Knosti Disco Anti-Stat

[bretty]

Hey,

I though i'd buy one of these, finally, to see what the fuss is about. Here's my honest appraisal:

I bought mine for £35 from Conrad, through Amazon. It turned up, with no fuss, two days later.

I got straight into the cleaning, giving a noisy 'Pearl Jam' album the once over. The instructions say a few rotations of the disc in the fluid are enough, but that seemed low so I gave it about 20 in each direction. It did a very good job. It removed most of the crackles and there was a definite improvement in treble. It twinkled and was airy. There also was no crud on the stylus at the end of both sides of the record, either. So, the Anti-Stat was off to a flyer!

I pretty quickly came into trouble, though. The drying rack holds 15 discs. So, I cleaned 15 and put them in the rack. After playing the first five cleaned discs, which sounded great, the subsequent discs sounded awful. They were full of pops, crackles and surface noise. Also, large amounts of crud were coming off the records. Obviously the fluid had become dirty and was contaminating the discs. I used the supplied filter to clean the fluid and cleaned one of the discs again. It was still terrible. So, I decided to make my own fluid. I've read a few formulas for DIY fluid on the internet and they all consisted of distilled water, isopropyl alcohol and a wetting agent.

However, I decided to go for just distilled water and a few drops of wetting agent (I used Fairy dishwasher rinse-aid. 2 for 1 at Morrison's). I excluded the alcohol for two reasons:

1: It's only purpose in the formula is to speed up the drying process, it doesn't help with the cleaning. There isn't much difference in drying time, anyway. About ten minutes with the alcohol. About 15 without.

2. Cost. By omitting the alcohol, the DIY cleaning fluid costs pennies per litre, so it's cheap enough to discard after each cleaning session.

It worked like a treat. The albums that were affected now sound brilliant again. And no crud.

So, bottom line is, I think the Anti-Stat does a great job as long as whatever fluid you use is clean. It might make me put away my Fairy and Sponge[]

 

[Big Chris]

I've heard a brillo pad and turpentine also works wonders.

 

[bretty]

Big Chris:I've heard a brillo pad and turpentine also works wonders.

A little blast with a blow torch loosens the dirt like a good 'un, too.

 

[The_Lhc]

bretty:
Big Chris:I've heard a brillo pad and turpentine also works wonders.

A little blast with a blow torch loosens the dirt like a good 'un, too.

You can speed up the drying process by putting them in the oven, gas mark 6 should do it...

 

[Al ears]

Big Chris:I've heard a brillo pad and turpentine also works wonders.

Damn, I thought that was just for stylus cleaning!

 

[oldleodensian]

bretty: I decided to go for just distilled water and a few drops of wetting agent (I used Fairy dishwasher rinse-aid. 2 for 1 at Morrison's).

How much rinse aid do you use per 500ml water?

I use the disco antistat with great results, but rarely clean more than a dozen discs at a time and usually discard the solution, so this can work out quite expensive!

 

[bretty]

oldleodensian:
bretty: I decided to go for just distilled water and a few drops of wetting agent (I used Fairy dishwasher rinse-aid. 2 for 1 at Morrison's).

How much rinse aid do you use per 500ml water?

I use the disco antistat with great results, but rarely clean more than a dozen discs at a time and usually discard the solution, so this can work out quite expensive!

I did a little trial and error with the amount of rinse aid. In the end, I found that 5 drops per 500ml is perfect. My fluid is barely over 35p per 500ml. The distilled water is 70p a litre from Morrisons and the Fairy dishwasher rinse-aid is £2 for 2 bottles (also from Morrison's). With the tiny amount of rinse aid needed, those two bottles will last for years!

 

[floyd droid]

Bretts, with that load of vinyl that dropped in your lap the other week, you are going to get RSI using the Disco.

. Save up for a half decent rcm, ok they are quite expensive but after a while you will drop into the 'sod it i cant be a***d' mindset in regards to the Disco Antistat.

 

[smuggs]

i have read nearly 100 reviews on the antistat and i have had good results in 2 spells only cleaning 6 at a time. i have read that if you clean more than 8 than the stuff does get a touch dirty and can affect the last couple. i also do 10 turns only going the same way the record player spins why i dont know. then i leave them for 3 hours.

when my mix runs out i think i am going to try that morrisons special less that £3 sounds good.

 

[bretty]

floyd droid:Bretts, with that load of vinyl that dropped in your lap the other week, you are going to get RSI using the Disco.

