AudioAficionado.org  

Go Back   AudioAficionado.org > Turntables & Vinyl > Vinyl & Accessories

Vinyl & Accessories Food for the Soul

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old 06-25-2017, 05:24 PM
Weirdcuba's Avatar
Weirdcuba Weirdcuba is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,420
Default

I got mine for $300 less than that via fatwyre.com (subsidiary of the cable co). Like nearly everything these days, I looked for it on amazon and this deal revealed itself, with free shipping via prime.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 06-25-2017, 05:25 PM
Weirdcuba's Avatar
Weirdcuba Weirdcuba is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,420
Default

And, I love it.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 06-25-2017, 07:02 PM
NZ421291 NZ421291 is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 652
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by miner View Post
I am a fan of the double matrix but not the $5500 price. A member had all of the top RCMs and the double matrix was his preferred choice for his cleaning regime.

***CARE*** From personal experience I have doubts about ClearAudio & their quality control.

After a lot of research, I recently purchased the ClearAudio Smart Matrix Record Cleaning Machine , replacing a basic Nitty Gritty machine that after 28 years of use, finally couldn't suck anymore.

Unfortunately there are small design faults with the Clearaudio machine
(basically ergonomic) and I had problems with it from day one, see below.

The Good:

- The machine looks great & has a high quality finish- looks the business.
- The packaging is first rate.
- Powerful suction, & with reverse mode, excellent cleaning results. A massive improvement over the old Nitty Gritty.
- Not as noisy as the old Nitty Gritty, and its actually fun to use!
- Most parts of the machine seem to be of good quality, with qualification- see below.

The Bad:

- as delivered, the cleaning platter was very badly warped & needed replacement as it made cleaning & vacuuming the record properly difficult.
- Replacement platter took over 2 weeks!!! to be shipped from Germany; the excuse given was that Clear Audio was busy preparing for the Munich Show- a terrible excuse, lets spend a fortune to get new clients, while p*ssing off our existing clients- makes no sense to me?
- New platter is also slightly warped. Reason (excuse) given was that the platters are made out of an anti-static plastic which tends to warp during manufacture- I have my doubts, but at least the warp is minor & I can clean records properly.
- After fitting of new platter- a day later the platter became loose & wobbled all over the place. Back to the serviceman- a lock nut had not been tightened correctly- an easy fix. Basic errors like this shouldn't happen- or am I being too tough?

Ergonomic Issues:

- Dust cover just sits on top of the machine- really there should be some way of making sure the dust cover is secure. Even a groove around the machine top would be better than nothing- as you quickly find that the dust cover damages the finish of the top of the machine- I fixed that by adding plastic stick down pads to protect the machine surface.
- Nowhere to place the screw down weight when you turn the record over or when placing or removing the record- placing the weight on the machine top has the potential to damage the surface- I fixed that by adding a stick down pad used to protect wooden flooring from damage from furniture feet.


Summary: As far as cleaning records- the machine does a great job, adding a few pads or a groove to secure the dust cover is a no-brainer. (for a machine that costs almost $2000 NZD, I feel they should have been provided).

The warped platter calls into question their quality control & the delay in providing a replacement is terrible customer service.

On the top of my list for a new turntable was a Clearaudio Innovation Compact turntable black acrylic w/ Magnify carbon tonearm.

Sadly given my experience above, I'm very reluctant to purchase another piece of equipment from this company.

Maybe I'm being too tough & just had some bad luck & purchased the one machine that slipped past their quality controllers?
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 06-25-2017, 08:17 PM
miner's Avatar
miner miner is online now
Senior Member


 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Posts: 4,538
Default

NZ
Thank you for sharing your personal experience with the CA RCM. I will be doing a hefty due diligence prior to making my next choice. I am hoping Gayle with Nitty Gritty will step up and do the right thing. I have been having a healthy streak of bad luck lately with my gear.
__________________
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 06-25-2017, 09:02 PM
Weirdcuba's Avatar
Weirdcuba Weirdcuba is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,420
Default

I have the Clear Audio Innovation (started out looking at the Compact, but upgradeitis got me), and it is perfect. Let's hope your experience was the exception rather than the rule. All I can say is that my experience with CA was just what one would have expected.

I also own the Audio Desk RCM, and while I had one minor minor hick-up with it, it's also as expected at this price point.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 06-26-2017, 12:10 AM
vintage_tube's Avatar
vintage_tube vintage_tube is offline
Just Pure Lucky



 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: East Coast
Posts: 8,746
Default

Maybe you should offer J3brow some cash for his 16.5 and call it a day.

