Cleaning Vinyl Records Has Never Been EASIER! 

I have been enjoying my Record Doctor X for a few months now and love the results. Not as messy or time consuming as an ultrasonic cleaner and cleaning both sides at one time is a game changer. Keep up the great videos!

Thanks for making this video, I hadn't seen that an updated version had been released. I think I too am going to take the plunge and get one.

Well this just went into my Amazon Wish list!!! Thanks for the demo & link info.

Thank you for sharing man, I’ve been curious as to how well this works.

Good video and looks a great machine. I also just bought the latest Project RCM and love it, I also have the humminguru so my records go on the Project then straight into the hummi nguru which gives them a pure distilled water second clean and rinse, so zero left on the record, seems to clean them extremely well and ready to play.

Grateful for this video…I had the Pro-Ject in my cart for about a month, and was gonna pull the trigger until I saw this. I wasn’t aware the “X,” had come out. It arrived today, and I’m excited to put it to work. Thanks, Rick.

Nice video. I’ve had the Pro-ject VC-E for about three years and love it. I use a goat’s hair brush and the only diffference is I slightly scrub the record instead of just spreading the soluton.

Today I finally got my new Record Doctor X in the mail and got it from Amazon and it was on sale for $499.95 Instead of $599.95 so I waited to it went on sale and can't wait to try it and it would be more easier than doing it by hand.

I still use the Spin Clean, but looking to invest in a new cleaner. Ill be sure to buy this from the link you shared so you get credit! Thanks for making this video Rick!

Another very informative video. Nice job. Thanks so much.

I used the Record Doctor for years until I bought a Humminguru....sold my Record Doctor. How is it a "one and done" when YOU have to do the cleaning? The Guru is a GREAT machine for the money. It cleans BOTH sides at once and dries. 10 (or 5) minutes and it's done.

I think the biggest selling point for me is that record doctor X will quickly do 1 record at a time, without having to commit to at least 10 records at a time because you need X ml of distilled water, etc. this is kinda big deal for me since every time I buy a record I don’t have to wait for 9 more (because there’s no more records left to clean from my library). I guess I should buy vinyl vac after all.

The best purchase I ever made was a 400 Hummiguru ultrasonic machine I’ve cleaned thousands of records and it’s so easy to use Just distilled water because a lot of times the cleaners leave a film on the vinyl!!

Wow, this is much more my speed. Just saw a video yesterday of someone using foaming upholstery cleaner to clean their stuff yesterday. I thought I was going crazy!

Thanks for posting this demonstration video. The Record Doctor X? I want one! I'm still using the Record Doctor V. It's hard to believe how fast time flies. In November of this year, I will have had my Record Doctor V for ten years already. It still works great. But like I said, "The Record Doctor X? I want one!"

Nice video, still have the Pro-Ject VCS-3, especially for the magnetic clamp!

Thanks Rick for bringing this up to our attention. I didn’t know they made a 10 (X) and I was wondering if the vacuum is still as loud as the previous models ? I have owned the the five (V) since it was first release and that’s the only downside was how loud the vacuum was on that model.. Well besides all the manual steps you have to do with it.. lol

This looks great! There needs to be a Record Doctor trade in program!

Thanks for this review, Rick. I was looking for input on RDX and I'm glad it came from another person whose opinion I respect. Do you think you'd ever scrap the Spin Clean step, in favor of a squirt bottle of distilled water and a second, water-only record brush and simply use the RDX for rinse as well?

I've been scouring flea markets and thrift stores for those Maxell XL ii's... that hurt.

Hi Rick, it seemed very quiet when compared to the Project. I liked the method of cleaning both sides together. I paid £250 for my Project 18 months ago, the Record Dr X is €599 which is more than double the price. I think that would kill it for me. If I was cleaning a 1,000 records then the time saved would be important but only cleaning what I buy then the small amount of time saved each month wouldn’t justify the price. I am not even sure the Record Dr is available in the UK. I loved your new record room. Best Pat

Thank you so much for this review. I am a RD 6 owner and love it, I too combine it with the Spin Clean step on super dirty albums. Very interested in the X. Is the X louder or about the same as the 6? And did they leave the spindle (screw) black - I ask because sometimes I can’t find it when I’m trying to place the album onto the spindle cause it blends with the lower pad. Looks like the screw in spindle may be a silver color? And lastly, how do you clean the top vacuum brush? So now what do I do with my good doctor 6 if I buy the 10???? Thank you very much.