. Save up for a half decent rcm, ok they are quite expensive but after a while you will drop into the 'sod it i cant be a***d' mindset in regards to the Disco Antistat.

Ah, you know me so well, Fd! I do get the ar*e with things, usually, once the novelty has worn off.

Have you got any recommendations for a RCM? what'd be the damage for it/them?

 

[bretty]

smuggs:
when my mix runs out i think i am going to try that morrisons special less that £3 sounds good.

You might as well, matey. I've actually found it better than the stuff that comes with the anti-stat.

 

[floyd droid]

bretty:
Ah, you know me so well, Fd! I do get the ar*e with things, usually, once the novelty has worn off.

Have you got any recommendations for a RCM? what'd be the damage for it/them?

Well Bretts i use an Okki Nokki circa 400 quid. Does a good job. Folk will no doubt mention the Clearaudio but as its made by the same company as the Okki, and is pretty much the same machine, why spend an extra couple of ton for the name ?. Folk will also punt in with 'rcms are noisy' . Well yup as its a bloody vacuum cleaner, they do make a bit of noise !. But not as much as folk will lead you to believe. Have a look on the Stamford Audio web site for the gen, good company to deal with. Great thing about an rcm is you can smoke at the same time as clean your vinyl, go to be a good thing, lol. By the time you have finished piddling around with the Disco and waiting for your record to dry off, which incidentally takes longer this time of yr, on an rcm you will have washed, dried and be listening to the sucker in a knick knack, and no knackered wrists either.

Cant be fagged with this link mullarky,im sure you will find Stamford Audio.

Just noticed 'word of the post' is folk. Cant be fagged to change that either.

 

[bretty]

floyd droid:bretty:

Ah, you know me so well, Fd! I do get the ar*e with things, usually, once the novelty has worn off.

Have you got any recommendations for a RCM? what'd be the damage for it/them?

Well Bretts i use an Okki Nokki circa 400 quid. Does a good job. Folk will no doubt mention the Clearaudio but as its made by the same company as the Okki, and is pretty much the same machine, why spend an extra couple of ton for the name ?. Folk will also punt in with 'rcms are noisy' . Well yup as its a bloody vacuum cleaner, they do make a bit of noise !. But not as much as folk will lead you to believe. Have a look on the Stamford Audio web site for the gen, good company to deal with. Great thing about an rcm is you can smoke at the same time as clean your vinyl, go to be a good thing, lol. By the time you have finished piddling around with the Disco and waiting for your record to dry off, which incidentally takes longer this time of yr, on an rcm you will have washed, dried and be listening to the sucker in a knick knack, and no knackered wrists either.

Cant be fagged with this link mullarky,im sure you will find Stamford Audio.

Just noticed 'word of the post' is folk. Cant be fagged to change that either.

I'll forgive you for 'folk', and applaud you for 'fagged'. Twice.

I've not heard that before. I laughed. You from up north, by any chance FD?

I looked at Stamford and saw the Okki Nokki. It looks good and has a good price, too. Thanks for the info, buddy.

 

[floyd droid]

bretty:You from up north, by any chance FD?

I looked at Stamford and saw the Okki Nokki. It looks good and has a good price, too. Thanks for the info, buddy.

Yup, Reykjavik.

If you do buy one dont digest the destruction manual too much. Strange but true,i actually opened mine, world first in that dept. But i will give you a few tips, if and when mate.

 

[bretty]

Just for a little experiment, I cleaned a few records with the anti-stat, last night, but only used distilled water. No rinse-aid or alcohol added. My reasoning behind the exp was that the distilled (or de-ionised, in my case) water itself had all it's impurities removed, so nothing could be left behind on the record when it dried. Adding Rinse-Aid, to my mind, seems to be putting something in that could leave a film, or residue, behind.

The results are great.

I'm playing a 44 year-old Opera pressing now, that I cleaned with just the water, and it sounds fantastic. I'm on the fourth and final disc, now, and i've only heard one 'pop' on all of them.

If you haven't tried it, give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

 

[shropshire lad]

Silly question (maybe) , Bretty , but did you listen to the records before you cleaned them ? So that you had a "before and after" test .

Nick

 

[mitch65]

bretty:
If you haven't tried it, give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

Apart from your sanity!!

