Origins
The vinyl era dates back to 1948, when Columbia Records issued the very first 33rpm LP, a recording of Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, with soloist Nathan Milstein and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Bruno Walter. But it wasn’t until the mid-1960s that the challenge of keeping records clean was seriously addressed. That happened when Percy Wilson, then technical editor of the UK classical-music magazine Gramophone, wrote a series of papers on the subject for the Audio Engineering Society.
For several years, Wilson had been working on various prototypes of a record-cleaning machine (RCM), an endeavor that culminated in two patented inventions: the Record Player Cleaner and the Record Doctor. The Record Player Cleaner was an ingenious cleaning arm that fit onto a turntable and brushed the groove just ahead of the stylus. A suction tube was mounted above the brush to draw contaminants off the record. It was simple and effective.
Gramophone magazine’s Percy Wilson got the record-cleaning ball rolling
The Record Doctor was a different beast entirely. Without question, this clever free-standing wet-cleaning machine influenced the design of every fluid-based vacuum RCM that followed. The Record Doctor employed four different devices to clean a record: a liquid applicator, groove scrubber, suction mop (an arrangement of tubes, complete with rayon lips supporting a standard cigarette filter), and a spinning brush for final drying and polishing. It was fiendishly complex to operate and quite large, about the size of a sideboard, and would have been far too expensive to mass-produce. It was a proof of concept, though, and it was revolutionary.
The Record Doctor was presented to the Audio Engineering Society in New York in October 1965 to great acclaim. The device caught the attention of Audio and Design, a small firm headed by John Wright, a fellow scribe at Gramophone, and Mike Beville. The two, alongside engineers Pete Keeley and Frank Ockendon, spent two years refining the Record Doctor’s design and adding many new features. Percy’s original transverse motor-driven suction mop was replaced by a pickup-arm mechanism for sucking the cleaning fluid off the record. The suction mop, with its cigarette filter and rayon lips, was replaced by a plastic nozzle. An adapted Lenco turntable supported and rotated the record while it was being cleaned. The gearing was changed to spin the platter at 80 rpm, and a string system was introduced to sit between the record and the suction head (more on this later).
Prototype parts in 1968
As the target customers for this complex machine were archives and libraries, which would likely be processing large numbers of records, it was considered necessary to provide a heavy-duty mechanism for dispensing the cleaning fluid. An old Delco windshield-washer system, designed for automotive use, was found to be a good solution. Today, high-end Keith Monks RCMs use the windshield-washer system from the 1960s Mini! The team dismissed the idea of using a vacuum-cleaner motor for the suction pump because of the noise and heat it would generate, not to mention the damage vacuumed cleaning fluid may wreak if ingested into the motor. A higher-grade motor designed for medical laboratory applications was chosen instead.
Resurrection
Keen to recoup their investment in R&D, Audio and Design hired a young marketing manager named Keith Monks to help sell their now-production-ready RCM. Monks had previously worked for several tape-recorder companies and had contacts with numerous audio dealers and broadcasters. With a view to attract the biggest potential customer in European broadcasting, the BBC, five preproduction units were built. At that time the BBC was busy rolling out its new VHF stereo network, and the vastly increased broadcast quality demanded higher standards than ever for vinyl replay with respect to clarity and surface noise. Technical staff at the BBC had recognized the potential of the Audio and Design RCM and had been following its development with much interest.
The first Audio and Design prototype
A week before a critical meeting with the head of BBC engineering, Monks took the machine home for the weekend to work on pricing. When he returned to work the following Monday, he found the place locked. A phone call later that day confirmed his suspicion: the company had gone bust—just days before that pivotal meeting with the BBC and, potentially, a great turn of fortune.
Monks had to decide now whether to go ahead with the meeting, Audio and Design’s closure notwithstanding. Fortunately for vinyl lovers worldwide, he did, and he walked away from that meeting with orders for three machines. Monks proceeded to acquire the rights to the design and employed Pete Keeley of Keesonic to hand-build the machines. The BBC received the first of the three Keith Monks RCMs in December 1969 and the other two soon after. These three units performed brilliantly at the BBC and proved invaluable to the organization, which has continued to procure updated versions to this day.
Inside the original Keith Monks Art and Design prototype
By the early 1970s, radio stations worldwide were using Keith Monks RCMs, and the firm became one of the most successful audio-accessory manufacturers in the world. At the same time, Keesonic, too, was enjoying a growing reputation, and an increased demand for its loudspeakers. Looking ahead, in light of the growth of both firms, Monks decided to bring manufacturing in-house. He set up his first factory in Fleet, Hampshire.
Keith Monks at CES in 1978
Monks continued to refine the design of his RCM and to supply it to prestigious organizations, from the US Library of Congress to the British Library—this was, after all, the golden age of vinyl. In 1977, the firm presented a unique silver unit to Queen Elizabeth II for her silver jubilee.