Best sir,

Bob
__________________
Amps:VAC 450iQ Monos in Silver Flake on HRS M3X2-1921's, HRS G7 Footers/G-Links & Sound Anchor Conecoasters.
Preamp:VAC Master Preamplifier (Silver Flake)
Digital Source: dCS Rossini CD/SACD Transport, Vivaldi APEX DAC, Upsampler Plus & matching Clock (Silver)
Analogue Preamp:VAC Renaissance SE Phono stage in Silver Flake with XLR Output Option & with Nordost Valhalla XLR's.
Analogue Sources:SME 20/2 w/SME V arm & Nordost Valhalla TA cable, Palo Santos Presentation Cartridge & Akai GX-400D Reel-to-Reel w/relapped heads by JRF Magnetic Sciences. Akai RC-17 cabled remote (original owner since 1974).
Vibration Control:TT on HRS M3X2-1921 shelf.
Speakers:Wilson Audio Alexia in Argento Silver/Black grills sitting on Acoustic Diode Kit.
Power Cables:4 Nordost Odin Supreme Reference on amps, preamp & DAC. Ansuz Acoustics C2 on Transport & Clock.
Power Distribution Bar:Shunyata Everest 8000 w/Omega XC Power Cable.
Power Outlets:Furutech GTX-D NCF (R) duplex outlet, GTX Wall Plate & Duplex Cover (x2) on dedicated, same panel phase, 20A breakers.
Speaker Cables:3M Nordost Odin Supreme Reference on Nordost Sort Lifts.
Signal Cables:Nordost Odin XLR's on dCS DAC & Amps.
Digital Cables: Nordost Odin 2's, 110 ohm AES/EBU on dCS Transport to DAC.
Clock Cables:5 each 75 ohm 1.25M Nordost Valhalla BNC/BNC Digital
Ethernet Cable: WireWorld Platinum 1M Starlight® 8 Twinax
Headphones:Vintage Koss Pro IV AA.
RCM: Audio Desk PRO
Tube Test Gear:Mint late '60's/calibrated Heathkit TT-1A, MaxiMatcher Preamp & Space Tech Labs ATT-3.02 tube test sets.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 06-26-2017, 01:20 AM
briweed briweed is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 301
Default

I have owned all 3 of the current top RCM's (Clearaudio DM Sonic, Klaudio and the AudioDesk). I kept the first 2 and ditched the AudioDesk. Both the CA and the Klaudio do a great job, but the edge goes to the CA. I had an early machine from CA and do to issues it was replaced with a updated/tweaked (rev'd) model. I have had this for close to a year now and no issues at all.


B

Last edited by Masterlu; 06-26-2017 at 01:50 AM. Reason: Sorry, selling outside of the Marketplace is not permitted.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 06-26-2017, 09:14 AM
miner's Avatar
miner miner is online now
Senior Member


 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Posts: 4,538
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by vintage_tube View Post
Maybe you should offer J3brow some cash for his 16.5 and call it a day.

Best sir,

Bob
I have never felt the velvet lipped machines could get deep into the grooves. As good of a review as the 16.5 gets the overall 'quality' of the MDF shell and jar tank has me wondering if, at best, I would be making a lateral move with the 16.5.
__________________
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 06-26-2017, 05:58 PM
Antonmb's Avatar
Antonmb Antonmb is online now
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northwest Washington (Mt Baker foothills)
Posts: 9,121
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by miner View Post
I have never felt the velvet lipped machines could get deep into the grooves.

In the VPI the velvet lips are just to cushion the vacuum tube for the vacuum drying process, not intended to clean. The cleaning is done by brushes, in the case of the 16.5 you hold the brush yourself and can use different brushes if you like.
__________________
Tony
D'Agostino Momentum S250 MxV & HD pre; Linn Klimax Organik DSM, SonicTransporter, EtherRegen; Acoustic Signature Typhoon Neo, Koetsu RSP, Boulder 1108; Sf Il Cremonese; Shunyata Everest, Altaira, Sigma & Alpha v2
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 06-26-2017, 06:08 PM
miner's Avatar
miner miner is online now
Senior Member


 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Posts: 4,538
Default

^ Thank you for that bit of insight and information
__________________
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Audioaficionado.org tested by Norton Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:43 PM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
©Copyright 2009-2023 AudioAficionado.org.Privately owned, All Rights Reserved.
Audio Aficionado Sponsors
AudioAficionado Subscriber
AudioAficionado Subscriber
Inspire By Dennis Had
Inspire By Dennis Had
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Wyred4Sound
Wyred4Sound
Dragonfire Acoustics
Dragonfire Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
Esoteric
Esoteric
AC Infinity
AC Infinity
JL Audio
JL Audio
Add Powr
Add Powr
Accuphase - Soulution
Accuphase - Soulution
Audio by E
Audio by E
Canton
Canton
Bryston
Bryston
WireWorld Cables
WireWorld Cables
Stillpoints
Stillpoints
Bricasti Design
Bricasti Design
Furutech
Furutech
Shunyata Research
Shunyata Research
Legend Audio & Video
Legend Audio & Video