A PERSONAL NOTE FROM CHARLES KIRMUSS, FOUNDER:
Happy and Safe July 4th to our US Customers, and a belated Happy Canada Day!
AS TO EVENTS OUTSIDE OF OUR USUAL TRADE SHOW CIRCUIT:
Two upcoming events are planned. Texas and Chicago.
As usual, bring us a record to restore from home! Before and after restoration auditioning and spectral measurement are part of our event.
>Meeting with the Houston Audio Society, (HAS), August 4th, 2 PM.
Specials and prizes for attendees.
Organized by iBelieve Audio and HAS President Joshua Masongsong. An event not to be missed. Reservations: (512) 470-2709
Details to follow.
>Holm Audio Music Matters Event September 12,13, Chicago.
Special event with the representatives from Hegel, KEF, Lumin, Margules, Puritan, and VIABLUE Cables. Special note where Julian Margules will be present to discuss how our mind processes music and the ultimate goal, how can we develop test gear to measure this.
Specials and Prizes abound.
Reservations recommended for prize registration: (630) 663-1298
FOOD FOR THOUGHT...
1) So, Is there proof as to record groove restoration? Can we measure the effectiveness of any record cleaning process? Do these processes do anything more than just to shine a record... We surely can!
Visit our KirmussAudio YouTube channel. Two short video clips show two records that were brought in by their owners at the CONSAM and Kirmuss-Margules audio event in Mexico City this past November. Records brought in for us to restore were previously cleaned using a vacuum based cleaning machine and a 120KHz ultrasonic. As we do at all events, a before and after auditioning was performed.
In the video:
Connected was a spectrum analyzer.
See, hear and feel the results of Kirmuss Record Groove Restoration.
The KirmussAudio KA-RC-1 is not a surface cleaner or shiner.
Unlike peers,
We state and guarantee a 1.3 to 1.4 dB gain over floor and an 8% increase in frequency response in new pressings. Between 3 and at times upwards of 9 dB gain over floor and heard and measured an 18-28% increase in frequency response in our processing vintage records of provenance unknown.
2) To dispel yourself many of the mistruth as to record care, when considering the purchase of any cleaning machine or using any chemicals or process:
>Ask what is the change in the floor noise level and frequency response of the record after processing.
>If considering an ultrasonic machine, is it a real ultrasonic using cavitation, and if so, what is the measured cavitational energy in the tank and between all records from bottom of the tank to the top, measured in Cavins or Watts per Square Centimeter.
3) About Alphason Tonearms:
Mike Knowles in the late 70's developed most of the tonearm designs sold globally. Considered as the creator of the modern day tonearm, some sold by SME, and of which his HR-100S saw 25% of its UK production sold to the US through SOTA. In 1985, The Absolute Sound called it the best tonearm in the world and was their reference standard. His latest design released at AXPONA 2024, the HR-200S, is NOW AVAILABLE AT SOTA.
KirmussAudio is proud to support Mike's NEXT REFERENCE STANDARD in tonearms, and are honored to be the service and support center for Alphason in North America.
Details: www.alphasonaudio.com
FAQs
A: You can clean two 33 1/3, one 45, and one 78 at the same time. The spacing between the records is crucial to the process, any larger number of record within the same space reduces the advantage of the ultrasonic that works the surfactant into the record grooves.
To the bath: We suggest you change out the distilled water with the 1.4 ounces of 70% IPA in the tank after restoring between 15 to 20 records or when the water becomes murky. Severely contaminated records will show up with murky water in the tub. Do not let the water stand in the restoration system overnight. It will grow fungus once the alcohol has evaporated. Please discard.
A: You should be able to clean between 100 and 150 records before requiring a new spray bottle. (60 mL). The number of applications depends on the number of 5 minute cycles that you require to restore the record. Eight applications would see less records restored, around 60.
Also available: a 300 mL refill bottle. This is approximately 20% lower in cost.
