I have an old, Keith Monks Classic record cleaning machine dating from the late 1970s. Late last year, however, the old machine required a service, needing several replacement spare parts.
I fired up the Keith Monks website, found the parts and ordered them. What I got in response was a phone call from Jonathan Monks himself asking why I was still using the antique record cleaning machine when he had developed a much better, modern model.
I explained the setup I was using and he insisted his new Prodigy Plus machine would easily trump my combo; in fact, he was so confident that he offered to send me one to try out in addition to sending the spares I had ordered.
Intrigued, I accepted the offer and awaited the arrival with some scepticism.
Cleans vinyl + CD + DVD + Blu-ray!
The machine duly arrived and was set up ready for testing. The new arrival was a Prodigy Plus with new Monks discOvery™ 33/45 vinyl cleaner and a separate fluid for cleaning CD/DVD/ Blu-ray Discs - discOvery™ Digital. These new cleaners would enable every disc I owned (including 78 shellacs) to benefit from the Prodigy machine.
The Prodigy Plus is significantly smaller than my old Classic, very modern in its bamboo casework and much quieter in operation. Every part of the mechanics is new: motor, pump, and suction arm, including a new design of suction nozzle which replaces the old cord buffer arrangement.
As you may imagine, I was eager to begin testing Prodigy Plus against all my previous vinyl and digital cleaning systems and fluids on disc after disc. It wasn't much better... it was a whole world better!
"It wasn't much better... it was a whole world better!"
It is fast and simple in operation: about two and a half minutes per side on 12 inch vinyl and only about 30 seconds per CD! This speed enabled me to clean any disc before playing it during a normal music listening session. The speed is definately an issue when I quickly realised that I no longer wanted to listen to an uncleaned disc!
I have several thousand LPs, only slightly fewer CDs and hundreds of DVDs and Blu-ray discs. I mention Blu-ray because that was the killer demo even after I got used to the music disc improvements.The effect was a stunning improvement in video clarity, colour and definition. It is only a slight exaggeration to compare the change to that between the picture using my old but "best in class" Sony HD projector and the newer 4K Sony owned by a close friend. Undoubtedly his is better but I no longer lust after the 4K device because the gap is now acceptably small!
Now I have the Prodigy Plus I buy only Blu-ray… in fact, I have started replacing favourite old DVD films with Blu-ray versions. It is like comparing 1980s CDs with recent 96KHz/24 bit digital remastering. I have been replacing favourite CDs for some time already. The better the original, the bigger the improvement.
So, what are the really important improvements that Prodigy brings?
First and foremost, my musical enjoyment of known and loved recordings was greatly enhanced and I heard things on many discs I didn't know were there. Among them were the sounds musicians make playing their instruments: breathing noises, sighing, coughing and quietly singing along with the music, instrument clicks, creaks and mechanical noises (like piano mechanical pedal operations).
In Jazz music, players often add verbal expression to their work. Keith Jarret is a famous example, but it turns out to be much more common than you think. Record producers clearly try to eliminate it with careful microphone placement and mixing tricks - I think it is called 'production values'. The result is the sound of the instruments without any musician content, or so they hope, but it is often there in the background if you can resolve it.
That increased resolution is a delight to me, as is the increased ambience of the recording venue. I have always enjoyed hearing this and have sought out non-studio recordings to be able to hear musicians playing together naturally rather than the modern studio practice of isolating musicians physically from each other and then giving them headphones to hear the others via the mixing desk. For me, this results in a very sterile sound, whilst playing music together is very collaborative - like a conversation, where your contribution is influenced by that of the others.
"I can no longer be bothered to listen to or to watch a disc that has not had the Prodigy Plus treatment!"
These improvements add to the stereo experience of a soundstage between the loudspeaker (which itself is an experience improved by maximising the distance between the loudspeakers in your system).
I picked up on the Jonathan Monks suggestion of perfection to further wash each side cleaned with distilled water to remove any last vestiges of his cleaning fluid. I tested that procedure and found it beneficial, subjectively adding about 5% to 10% to the unwashed improvement. This, of course, doubles the cleaning time. It is a counsel of perfection!
Clearly, this is a very enthusiastic review. All I can add is that I can no longer be bothered to listen to or to watch a disc that has not had the Prodigy Plus treatment!
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Here are some examples of the changes brought by the Prodigy Plus, cleaning some of Russ's better-known CDs and LPs.
Van Morrison.Album: Back On Top
Track 4: Back On Top
All tracks benefit from the marked reduction in harsh edginess on Van's vocals, caused, perhaps, by the use of a vocal enhancer and/or singing too close to the microphone. It is a feature of all 26 of his albums I own. I like his work but hate that aspect of it!
