Over the many years i have cherished and pampered my lp collection, I have used many different cleaning solutions and treatments. DiscWasher, Nitty Gritty, Last, Vinyl Wash, The Disc Doctor's Miracle Record Cleaner and many others, some of my own concoction, have all held a prominent place in my record care regime at one time or another. I would like to acquaint you with a new kid in town that goes by the name of Vinyl-Zyme Gold. Ok, so it has been around since 1999! I'd still be willing to bet you haven't heard much about it. Well, it is time to correct that oversight, as this stuff is truly a breed apart.

Among the principal hindrances to the enjoyment of the delicate LP format is that of their foreseeable deterioration with repeated play and the related problems concerning their preservation. In fact, many of today's audiophiles site 'surface noise' and the pops and clicks that develop over time as the primary reason they prefer CD playback. To this day I prefer the spaciousness and the warmth of a good LP, even with an occasional tick or crackle, to most any compact disc out there. Along with that passion, I cheerfully acknowledge that proper and regular record care is crucial to the format's enjoyment. It is no secret that moisture and dust, as well as air pollutants and contaminants, deposit themselves into the grooves of your records. These contaminants not only get in the way, but they actually complicate the matter as they provide food and a haven for bacteria and fungi (molds and mildew), which will attach to and grow in your grooves. We don't need no stinkin' bacteria.

You often see the word 'new' used to describe something that decidedly isn't. This is not one of those cases. To this point in my experience, record cleaners have been comprised of solvents, detergents or "surfactants," or some combination of those ingredients. Some more extreme measures, like LAST's now discontinued power cleaner, used CFC's to help loosen and remove the left over mould release agents before the use of such harmful chemical products was banned. While those solutions may have successfully dissolved most oily and fatty contaminants, they may not have been the most effective at breaking up and removing the abundant microbial attachments from the grooves.

Enter Vinyl-Zyme Gold, developed by Dr. Kevin Blair, the chief design engineer for Buggtussel in Portage, Michigan. Kevin's Ph.D. is in neuroscience/zoology, but his dedication to audio excellence in general and loudspeakers in particular dates back to the late 1970's. Though primarily trained in science, (his father was a student of the violin, recorded music and an Organic Chemist who was Vice President of Dow Chemical), he also studied voice and piano.

His undergraduate work was in biology, theater and religion. His graduate work was also in biology, with his masters earned in insecticide toxicology. By the early 1980's, he migrated to making recordings of live music and nature, using both conventional and binaural recording techniques. By the mid 1980's, Kevin had moved into the development of instrumentation, leading to, among other things, a transducer utilized in the ground breaking POSDAM (POSition Dependent Amplitude Modulation) analysis of driver dynamic linearity and symmetry (see JAES Reprint 5024 H-5 from 1999).

Now, if you get the idea that this guy is serious about what he does, you've been paying attention. Kevin felt strongly that commercial record cleaners to date had sorely missed the mark, and he brought his considerable biological understanding to bear. According to him, alcohol and surfactants don't dissolve proteins or carbohydrate complexes. Rather, they actually denature these microbial structures, amplifying their tenacity to adhere to the vinyl creating grit and debris, making them even harder to remove. Worse yet, this grit can now be burnished into the grooves of your LP during play, irrevocably damaging their playback.

This led him to approach record cleaning with a different perspective. Vinyl-Zyme Gold is an aqueous solution of performed, natural enzymes, whose enzymatic action mimics the biological digestion process to break down microbial attachment. It contains no alcohol, detergents or other man-made chemicals, which make it, among other things, non-toxic and environmentally friendly. It is safe for everyday use on vinyl or shellac discs, as well as on all optical discs.

Vinyl-Zyme Gold is available in three strengths: Regular, Extra Strength and Concentrate. Regular is for everyday use, general disc cleaning, or if a record vacuum system is not available. The extra strength formulation has 4 times the deep cleansing enzyme activity of the regular strength solution for more rapid deep cleansing while the concentrate can be used to prepare both regular and extra strength mixes.