The next generation
The switch from vinyl to CD took many years, but by the late 1990s CDs largely supplanted vinyl, and the demand for RCMs, and their sale, had dwindled markedly. Keith Monks elected to close up shop and pursue a quieter life in the southwest of England. He continued to hand-build machines to order on a small scale right up until he died, in 2005. His son Jonathan recounts, “The very last thing I said to him was, ‘I’m thinking of bringing it back.’ He never asked what it was. He just smiled big and welled up, as did I. So I’m on a bit of a mission to keep his flag flying and maybe even to fly it a little higher.”
Keith Monks and his son Jonathan with a copy of the Beatles’ “Help” on 45 rpm in 1965
Whlie Keith Monks was winding down his company, Terry O’Sullivan, owner of Loricraft, then a manufacturer of turntable plinths, created his own version of the Monks RCM design and continued its development. When O’Sullivan retired, he sold Loricraft to the British hi-fi brand SME, which further improved the design and the finish. I had the pleasure of reviewing the Loricraft PRC6i last year. It was a magnificent record-cleaning machine, superior to any I had used before.
Keith Monks’s son Jonathan, who heads the firm today
With vinyl resurgent by 2008, Jonathan relaunched Keith Monks Audio Works and established a 2000-square-foot factory on the Isle of Wight, just off the south coast of England. Initially, two models were offered: first the high-end and beautiful Discovery One, then the Redux. These machines were built to stand up to heavy commercial use, which was reflected in their price. In recent years, Jonathan has turned his attention to producing a more affordable RCM for domestic use, one that would match the effectiveness of his flagship models. This eventually led to the development of the Prodigy range.
Is the Keith Monks Redux the coolest record-cleaning machine ever made?
The base model in the Prodigy line is the Prodigy Primary, which retails for $1395 in the US (prices in this review are shown in USD). It has a bamboo cabinet with two reservoir compartments on the top for the clean and dirty cleaning fluid and is supplied with a revolving brush similar to a small paint roller. The motor is a slightly de-rated version of the one in the more advanced models. The Prodigy Primary cleans and dries by vacuum each LP side in two and a half minutes.
The Keith Monks Prodigy Primary
Next up in the range is the Prodigy Plus ($1495), the subject of this review. This model features a higher-torque, quieter motor, adjustable interior RGB LED lighting, and a drip pad, which absorbs excess cleaning fluid that spills over the rim of the rotating record. This model can wash and dry a 12″ LP side in around two minutes and 15 seconds.
Prodigy Plus with LED lighting and upgraded motor
The next model up the line comes in either a satin blue finish, the Prodigy Blue Deluxe, or a satin white finish, the Prodigy Galileo Deluxe, both priced at $2195. The Deluxe models are based on an even higher-quality, higher-torque, quieter motor. They feature automatic shutoff after cleaning is complete and include the discOvery brush used in the company’s professional RCMs, which is claimed to offer deeper cleaning than the microfiber wand supplied with the lower-priced models. The Prodigy Deluxe can wash and vacuum each record side in two minutes.
Prodigy Blue Deluxe
The $2595 Prodigy Monarch has an even higher-spec motor and comes in a royal burgundy satin finish with white and bamboo accents. This flagship model features a vacuum gauge and comes with a signed certificate of authenticity. In its fast-clean mode, the Monarch can clean and vacuum each LP side in 1 minute 30 seconds.
Prodigy Monarch with vacuum gauge
The Prodigy models are all quite compact, measuring 6″H × 22″W × 9″D and weighing around 11 pounds. Each includes a color-matched bamboo cover, a 250ml bottle of Keith Monks discOvery 33/45 record-cleaning fluid, and a 250ml bottle of Keith Monks digital fluid, for optical discs.
Keith Monks cleaning fluids were used for the review and are recommended for the firm’s machines
Loricraft and earlier Monks machines used a cotton thread to dig contaminants out of the grooves and protect the record from direct contact with the suction head. The new models, instead, rely on a soft-tipped rubber suction head to safely contact the vinyl. It resembles the rubber tips fitted to in-ear headphones and has been specially formulated to enable effective suction without causing any damage. All the same, I was still wary of potential damage to my records. But I was also eager to see how effective this system really was.
For my audition of the Prodigy Plus, I requested the cleaning brush supplied as standard with the Prodigy Deluxe and higher models. (This brush is available as an aftermarket optional item for the Prodigy Plus and Primary.)
A simple remote handset, which enables the LED lighting to be adjusted to different colors or to a relaxing rainbow effect, or to be switched off, completes the package.