Musically, there is an improvement in rhythm and timing (R & T), increased depth of image and stereo perspective. Resolution improves to the point that all sounds are cleaner and clearer but I can now hear the contribution of Brian Kennedy, his backing vocalist. His voice is very similar to Van’s but softer, adding body without distraction. I was thrilled to be able to hear this clearly after years of wondering when he was actually singing!
All of this applies to every track on the disc.
Cowboy Junkies.Album: The Trinity Session
Track 1: Mining for Gold
This is a "live" track recorded in Trinity Church and Margo Timmins's voice is very clearly separated out from the church air- conditioning noise making the row clearer and less distracting. Sibilance is cleaner too. Her voice can be clearly heard echoing in the background and this all adds to the atmosphere of the performance. The rest of the album is recorded in a studio.
Track 10: Sweet Jane
The band's instruments sound cleaner and Margo's voice now stands further forward making her easier to hear. Bass has more weight and drive.
Paul Simon.Album: Graceland
Track 1: The Boy in the Bubble
Though this is a classic album, the over-produced hard-driving recordings rob the music of much of its musicality, joy and emotional integrity which is clearly audible on Simon's live concert performances. My favourite is his Graceland African Concert recorded on location in Harare, Zimbabwe which is available on DVD as well as CD.
Cleaning the CD with the Prodigy Plus takes the edge off this first track and pulls the voice out from the band and lets you hear more of the interesting background sounds that give a sense of depth.
Track 2: Graceland
Cleaning calms and separates the backing elements and takes some attack out of the vocal, but not enough for me. I have played my favourite songs on this album many times when I don't want the bother of finding them on the African Concert DVD.
Track 5: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
A much more relaxed and musical duet with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but weak in comparison with the African Concert. Compare this also with the same recording reissued on The Best of Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Universal 564337-2). It reveals the overload (by about 5dBs) of this Graceland release: a very irritating trait of popular CD production causing overload distortion on many CD players - a 2012 release on CD in my case. The vinyl was issued in 1987 (see also the review of the vinyl release, below).
Paul Simon.Album: Graceland. Vinyl, original release
I cleaned and washed the LP with Prodigy and compared it to the CD release.
Track 5, Side One: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.
This is what vinyl can deliver over CD when well-mastered. More R & T, more fun and pleasure in the listening experience... this is what I fell in love with! I wonder what a really good CD Mastering Engineer could do with modern 96kHz/24-bit equipment?
Bob Dylan. Album: Blonde on Blonde.
Pure nostalgia! On every track, a clean on the Prodigy lifts the performance by clarifying the contribution of the backing musicians, almost bringing them into the same room as Dylan. At last, there is the chance of identifying the cryptically recorded instruments! They had sounded as if they were in the next room with the door shut! Now someone has opened the door. Pure magic.
Al Dimeola, John Mc Laughlin, Paco de Lucia. Album: Friday Night in San Francisco (Live recording).
Track 2: Short Tales of the Black Forest.
I have a copy of the original vinyl release and compared that with the CD (the 20-bit digitally remastered reissue, label number COL 489007 2).
Both LP and CD were Prodigy Plus cleaned and washed. Whilst the vinyl is vastly better than the original 1980s CD issue, the 20-bit remastering reverses the position, being both more musical and giving greater dynamic range. This lifts the live theatre ambience and audience contribution and makes the guitars easier to identify one from another, and the players more solidly placed in the stereo sound stage.
Before and after comparisons showed how much more worthwhile Prodigy Plus cleaning is with better material: it can take you right into the occasion.
Keith Jarrett.Album: The Koln Concert. Vinyl ECM 1064/65 ST 1975 264 1064 and CD ECM 1064/65 810 067-2 (original 1984 all four-track version).
An incredible piece of music recorded flawlessly in 1975, suffering only from a few inherent physical problems of vinyl: higher background noise, limited dynamics and mechanical print through from one groove to the next, when compared to CD’s possibilities. I say 'possibilities' because this 1984 CD mastering shows clearly what was possible but rarely delivered from the beginning of the CD era.
Totally captivating and involving as the vinyl is, the CD version has silent backgrounds and huge dynamic range, letting you hear clearly not only the extraneous sounds the musician contributes but the concert hall ambience, audience reactions and the clear top end clanging noises of that inferior piano. You would easily think this was a modern 96kHz/24-bit digital remaster.
The Prodigy Plus cleaning shows just how good both the original vinyl and CD mastering was.
Jacqueline Du Pre.Album: Elgar Cello Concerto/Sea Pictures. EMI Classics CDC 7 47329 2. Recorded 1965, CD issue 1986.
Superbly recorded, this scintillating and emotional performance is shunned by many music buffs for being too emotionally uncontrolled for serious consideration (yes, I have heard it said!). I love it!
I view music as an essentially emotional expression that opens the heart of composer, musician and listener alike. Prodigy cleaning calms the presentation, enhances the dynamics and lets the emotional playing of Du Pre free for our enjoyment.
Russ Andrews
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