AUGUST, 2020 - AudioQuest's (relatively) new carbon fibre record cleaning brush represents the next generation of carbon fibre record cleaning brushes. The original brush, which has been in production for close to forty years, has pretty much been the go-to standard carbon fibre record cleaning brush for almost everybody who has ever cleaned a record. If you have the original one, it's time to replace it with the new one.
The original brush, it seems - although good - doesn't provide a good electrical path between the fibres and the handle, which is the static electricity "ground" discharge point, to your hand. In other words, you are the ground. The original brush's design inhibits the static-electricity's path to ground - you - which doesn't do much good for your records.
AudioQuest has re-designed the brush almost from the ground up, and the result is the new brush, which has what the company is calling "ideal conductivity" coming up from the carbon fibres through the brush's internal parts to the conductive gold contacts placed close to your fingers, one of which you can see in the photo.
The new brush is priced the same as the old one, and it really is worth the investment because it actually does a really good job. I've had mine for about six months (update: almost three years) now and I can honestly report that it's the best carbon fibre record cleaning brush I've ever used.
But you have to know how to use it, so here's a brief tutorial: gently hold the brush so it barely contacts the spinning record. Then use a front-to-back scooping (as opposed to sweeping) motion to lift away the dust. The rear-mounted set of bristles will pick up what the front ones miss. Repeat the process a couple of times and then simply use the handle to clear dust from the bristles. Never use your fingers.
The only thing I don't like about the brush is the way the handle is attached to it. It's the same crappy plastic two-pin connection the old brush had, which means you'll be putting the handle back onto the brush a lot because it's always falling off. Other than this little annoyance, it's a great brush. Get one. Don't even think about it.
AUGUST, 2020 - AudioQuest's (relatively) new carbon fibre record cleaning brush represents the next generation of carbon fibre record cleaning brushes. The original brush, which has been in production for close to forty years, has pretty much been the go-to standard carbon fibre record cleaning brush for almost everybody who has ever cleaned a record. If you have the original one, it's time to replace it with the new one.
The original brush, it seems - although good - doesn't provide a good electrical path between the fibres and the handle, which is the static electricity "ground" discharge point, to your hand. In other words, you are the ground. The original brush's design inhibits the static-electricity's path to ground - you - which doesn't do much good for your records.
AudioQuest has re-designed the brush almost from the ground up, and the result is the new brush, which has what the company is calling "ideal conductivity" coming up from the carbon fibres through the brush's internal parts to the conductive gold contacts placed close to your fingers, one of which you can see in the photo.
The new brush is priced the same as the old one, and it really is worth the investment because it actually does a really good job. I've had mine for about six months (update: almost three years) now and I can honestly report that it's the best carbon fibre record cleaning brush I've ever used.
But you have to know how to use it, so here's a brief tutorial: gently hold the brush so it barely contacts the spinning record. Then use a front-to-back scooping (as opposed to sweeping) motion to lift away the dust. The rear-mounted set of bristles will pick up what the front ones miss. Repeat the process a couple of times and then simply use the handle to clear dust from the bristles. Never use your fingers.
The only thing I don't like about the brush is the way the handle is attached to it. It's the same crappy plastic two-pin connection the old brush had, which means you'll be putting the handle back onto the brush a lot because it's always falling off. Other than this little annoyance, it's a great brush. Get one. Don't even think about it.
