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A. Introduction and Design Concept
Thorough static neutralization of records is essential for two reasons:
- To keep records from attracting airborne dust and grit; and
- To improve sound because electrostatic fields on an LP audibly degrade the sound of the cartridge.
Record brushes almost certainly add static every time they are used to dust an LP. If it’s an ordinary brush, the fibers rubbing on the vinyl create static. If it’s “anti-static” (i.e. slightly conductive), it neatly conducts the static charge of the user’s body onto the record. Either way, the extra static attracts dust and, worse, degrades sound.
The most thorough way to neutralize static is to zap it with an active ion generator like the Mapleshade Ionoclast. Between Ionoclast zappings, the only way to eliminate the static that inevitably builds up is to use a brush that’s highly conductive and grounded. The Phonophile Record Brush is the only such record brush currently available. At the same time, it is the gentlest, least-likely-to-scratch brush, too. Underlying this is unusual, rare technology: highly conductive stainless steel fibers only 1/6 the diameter of a human hair and therefore ultra-soft. The handle is grounded with a 6' lightweight ground that plugs into the ground hole of any handy three-prong AC socket.
B. Using the Brush
- Handle the brush fibers gently; they are unlikely to break but—being 1/6 the diameter of a hair, they are easily bent out of shape.
- Plug the banana plug end of your Phonophile Brush wire into the ground receptacle (the round hole) of your nearest AC wall socket. Without this, you will not drain static from your records. The connection to the ground is 100% safe because the wall ground is connected only to earth—therefore, there can be no voltage on the ground.
- Put the record on the turntable platter and brush as you would with any other brush. We also recommend brushing the underside of the record before mounting it, for two reasons:
- To keep the underside from picking up dust from the platter; and
- To improve sound further because the underside’s static charges also degrade the sound of the cartridge (the vinyl does not shield the cartridge from the static fields on the underside).
- The banana plug prong normally makes light rather than tight contact with the ground socket. This is perfectly adequate for the ultra-high voltages of static electricity. If you think the plug has loosened too much over time, spread the prongs GENTLY (they are definitively breakable) with a very thin kitchen knife, X-acto blade or razor.
- To clean the brush if it accumulates dust and lint, use a soft fingernail brush or a soft, clean paintbrush. Lay the static draining brush down on a hard surface. Brush the stainless steel fibers using only strokes directed away from the wooden handle. Turn the static draining brush over and repeat.
FREE TIP: For perfect static neutralization we recommend an Ionolcast zapping of the record and jacket every 5 or 10 plays. |