I’ve been curious about one of those vacuum jobs, but was unsure how well they actually clean. I’ve been using an ultrasonic cleaner for years now, and honestly it’s the best record cleaning method I’ve ever seen, hands down. It’s pretty low tech though. They spin a few minutes in the ultrasonic, then I rinse them with distilled water. I set them on top of solo cups with a small desk fan blowing on them. Takes about 30 minutes to clean two records. The vacuum thing sure looks attractive.

Nicely done 👍. I'll take two 😊

Ouch, $600.

Cool unit. Like the dual vacuum. However, I prefer my VPI MW Cyclone. I like the larger size and "lip" around the unit so you can really drench the record with no distilled water getting on the floor. My Cleaning Process: First. I use no sufactants only distilled water and you may see why. Two Spin Cleans: One as a wash. One as a rinse. Then through HumminGuru ultrasonic. Lastly, last few drops usually two or three, I vacuum up through the VPI MW Cyclone.

Hey. Nice video. What is the software you are using for your cleaning list? Thats looked great. I’m just keeping my list on my Notes on my phone.

I have a 40 year old Oracle carbon fiber record brush. It came with 40,000 (or 4,000, I can't remember which) carbon fiber bristles. I've cleaned thousands of sides, can't tell that any fibers are gone. I can't remember ever seeing a fiber on a record. Also have placed one in my 'Cart' on Audio Advisor. Will call 'em tomorrow to discuss shipping.

I’m a new collector looking for a good record cleaner, then I saw it was more than my setup and entire collection combined 😮

I recently bought the VCE2 also. The reason I think the new Record Doctor 10 might not outright beat the Pro-ject is bc even though it cleans both sides at once, you still have to manually flip each record and apply the solution twice. The rest is all automatic anyway, and it looks like the RD10 motor spins quite a bit slower than the Pro-ject. THAT SAID… I wouldn't mind if the VCE2 spun a little slower. From the video it does look like the record doctor does a more complete vacuuming of the liquid. Even with several rotations, I usually can still see a few stripes of solution after vacuuming with the Project. But they do evaporate pretty quickly. Would you say there's a significant difference between the two machines when it comes to the vacuuming itself?

I will be looking into getting one of these eventually. Thanks for the tip! --- Bill Question: Have you considered giving away the previous model to a randomly selected subscriber? You can make it a contest too. Just a suggestion. How about a "Record Doctor vs Ultrasonic" video? Just a suggestion (The Sequel).

Great video, but unless I missed it, you didn't talk much about the results. If you could let us know how effective the X is at removing noise from a record. I'm not concerned with rescuing old worn out records, I'm interested in what it can do for minty records that have ticks and pops. Last night Iwas listening to Arvo Part's "Passio" and the surface noise on what looks to be a new record was distracting and that's after my 2 part cleaning (spin type pre clean and 5 min ultrasonic bath). Thanks!

You're not the only one who complained about the sharp edges on the spindle. Why not just sand it smooth? Also not trying to push an alternative cover product but I find that R D cover pretty gaudy so may I suggest Digital Deck Covers. Custom-made with the choice of materials colors, backing, at about the same price. I have had them make a half dozen different covers for my equipment, and they can do things you never see elsewhere. I own a manual Record Doctor with KAB's roller bearing, and large fluted handle upgrades, but I don't use it anymore. I wanted simpler and faster plus hassle free. The Degritter. And about the best video on how well it works is from Suncoast Audio a really nice place nice people dealer in Sarasota, FL comparing it to the best automated two-sided vacuum system, the "ClearAudio Double Matrix"(talk about easy) $6000.00 plus a separate anti- static device built in, no Milty required (I mean how much more one step can you get ?). Plus, in this demonstration, he cleans the LP, plays it then cleans the same LP in the Degritter on a fabulous audio system. And the Degritter is half the price. I have to say the ClearAudio Double Matrix is really cool.

I use for more than 30 years the Knosti Disco Antistat.Did cost me then 30 bucks (it's nowadays 65 Euro). It's manual and it still cleans very good. All those new record-cleaners do look impressive (and very expensive!) but the added value is at least discutabel.

I dropped a record recently on the spindle of my record doctor 6 and that was enough to leave a nasty mark

Do you have any feedback on ultrasonic verses the record doctor? I’m fed up with trying to remove surface noise on new and used vinyl.

How do you empty the wasteliquid from the machine? Regards from sweden

Is it worth it to have the machine when you have a small vinyl record collection ( less than 100)? A penny for everyone’s thoughts?