 

[Anonymous]

shropshire lad:
Silly question (maybe) , Bretty , but did you listen to the records before you cleaned them ? So that you had a "before and after" test. NickGood question, and one I was about to ask.

Myself, I clean the record with a carbon fibre brush, and only resort to fluid if the record really requires it, which is less often than you think.

 

[bretty]

shropshire lad:
Silly question (maybe) , Bretty , but did you listen to the records before you cleaned them ? So that you had a "before and after" test .

Nick

Good question, boys. Soz, I should have said. I had listened to the first disc of the opera that I cleaned and it was pretty crackly before. I've cleaned some more discs,this afternoon, again with just water and got similarly great results. These were used records from e-bay and were not terrible for noise, but had the odd crackle. Billy Joel - 'Piano Man' was the worst of the bunch, and after cleaning there's not a single noise on the whole disc (apart from the music).

As I say, give it a go. If you agree with me, think of all the money you're gonna save!

 

[bretty]

mitch65:bretty:
If you haven't tried it, give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

Apart from your sanity!!

Hey Buddy!

How you been? How bad was Bexhill hit with the snow? The rain's melted it all here, today, so I can get back to work on Monday. Just as well, I'm starting to go all Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'.

 

[mitch65]

bretty:mitch65:bretty:
If you haven't tried it, give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

Apart from your sanity!!

Hey Buddy!

How you been? How bad was Bexhill hit with the snow? The rain's melted it all here, today, so I can get back to work on Monday. Just as well, I'm starting to go all Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'.

Hi Bretty

Been very busy recently so I haven't had the time to look at the forum as much as usual, luckily Bexhill is all clear now but I still had to get my backside into Brighton, which was really bad.

Hastings still not gritting their roads I take it?

 

[bretty]

mitch65:bretty:mitch65:bretty:
If you haven't tried it, give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

Apart from your sanity!!

Hey Buddy!

How you been? How bad was Bexhill hit with the snow? The rain's melted it all here, today, so I can get back to work on Monday. Just as well, I'm starting to go all Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'.

Hi Bretty

Been very busy recently so I haven't had the time to look at the forum as much as usual, luckily Bexhill is all clear now but I still had to get my backside into Brighton, which was really bad.

Hastings still not gritting their roads I take it?

Nope.

I'm glad one of us is busy!!! I've got the work, but haven't been able to get out to do it. Still, the forecast looks clear for next week, so that's something.

What line of work you in, Mitch?

Is the Naim DAC getting any closer?

 

[The_Lhc]

Grottyash:shropshire lad:
Silly question (maybe) , Bretty , but did you listen to the records before you cleaned them ? So that you had a "before and after" test. NickGood question, and one I was about to ask.

Myself, I clean the record with a carbon fibre brush, and only resort to fluid if the record really requires it, which is less often than you think.

I don't think that works when you can see the dirt on the record though.

 

[mitch65]

bretty:mitch65:bretty:mitch65:bretty:
If you haven't tried it, give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

Apart from your sanity!!

Hey Buddy!

How you been? How bad was Bexhill hit with the snow? The rain's melted it all here, today, so I can get back to work on Monday. Just as well, I'm starting to go all Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'.

Hi Bretty

Been very busy recently so I haven't had the time to look at the forum as much as usual, luckily Bexhill is all clear now but I still had to get my backside into Brighton, which was really bad.

Hastings still not gritting their roads I take it?

Nope.

I'm glad one of us is busy!!! I've got the work, but haven't been able to get out to do it. Still, the forecast looks clear for next week, so that's something.

What line of work you in, Mitch?

Is the Naim DAC getting any closer?

I manage a bunch of meter readers/installers for a big energy company (snow is the enemy!) so we are very busy at the moment. As far as the Naim DAC is concerned, I think it is fair to say it is about as far away as it has ever been. The DacMagic is doing a sterling job with my FLAC files so I am not too fussed at the moment.

Anything more on the Gyro front?

 

[Anonymous]

the_lhc:Grottyash:shropshire lad:
Silly question (maybe) , Bretty , but did you listen to the records before you cleaned them ? So that you had a "before and after" test. NickGood question, and one I was about to ask.

Myself, I clean the record with a carbon fibre brush, and only resort to fluid if the record really requires it, which is less often than you think.

I don't think that works when you can see the dirt on the record though.Which is why I put in the bit "..and only resort to fluid.."

Seriously, thought, if a record looks clean, plays well and leaves no crud on the stylus, then using a cleaner won't achieve much at all.