If you missed it Saturday, you really missed it. Perfect Vinyl Forever took over the second floor at Ultra Fidelis and showed everyone the hierarchy of all record cleaning schemes, which, of course, PVF tops handily, before breaking out the Full Record Cleaning Army (Steve Evans and his two daughters). They put up their assembly line and then set about making vinyl sound (even more) incredible.

Kaitlyn’s photos give you a good idea of the scope of the process, but you really must hear the results! I have been playing little other than my PVF-ed vinyl in the days since, and, as I said in my previous Musing, it has begun to feel like an addiction. A very sweet and lovely addiction. The degree to which the process removes artifacts of vinyl playback is surprising. These were things that I had come to think were forever part of the sound of records and they are gone, leaving behind a much more open door to the music–it’s tone, space and essence.

The “tone” thing is particularly cool. It is an area folks have long observed as a vinyl benefit over most digital, and PVF just takes it further. Matt has noticed it on the two records he got cleaned on Saturday. He described his original Vanguard pressing of Mississippi John Hurt’s “The Immortal...”, which he treated to the full Archival process, as, “way ‘richer’ if that makes sense.” It sure does. And it transformed it from a record he never really gave full attention to, because of the sound, to one that is now on a par with his other MJH records and fully satisfying.

Describing “Monk’s Dream,” a Columbia LP that received the standard Ultra Deep cleanse, he noted, “more ‘bass’ in the midrange, like a fuller, ‘chewy’ center! It is like a new record to me!” This mirrors my experience precisely. Removing ALL the stuff between the stylus and the groove does wonders for tonal balance in addition to all the micro details that come to the fore.

Ultra Fidelis is now your official drop-off site for records you want to get PVF-ed. We have some 60-count cartons if you’re ready to take the deep plunge. Or simply drop off what you want to get cleaned in your own container. Five bucks per for the Ultra Deep and seven if you want the Archival.

Also, we will be hosting Steve and the Perfect Vinyl Forever team once again on Saturday, December 2, also a Coffee day, for an all day cleaning jamboree (11:00-4:00 PM). Steve will kick it off at 11:00 with an overview of the process. Normal pricing will apply, but if you missed this past Saturday’s event, you’ll get a chance to see the process in action. Bring as many records as you want, but realize that only a few may be cleaned “live.” The rest will be returned upon completion. See you then!

Perfect Vinyl Forever is a Game Changer