Hello I write to you from Germany. My question would be the Record Doctor as loud as the Pro Ject machine? Greetings

Looks like a great machine and makes it simple and quick to clean your records. The only drawback I see is the price. Do you feel like the Record Doctor 6 is just as good other than the fact it is manual instead of automatic? Thanks again!

Are you at all concerned about the location of the Record Doctor X exhaust fan? I would think that the machine blowing out that much air so close to your dirty-now-clean record, would be an issue.

Record Doctor X looks impressive and I trust your opinion but I'm not sure how much better it is than the manual procedure that I currently use. It took a bit of research and experimentation for me to decide which products to use. 1) GrooveWasher G3 or TergiKleen (GW G3 is better, IMO but TergiKleen is far less expensive in the long run) 2) Use GrooveWasher's Black Magic cleaning pad to work the G3 or TergiKleen into the record's grooves 3) Spray the record with distilled water (I'm not concerned with getting the label a little wet) 4) A few rotations in the Spin Clean 5) Hand dry with a soft microfiber or cotton towel 6) Apply Gruv Glide record treatment (a product that works well) Total time to clean and treat one record is about 3 - 3 1/2 minutes. The cost of the RDX isn't an issue but I'd like to see a comparison. Thanks again for another great video!

Nice review very exciting. That said, I returned my Pro-ject as it got increasing louder and louder. You didn't mention how loud this one is if you don't mind sharing. Quieter than a jet engine? Thanks

Where is it made?

RecordDoctorTenRecordDoctorTenRecordDoctorTen 😂… I can definitely picture myself scratching the label of a record with the sharp edge of the screw spindle. They should’ve made the tip slightly narrower so that it could be half-spherical as a regular turntable spindle and make the hole in the clamp a little deeper to accommodate for the slightly longer spindle, but as you said, that might bring other problems. Overall a great record cleaning equipment, who knows what improvements version 11 Pro Max Ultra will have though 😅

Oh, nooo! You should have smashed a CD, not a cassette 😢

I rather see the water get sucked off from the top. I won't turn the wet side over to face down in fear of running fluid especially on the label.

Confused about the dual-sidedness here...looks like the vacuum cleaner itself only actually touches one side, and it looks like you only coated one side with the cleaner, unless I fell asleep or something....??

@0:32 -- Do you have a cassette deck? I have a Nakamichi CR-7A, from the early or mid 1980s (if I am not mistaken). At the time, I had it connected to my Sony receiver. That entire stereo is gone, except for my tape deck. I could not part with it. I have no idea how good it sounds on a revealing stereo. Back then, with my Sony receiver and my Radian Research speakers, all I did was blast the volume, with the bass and treble turned up. I knew zero about soundstaging, or anything else. I would love to hear that tape deck, now. Alas, I have nowhere to physically place it, and no quality interconnects to connect it. My stereo's interconnects are balanced. So I cannot swap them, because the tape deck has only RCA inputs / outputs. Anyway... How loud is the Record Doctor's vacuum? Also, can it clean 7" 45s? I have a couple of dozen very dirty 7" 45s, from my childhood, that I dare not let my stylus touch. My VPI 16.5 record cleaner has no clamp for 7" records (at least one was not included). Will your Record Doctor clamps work with 7" records?

Ok, Rick, first thing I don't like is why you have to turn upside-down a wet vinyl to put the fluid on the other side. That defeat the purpose. With your previous model you have to flip it anyway, and the other side will not be wet dripping water everywhere. Second... where are the "loopers"? 😅

I have a US cleaner I got off of Amazon. I really like it, but it’s at least a 15 minute cycle, and then air drying cycle. Would be nice to shorten that up.

I looked at the record doctor years ago, and what I couldn’t figure out was where the water goes That’s vacuumed! It Has to go into the machine which I always thought to myself That’s not a good thing to be near electronics and have no receptacle for the water! Plus it was made of particleboard, which, over a short amount of time would absorb the water from the interior and rot! I use an ultrasonic cleaner, and you can see that whole process that I go through on my channel and it is my most popular video! I think it has 17,000 views now! But I do eight records at a time in the ultrasonic, and it works amazingly, and I air dry it because the solution that I have on it has what was made for film by Kodak called Photo flow! Everything ends up, spotless!

I got an ultra sonic cleaner, under $300, and I can do 4 records at a time.

That machine cleans but not very deep, for me the best cleaner is the Audiodesk vinyl cleaner pro

What about 7” singles?

