard that MoFi fluids leave a residue. And, frankly, if they do, and that's why the records sound so fine after a good cleaning, then I'll take the residue.

One note of caution. I think I even did a post about whether scrubbing is potentially damaging to records...but I'm past 50 and don't remember everything... I suppose there is some theoretical danger to gentle scrubbing, but if you're having a problem getting a dirty record cleaned, I think it's worth the trade-off, risk-wise, and out of the 100 or so records I've cleaned with scrubbing, I don't think I made any of them worse-off. But you've got to be GENTLE.

Chashmal - Glad to run into anybody that appreciates Paul Jacobs' work. Great pianist. Yes, Nonesuch pressings can be problematic. I have multiple copies of the Paul Jacobs Lps that I could get hold of (mainly the Debussy titles), and those seemed to benefit from the Mo-Fi cleaning I gave them...but they're not perfect. Frankly, I'm getting to a point with some labels that I may just stick with the CD versions--IF they exist. (And I think the Jacobs Schoenberg was out on CD at one time.)

Also, and I guess this is obvious, but the amount of surface noise one has to deal with is substantially affected by cartridge choice, phono pre-amp, etc. Since I think most everything sounds too bright anyway, my system is "tuned" so that "average" surface noise is not a big deal. But on a buddy's system, I hear a fair bit more surface noise than I do on mine...not infrequently on records of mine that I didn't think had a surface noise issue.

I'm using a Koetsu Black on a Linn LP12 with an EAR 834 with a couple of Mullards and a Telefunken...none of which comes as much of a surprise, I suspect.

Chashmal - I appreciate your comments about Gould, and, in fact, Columbia is the first record label I was thinking of when I mentioned there were some labels from which I would just as soon listen to the CDs. I think Sony did a very nice job with its efforts to upgrade CD quality with the original 20-bit sampling remasters back in the 90's, and the Masterworks Heritage series was very good. I've been trying German and UK Lp pressings of various of the good ol' stuff: Szell, Ormandy, Walter, Bernstein...and I strike out more often than not. But, then, sometimes some of the late US or NL pressings are pretty good, and, if you can find them, some of the Japanese pressings are good. (And the Odyssey Budapest quartet pressings are not bad.) But it's so hit and miss. On your advice, with Gould, I'll stick to the CDs.