The Loricraft PRC3 Professional Record Cleaning System
The translation of the review in the German Audiophile Review magazine 4/2003.
by Bernhard Rietschel
While other cleaning machines start of with horrendous howl when starting the vacuum pump, the Professional Record Cleaner PRC 3 by the British company Loricraft just offers a comfortable catlike "purr."
The reason for the silence:
Instead of common vacuum motor intended for Shop Vac applications, the Loricraft machine uses a heavy-duty membrane pump made for industrial use to create the vacuum.
Especially designed to create the vacuum, this machine is capable of doing its job without any restriction. The platter runs on a needle ball bearing construction, has high quality switches, and a 5-year warranty which adds to the very comfortable impression of the product.
Pumps that use membranes create a more stable vacuum, but move less air than the noisy “blasters.”
The PRC 3 doesn’t need a higher vacuum suction. Instead of using the vacuum like a spreading spoon to cover the whole record side, the Loricraft locally sucks every spot step by step by using the nylon nozzle of the beautifully made brass vacuum arm tube.
A separately switchable gearbox motor moves the arm with a precision ball bearing construction, smoothly across the rapidly spinning record.
Therefore the suction follows a spiral line, sequential so to say, instead of parallel.
Contact, as well as creating a spacer between the record’s surface at the opening of the vacuum nozzle, is the function of the nylon thread. Each new record side gets its own new, fresh, and clean piece of thread to act as a spacer, guaranteed, as the nylon thread is advanced with each record side.
Used thread and used cleaning fluid goes down the same path. Both end up in an easily accessible spent fluid jar on the outside of the machine.
Because the arm is coupled by a magnet mechanism you are totally free to place it on any area of the record with no danger of damaging the mechanism.
All size records from 45 single records up to 16 inch electrical transcriptions (broadcast records) are easily handled.
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The Loricraft staff suggests pragmatically to use the common alcohol-water based mixtures, but admittedly, the alcohol free cleaning solution offered by the German Loricraft-ambassador Martina Schoener works even better.
By the way, regarding effectiveness:
The huge sonic boost in overtone colors and in the richness of the sound that was revealed by the PRC 3 did put the vacuum record cleaners that use the parallel suction to appear incomplete.
Unbelievable: The records did not only sound cleaner after they were cleaned by the Loricraft but indeed gave the impression of giving a higher volume.
The increased focus over the whole bandwidth appeared to be like virtually turning up the volume control.
Its efficiency, its wide range of applications, the robust construction, in addition to a minimum wear of parts (a spool of nylon thread lasts at least a few thousand records) makes the PRC 3 to be the clear champion of this contest (comparison to competitor’s products).
This is the English translation of the rating:
First green bar reaching "überragend" means Efficiency (performance) = Excellent
Second green bar reaching "überragend" means noise level (or silence) = Excellent
The third green bar reaching "seh gut" means ease of operation = Very good
In Summary
The Loricraft PRC 3 is not a cheap machine but because of its expensive design and construction, and its "bulletproof" build quality, it is not expensive at all (...or worth every penny.) It may be a little larger than other machines but very efficient, quiet, but doesn’t require frequent, expensive servicing.
Compared to all machines:
Loricraft PRC 3
The building quality shows that it is made with loving care.
It is very quiet, very thorough in its performance, and has no need for extraordinary maintenance. In addition to that it cleans every size record, including 16” electrical transcriptions.