James Tang! So James has one of the best record stores(supposedly) in Hong Kong, selling many of the rarest records out there. My point? You have to watch James Tang's video; How to remove crackles from a badly used vinyl with WD-40. It also includes his washing method. I can't tell if he's kidding or not, but I'm still laughing his video

What do you (or any other individuals in your household) think about the noise level of the Record Doctor X?

The big question is, is it as freaking loud as the record doctor 6?

Nice, but at $599.95 I'll have to pass and continue using my Nitty Gritty cleaner. It does one side at a time and does work great. Great demo though!

Thanks for the post now that make me mad i have the record doctor VI that i gotten 2 yrs and i wish it would been the record doctor 10 instead of 6 i wish i can buy one now but can't afford it now i'm on Social Security and section 8 unless it goes down in price.

Now this is your opportunity to be a good lad and give away that Dr. Pepper VI

5:28 - 5:40 Quick break to sniff Mandie's freshly baked muffins?

So of COURSE that puppy pops up at the end of the clean.......it has a SPRING! BOING!!!! Now, if only I could send my wife to vinyl medical school..........

An ultrasonic cleaner is “time-consuming”? You can clean easily a half dozen records at a time with one of those.

Those thinking hand washing lps really gets the job done; sorry but no it doesn't! If they would know some physics pertaining to lps, they'd realize what a ridiculous notion that is. For one thing, lp grooves vary in width. The smallest grooves are too narrow for water to even penetrate its depth. Just because it looks like the lp is completely wet, does not mean that every groove is wet inside.Thinking you are getting into the narrowest grooves by hand washing is like thinking that thick bull rope can clean between your teeth as well as dental floss. Just because the lp looks wet, doen't mean the liquid has penetrated all the grooves Metal looks like it has a smooth surface, but look at metal under a microscope, and it has more craters than the Moon times a hundred. Also when a stylus is playing a groove, the stylus temperature from friction, can get many times more than a few hundred degrees. At that temperature the stylus can literally spot weld dust particles and micro debris into the record groove. Anyone who thinks hand washing can unweld doesn't know a thing about the reality and physics of what happens during vinyl playback. Hand washing is better than nothing, however. There were consumer cassette machines that could rival vinyl for sound quality. Ever hear a cassette played on something like a top Tandberg model, like the 3014 or tcd440? Then you haven't heard what cassettes can do. They don't have dynamic range like vinyl, because cassette tape is narrow and doesn't move at a fast speed, so too much dynamic would overload the tape and there would be distortion. But if you can forgive it for dynamics limitations, your average cassette sounds arguably better than someone playing an average quality lp with say a $200 phono cartridge. And factory prerecorded cassettes had pretty good quality control and consistency of sound. You might beat an above average cassettes sound quality with a good enough moving coil. But a cassette played on something really good will equal or beat most moving magnet cartridges. Not in dynamics, maybe not in incisiveness, but in other ways. First of all they're very smooth sounding. That has always been a hallmark with tape. Of course no ticks and pops also gets you thinking while listening that cassettes might have a more perfect sound than lps. Soundstaging is what really surprises me, and cassette's midrange reproduction. Played on top Tandberg machines (and Nakamich is no Tandberg), cassetes have such a smooth liquid sound, that comes closer to perfect reproduction. Lps beat cassettes basically on dynamics and high end detail and apparent snap. Played on a good machine, your average cassette is more open sounding than your average lp, with what most people play lps on. Lps might have a slight edge in transparency also, as a very slight remnant of tape hiss limits ultimate transparency on cassettes. For amazing transparency requires a very low noise floor. I would say factory prerecorded cassettes played on something super good, has a sound you might like better than lps in many major ways. Unless you really have a truly great phono cartridge/arm and turntable. Revox/Studer, famous for their unparallelled studio reel to reel decks, mentioned cassettes as the underrated medium. That almost no one got to experience the true sound quality potential of.

Goodbye dirty records, hello clean CDs 😆👍

$599.95

Couldn't you have smashed a Wayne Newton record instead of triggering me? Danke Schoen!

Poor Maxell cassette! :< They are the best! SMH!

Nylon brush...SCRATCHES! SMH!

That's a slow roll for tons of records. Not my jam. I clean 8 at a time with my vevor.

Oh no!!! Never destroy any type of music format! Sacrilege!! 🫣

It's not that I'm poor (cheap? maybe) but for the time being I'm sticking to my 100% clean by hand technique. 🫠 Special request @Rick for a video with your recommendations and maybe detailing your secret recipe for homemade clean solution. 😎