In use
The original Monks RCM was the world’s first such machine that entered production—the godfather of all that followed. Now, the Prodigy RCMs incorporate know-how acquired in more than 50 years of development and refinement. Every element of their design has been thought through. Even a feature as simple as the two reservoir compartments built into the top panel, for instance, manifests thoughtful design: no longer must the cleaning-fluid bottles be placed on the floor, there to be knocked over. On the Prodigy Plus these compartments are illuminated by pleasant LED lighting, which made it easy to see how much fluid remained in the supply bottle and when the waste-fluid bottle needed emptying. Another pleasant lighting effect is provided by a striplight that encircles the mid-section of the machine. I liked the gentle glow it gave off in the dark of a listening session.
The two illuminated compartments that house the cleaning and waste fluid are a stroke of genius
On Prodigy models, the suction arm is constructed from wood; on the higher-end Monks machines and the Loricraft models, the suction arm is metal. It’s unlikely, however, that the use of wood has any detrimental effect on performance. A plastic conduit within the arm transports used cleaning fluid from the suction head to the spent-fluid reservoir. It’s a neat, cost-saving solution, though it lacks the panache of the brazed metal arm of the more expensive RCMs.
The Prodigy’s wooden suction arm and string-free suction nozzle are innovative and work well
The controls couldn’t be simpler: an on/off switch on the right of the front fascia starts/stops the suction and the platter rotation; the supplied remote control turns the lighting on or off. The cleaning process is straightforward too: you place the record on the small rubberized platter and screw down the rubber clamp; put a few drops of cleaning fluid on the record evenly; start the platter rotating, and then hold the brush on the record for about a minute to disperse the fluid across the disc and dislodge contaminants; then, you simply place the suction arm on the inner run-out groove of the record. The arm will traverse the record from end to start in one minute, sucking up the cleaning fluid and foreign matter, leaving the record perfectly clean and dry and instantly playable.
On the Prodigy the platter direction isn’t reversible (it is on the Loricraft), but for my relatively clean collection, a single pass in one direction has always been enough. The Prodigy platter is also quite small, not much bigger than a record label, and offers no direct backing to most of the playable part of the record (the larger platter on the Loricraft supports the entire record surface). In practice, therefore, you can’t bear down hard on a flimsy record to scour it, not that I’ve ever needed to do that—neither brush benefits from being pressed down. The advantage of the smaller platter, other than allowing the machine to be more compact, is that it doesn’t contact the cleaned side when the record is flipped over.
The small label-size platter on the Prodigy
What astounded me most about the Prodigy Plus was how incredibly quiet it is in operation. It’s quieter even than the Loricraft and far quieter than other vacuum-based RCMs, such as the Pro-Ject VC-E2 and Okki Nokki One. It must be the quietest RCM I’ve ever operated or seen in operation. This is no doubt due mostly to the medical-grade pump it employs, but it may also be due to the bamboo case, bamboo being naturally a good dampener of resonance and absorber of noise. This has allowed me to run the RCM during listening sessions, something that has become a fun little ritual. A noisier RCM would have imposed on me the inconvenience of batch-cleaning records outside of my listening sessions.
My main concern with the Prodigy, as mentioned, was whether the absence of a string between the record and the suction head would lead to record damage. I’m pleased to confirm that this was never an issue. The soft rubber of the suction head left no trace of scratches or marks on any of my records. It’s worth noting that if you don’t ensure the record is sufficiently coated in cleaning fluid, the suction head will tend to stick in one place on the record. Even when this happened, no damage resulted; still, the potential for damage might be there. So be sure the record is visibly moist across its entire playing surface before lowering the vacuum head onto it.
At the end of the cleaning process, the suction arm will gently drop off the edge of the record. I put all clean records in new polyethylene-lined inner sleeves so they stay clean. This also helps keeping track of which records have been cleaned.
In terms of performance, I was amazed by the effectiveness of the Prodigy Plus. This relatively affordable machine seemed to clean just as well as the Loricraft, rendering crackly vinyl stained with fingerprints and dust almost pristine, with inky-black backgrounds. It’s no exaggeration to say that once processed by the Prodigy Plus, some of my records became so quiet they could almost be mistaken for CDs. Of course, no RCM will ever remove scratches, but the Prodigy Plus did remove everything else: fingerprints, grease, oil, beer, tea, fluff, dust—all eliminated before my very eyes.
The Prodigy in action—let the tables turn . . .
Apart from reduced background noise, I found that clarity and definition also improved, especially in the higher registers on older records. Vinyl aficionados who regularly buy secondhand ought to consider an RCM a mandatory accessory. With secondhand vinyl, there’s no telling what might be lurking in those little grooves, or how much of it might be there—not everybody treats vinyl with as much care as audiophiles do. I have recently fitted a $5K Lyra cartridge to my Michell Gyro turntable. There’s no way I’m going to drag that cartridge through 30 years of accumulated grime on any secondhand record of unknown provenance. After a couple of minutes on the Prodigy Plus, secondhand vinyl, dull and matte-gray, took on the inky-black gloss of new vinyl. And scarcely anything is more satisfying than watching an old record return to its former glory.
