Needle cleaning, how?

Hello All,

After years i am back at this forum, and i a have a question straight away.
I am looking to buy a needle cleaning device for my record player, maybe (if a product name is allowed) the Flux hifi sonic needle cleaner, which cleans the needle with a drop of some cleaning fluid and ultrasonic sound.
Does anyone have some experience with this device?
What other means of cleaning should i consider?

Thank you in advance,

Marten

Marten- If you are ok with the cost of the Flux then that would be a very effective way of keeping your stylus clean. With or without cleaning fluid. Check with your cartridge manufacture regarding the use of fluids with their cartridges- some will discourage or even prohibit it !
Otherwise, a nice firm stylus brush can be found for little money and will keep stylus clear of debris. Linn Green Paper is also a good cleaner from time to time to eliminate grudge buildup- I use it regularly. Just be careful with direction and force with the Green- only pull the paper towards you and with very little applied force. Let the paper do all of the work.

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Probably the most important aspect of vinyl replay is getting your vinyl clean before play- even new records, imo. A clean record will sound better and create less wear on your cartridge. Wet vacuum type RCM can be had for reasonable sum and will increase your enjoyment of listening to vinyl. Have fun and good luck!
ATB,
Mark

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:grin: In the days of needles, I recall that one simply replaced the needle before playing each day - a simple matter loosening a thumbscrew. As a kid I was amazed that the plastic (well, shellac) could cause wear that fast to steel.

Of course, styli being diamond are a bit more expensive to replace, as well as being a lot more resistant to wear, so do need cleaning…

My brother had some bad experience with fluid.
The tip of his needle came off.
Linn green paper is in my opinion the best way to go.

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Welcome to the forum @Marten
I’ve had many years use from an Audio Technica AT637 ultra sonic stylus cleaner used dry, although I believe it’s no longer available. The Flux version you mention should be similar although I’ve no experience of using it.
Differences of opinion exist as to using fluid or not, some comment it can wick up the cantilever and cause damage.

Linn’s Green paper as suggested above also works well if used with care.

HTH

V_R

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As the owner of a Pro-Ject record cleaner I agree with this, stop the muck getting on to the stylus in the first place.

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+1 for Linn Green paper…I use with Kandid and probably wouldn’t use anything else

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I recently bought some Lyra SPT. Seems expensive for what turns out to be a very tiny bottle of liquid. Anyway, I applied it to the stylus last night. I’m not sure whether it has made any appreciable difference, although everything sounded very good - as good or better than usual? I’m not sure.

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334578

There is a discussion out there on the web about the fluid and brush process with ultrasonic frequencies used to clean stylus needles. A few users had their cantilever corrode. Much to their dismay, the cartridge company did not warranty the product due to the use of this process and proof of defect.

Linn green paper for me is best, and as an extra option, once a week I use what we in the states call “silly putty” to clean the extra grime off. Drop the needle into a little blob of this stretchy sticky material that, which by the way leaves no residue on a clear window, and voila!..your needle is clean of lint etc.

Scott

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