My one and only complaint about the product is that its usage is not clearly denoted on the bottle. I mistakenly used a bottle of the extra strength formulation following the regular directions. While this didn't hurt anything, it was not cost-effective and I used the bottle up much more quickly than was necessary. And, had I gone to the website before I used it, I could have avoided that blunder. That aside, V-ZG is simply the finest, most effective cleaning solution I have ever used on older, vintage recordings, PERIOD.

Application could not be easier. If you don't have a vacuum powered cleaning machine, you can apply the regular strength V-ZG with a brush, following the instructions included with the product. As I regularly use such a device, I mixed one 2-ounce bottle of the concentrate with one gallon of distilled water, and then filled the reservoir of my Nitty Gritty 1.5Fi. Thus prepared, I pumped this special fluid from the reservoir until I had thoroughly wet the leading edge of its cleaning brush. With my Columbia six eye of Dave Brubeck's 'Time Out' [CS-8192] clamped in place, I let the motor turn the record for three full revolutions, thoroughly wetting side one of the record. After about 2 minutes (30-60 seconds is recommended, but I figured longer couldn't hurt), I fired up the vacuum and motor and let the Nitty Gritty suck all the fluid and debris off the surface of the record, revealing a dry and optically shinny 12-inch LP. It was time for some listening.

This copy of the 1958 milestone came to me from the father of a dear friend, and has been played regularly over the years. Cleaned many times with all varieties of cleaners, though it has always sounded good, it was not flawless. It should be clear that I know this record very well. After one cleaning with Buggtussel's Vinyl-Zyme Gold, the bloody thing sounded like a completely different record!

The first thing that was glaringly apparent was a new level of silence and quietness to the run in section before the first cut, 'Blue Rhondo, a la Turk.' Though it was not dead silent, it was markedly quieter than I can ever recall. This had two extraordinarily strong effects.

The greatly reduced surface noise allowed for more of the illusion of real music and less of the reality that it was actually a 12-inch LP spinning on a platter. Secondly, and more interestingly, the opening cords struck out like a thunderous clap from a darker, deeper quietness, adding a powerful effect that I can hardly describe. No matter what cleaners I've used or how often I have cleaned this wonderful record, it has never had the musical power that this first cleaning with V-ZG had allowed to shine through.

As the record played on, I became aware of both a more buoyant lilt to the piano, to all instruments actually, as well as a stronger, more natural sonority that I could not recall having noted on this particular recording. As well as the enhanced pace and richer timbre, subtle spatial cues and delicate details like brush strokes on cymbals or lighter, more restrained piano fingerings were revealed with more aplomb and finesse. Although it may be an overworked analogy, I was suddenly viewing all aspects of the music, from timbre to detail, through a much clearer lens. The positive effects of this cleaning were unparalleled in my experience, save having that heightened perspective on less than deserving recordings.

These same sonic attributes were revealed over and over with almost every recording I cleaned with V-ZG, from my early blues recordings to my mid seventies rock records. About the only recordings that it seemed to have little affect upon were those of newer release; ones that I have purchased new within the last two or three years. On those, I have found that products like Duane Goldman's Miracle Record Cleaner seem to be more effective at removing the Teflon based mould release agents used to allow the record to slide free of the stamper more readily.

Yet on the older prized records in my collection as well as all of my recently acquired 'pre-owned' recordings, Vinyl-Zyme Gold has proven to be unsurpassed for the degree of quietness and life it restores to all but the most badly soiled or damaged recordings. In my four months or so of use, I have found no downside or negative experience with this remarkable product. It has become my benchmark for record cleaning fluids.

My RCA 'Shaded Dogs' and Mercury 'Living Presence' recordings have taken on a new vitality and degree of verve that, after all my years of cleaning and playing, I would have believed impossible before Vinyl-Zyme Gold. Buggtussel's Vinyl-Zyme Gold is simply unequaled for the cleaning and enjoyment of older LP's. Call Kevin and order your first bottle today. If you value the sonic treasure your LP's reveal as much as me, it will not be your last.

"Music is the art of thinking with sounds" —Ludwig van Beethoven

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