I also subjected new vinyl to the Prodigy Plus, using the Monks BreakTheMold 3-in-1 cleaning concentrate. Most new records I receive arrive in excellent condition. On occasion, though, a rogue one arrives with higher-than-usual surface noise. The Prodigy Plus, charged with the BreakTheMold fluid, has consistently proved effective in reducing this noise, if somewhat more subtly than with old records. Indeed, with BreakTheMold, the cleaning process is effective enough to largely obviate the need to return new vinyl due to noise. To me, that’s a compelling reason to add it to my record-cleaning armory.
Conclusion
Like many audiophiles, I have assembled a fairly high-end system and accumulated a large music and film collection over the decades. For years I’ve been pondering the idea of replacing my cheap Knosti Disco Antistat manual RCM with a vacuum-based one. I was tempted by the Loricraft, which is unquestionably a magnificent record cleaner, but it is pricey. I looked at the more affordable Pro-Ject RCMs but ruled them out, too, on account of their noise and internal fluid reservoir, which is less convenient than an external reservoir. Considering noise, fluid reservoirs, performance, and price, the Prodigy Plus stood out. It is expensive enough to be well engineered, supremely quiet, and devilishly effective but not so expensive as to be hard to justify.
The Keith Monks Prodigy Plus may be untraditional in appearance, but in terms of performance, it’s the real deal
Initially, I found the bamboo construction of the Prodigy Plus a little off-putting. The contrast it made with the sleek, high-tech look of my system seemed too jarring. Before long, though, I grew accustomed to the appearance of the Prodigy Plus in my listening room. It became a natural member of my audio ensemble. In fact, my wife remarked on how she loved the look of the Prodigy, with its cool lighting and bold design.
My one criticism is the price of the Keith Monks discOvery 33/45 fluid—a one-liter bottle costs $50. It works very well and lasts a long time, but it’s more expensive than the equally good L’Art du Son fluid recommended by Loricraft. A 100ml bottle of L’Art du Son costs $45, but it’s a concentrate; when added to distilled water it makes five liters of cleaning fluid, enough to last decades. I did not use third-party cleaning fluids with the Prodigy Plus, and I would be wary of doing so considering its reliance on lubrication of proper viscosity to avoid damage by the traversing suction head.
The Keith Monks Prodigy Plus—so good I bought it!
All told, the Prodigy Plus is an outstanding record-cleaning machine. In fact, it’s so good that I purchased the sample unit I received for this review. Consider for a moment the fact that even a modest vinyl collection of 500 records has a current replacement cost of nearly $20,000. A record-cleaning machine will protect that investment by ensuring contaminants don’t get baked into the grooves. It will reward you for years with increased clarity and vastly reduced surface noise on every record you spin. It will also minimize stylus wear, an important consideration, particularly if you run an expensive moving-coil cartridge. Listeners unable or reluctant to drop five grand on a top-end RCM will find the Prodigy Plus, or one of the other models in the Prodigy line, to be quite simply the best alternative.
. . . Jonathan Gorse
jonathan@soundstage.com
Associated Equipment
- Turntable: Michell GyroDec turntable with SME Series IV tonearm and Lyra Kleos SL cartridge.
- Phono preamplifier: Trichord Research Dino Mk 3 with Never Connected Dino+ power supply, PS Audio Stellar phono stage
- Streaming DAC: Naim Audio NDX2
- CD player: Naim CDI
- Preamplifiers: Naim NAC 82
- Power amplifier: Naim NAP 250
- Power supply: Naim HiCap
- Loudspeakers: ATC SCM40
- Power: Dedicated 100A mains spur feeding two Graham’s medical-grade six gang power blocks. Naim Hydra, Naim Powerline Lite
- Cabling: Chord Company Sarum T loudspeaker cables, Naim NAC A5 loudspeaker cables, Naim interconnects on most Naim amplification, Chord Co. Sarum T Super ARAY XLR, Chord Co. SignatureX Tuned ARAY DIN-RCA, Chord Co. SignatureX RCA-XLR, Chord Co. EpicX ARAY RCA. Chord Co. Chameleon interconnects for phono stages, Vertere Redline RCA-XLR, QED interconnects for secondary sources
Keith Monks Prodigy Plus Record-Cleaning Machine
Price: $1495
Warranty: Two years, parts and labor
Keith Monks Audio Works
The Pier Street Centre
Ventnor
Isle of Wight
PO38 1TH
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1983 857079
Email: kmonksrcm@gmail.com
Keith Monks America
Email: kmonksusa@gmail.com
