Record Doctor X Record Cleaning System Review.

I basically grew up in the CD generation. You know, “Perfect Sound Forever” and all that. But beyond whether you agree with that characterization or not, keeping CDs clean was a pretty simple affair. A few gentle swipes with a soft cloth, maybe a spritz of lens cleaning fluid if they were really grimy, was as complex as it got.

I just started getting into vinyl records about five years ago after a jump start from being gifted my father-in-law’s record collection. It honestly surprised me how much I’ve actually come to enjoy this newfound ritual of listening to vinyl. One of my favorite activities that has come from this new (old) way of enjoying music is scouring used record shops and unearthing obscure or unexpected vinyl gems. Unlike my retired Air Force father-in-law, who kept his records in pristine condition for decades, many used record store finds might have all manner of dust, grime, mold, and other assorted gunk amassed over their lives embedded in those grooves.

For the past while I’ve been using a KAB EV-1 record cleaning system which, for 150 bucks, has been an effective and inexpensive solution. I simply hook up our portable vacuum cleaner to it and I can scrub and vacuum one side at a time, and it works well for all but the most stubbornly dirty records.

The drawback is that I have to use our home vacuum cleaner which is loud and when connected to the KAB EV-1, the whole contraption is a bit unruly to deal with.

Record Doctor, distributed by Pangea Audio, has been producing integrated cleaning and vacuuming record cleaners for over 20 years. When they described the new Record Doctor X to me, I thought that this could be what someone in my shoes would consider to be a practical and meaningful step up from their current vinyl cleaning routine. Intrigued to see if this was the case, I agreed to conduct a review of Record Doctor X and put one through its paces.

So as a self-contained record cleaning unit, the Record Doctor X has both the vacuum cleaner and the drive unit to spin the record (in two directions) integrated into one box which makes for a tidy and compact solution compared with my EV-1 unit with the home vacuum attached that I have to spin myself.

On the top plate of the Record Doctor, next to the drive motor/spindle is the bottom vacuum opening, surrounded by microfiber edging. To the left of that is an aluminum vacuum extension arm with a similar opening and microfiber edging on its underside. As the drive motor turns a treated record for drying, the suction of the vacuum pulls both the bottom of the record itself onto the top plate opening and the aluminum arm down onto the top of the record. Basically, this creates a vacuum “clamp” onto the spinning vinyl that sucks up the cleaning fluid on both sides after a few rotations in either direction.

The Record Doctor X comes with a 4-ounce bottle of premixed cleaning agent, a very nice quality goat hair applicator brush, and a straightforward sheet of instructions.

Using the Record Doctor X is a pretty straightforward process. Once the removable vacuum arm is set in place and turned off to the side, the dirty record is set onto the spindle. Turn the drive motor on and apply a thin bead of cleaning solution across the radius of the record grooves. As the treated album continues to turn, use the goat hair brush to spread the applied fluid across the grooves evenly. Once that is done, turn off the rotation motor, flip the album over, and repeat the procedure on the album’s other side. Once both sides have been treated with cleaner, turn the rotation motor off and screw down the record clamp snugly over the spindle. Next, turn the motor on (in any direction) and then turn on the vacuum suction. Lower and rotate the vacuum arm until it makes contact with the record surface. Now as the record spins both sides are being suctioned up by the vacuum system. After about three rotations, reverse the direction of the motor while the vacuum remains on and let the record spin another three rotations to complete the cleaning routine and the record looks dry. Turn off the vacuum and the spindle motor, unscrew the record clamp and your record is clean, dry, and ready to play. I was pleasantly surprised at the suction power of the X. I supposed for the unit’s physical size I was prepared not to be impressed at the vacuum performance. My bad.

To test the Record Doctor X, I selected a variety of records I had on hand to clean. I had about a half dozen that I purchased from a used record shop in downtown Columbus recently. While the grooves were in good shape, the records themselves had a fair amount of dust, fingerprints, and accumulated grime on them. I pulled another half dozen from my collection that I specifically had previously cleaned with my EV-1 manual record cleaner, but the records still had noticeable surface noise, pops, and whatnot on them. I also picked a handful of new records that, for whatever reason, had dust, fingerprints, or some noticeable grime from the pressing process.

In each case, the Record Doctor X did an excellent and complete job in cleaning and drying each of my records. Even on the dirtiest used record store find, one cleaning cycle was enough to clean the record completely. Four of the used records were now totally noise-free with only two having light surface noise remaining. Of the 6 previously cleaned records from my collection all but one were completely relieved of surface noise and pops. That one troublesome record’s noise issue I suspect has more to do with poor pressing than any dirt or grime. Finally, the brand-new records looked completely shiny and spotless after cleaning, and each played flawlessly.

The instruction sheet recommends draining the internal reservoir of any dirty cleaning fluid that might accumulate after about 25 cleanings. Pulling the plug produced a short stream and several drips of dirty fluid draining into the trash. Everything about using the Record Doctor X is easy and efficient and most importantly, the results are effective.

Were there any issues with Record Doctor X at all? My only nitpick with the cleaning system lies not with the unit itself but with the goat hair brush. I found the included brush to be not very effective in distributing the fluid over the surface of a record. I would invariably have to apply significantly more cleaner than suggested in the instructions.

I did find that using the comparable microfiber cleaning brush from my manual EV-1 cleaning machine worked significantly better than the Record Doctor brush at both scrubbing and distributing cleaning fluid. I found myself consistently using it with the Record Doctor X to get the best results.

The Record Doctor X record cleaning system is the perfect maintenance accessory for the serious vinyl enthusiast.

I find absolutely no reason not to strongly recommend the Record Doctor X cleaner for someone who is looking to step up from a completely manual record cleaning experience, but may not be ready to go the ultrasonic route. It is a sturdy and compact unit that is well-built and offers powerful dual-sided vacuum suction that isn’t offensively loud. At almost $600.00 it is a powerful, efficient, and effective solution to clean a large number of records in fairly short order. All I would like to see is a microfiber cleaning brush to replace the goat hair brush and maybe include a simple dust cover in the package instead of offering one as an extra cost option. Otherwise, the Record Doctor X is a superb way to keep your vinyl collection clean and sounding at its best. Highly recommended!