The Ursa Major Carbon Fibre Record Brush - An up close look at a German designed marvel.

Рет қаралды 4,026

Күн бұрын

NEW INFORMATION 2/28/23!
It was pointed out recently by a viewer that purchased this model that it works much better dragging it off the record rather than the recommended scooping action. I have tried it myself and now recommend it be used in this way: Place on surface, rock about halfway over two revolutions and drag outward or inward. I found outward easier. I tested if this could scratch the vinyl and I found no micro scratching.
Also a bright light is your friend when it comes to cleaning vinyl :-)
In this video, I give you an up close look at an exceptionally well designed audio accessory, the Ursa Major Antistatic Record Brush. My Hunt EDA brush had seen better days and I had been on the hunt for a replacement. This particular model caught my eye in Micheal Fremer's excellent demonstration video, The Big Dust Off. Considering the very reasonable price for such an effective device, I felt I had to share it with you.
The Ursa Major is designed in Berlin and assembled in Germany. Components are from China. It's main feature is 14 rows of carbon fiber brushes embedded in a heavy conductive metal case. The top plate is available in a choice of real hardwood. The brush drains static from the record surface and transmits it through the fingers to ground. The metal grip is ergonomically designed to give you a sure hold on the brush. The weight of the brush is designed to penetrate the groove without any additional pressure. A scooping action exposes each successive row of fibers to the record, picking up virtually all the dust. Once I practiced a few times I had the technique down pat. I feel it is more effective at dust and static removal than my previous Hunt brush. It's also a pleasure to use a and a joy to look at. Considering the common $30 AQ type brushes have only two row of fibers, and are less effective, this beauty for $60 delivered direct from Germany is a bargain and highly recommended.
I have no affiliation with Ursa Major and this is an independent review.
Ursa Major Website: www.ursa-major.eu/
The Big Dust Off: www.analogplanet.com/content/...
Instagram:
/ the_pressin. .
Reference System
-Basis 1400 Turntable
-Rega RB300 Tone Arm
-Hana SL MC Cartridge
-Audio Research SP9MK III Preamplifier
-Emmeline Nighthawk MM/MC Phono Preamplfier
-Odyssey Stratos Amplifier
-Magnepan MMG Loudspeaker
_Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 Loudspeaker
_Groenberg Quattro Reference Cable
_Definitive Technology ProSound Subwoofer
_VPI 16.5 Vacuum Record Cleaner
_Ursa Major Record Cleaning Brush
_Milty Zerostat
_DS Audio ST-50 Stylus Cleaner
_Disc Doctor Record Brushes
_Record Doctor Record Brush
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Please watch: "RCA Living Stereo - Analogue Productions Resurrects A Legendary Label"
• Golden Age Classical R...
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Пікірлер: 44

@maurice4407 6 ай бұрын

Just ordered a black wood one, can’t wait to get it.

@ThePressingMatters 6 ай бұрын

Great! I hope you like it!

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

In the live chat comments, a viewer expressed concern for some brushes to cause microscratches. I took the brush to a disposable record, dragging across the clear deadwax and could not produce a mark with this brush. Another thing is the way it's removed by lifting rather than dragging prevents the possibility of that happening. It's always going with the grooves that no damage could possibly occur.

@wissamalkhoury1736 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Scott! Great one

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@musiconrecord6724 Жыл бұрын

I've had my eye on this as an upgrade from my trusty Audioquest ever since watching Fremer's entertaining and informative video. Thanks for reconfirming this is a good choice - and a beautiful looking one as well.

@stevelanemusic4463 Жыл бұрын

Excellent, yet again Scott! I've been looking for a new one. Thanks for this.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Steve! I've been pleased with it so far, the best brush of many I've owned.

@rc2257 Жыл бұрын

I placed an order after watching this video. Thanks for being a trustworthy & reliable source of info for vinyl enthusiasts. Warmest regards, Ron Kenosha WI

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

I hope you like it as much as I do. I vacuum clean all my vinyl, and much of it is new, but I find a good brush useful for touch up between cleanings and before playback.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Ron, I'm honored that you trust me. Hope my recommendations meet your expectations.

@AnthonyCandaele Жыл бұрын

Thanks Scott for the tip! My current brush creates a lot of static on the record. I ordered the Ursa Major Carbon Fibre record brush.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Hi Anthony, is it a carbon fiber brush? Definitely shouldn't add static. I think you're going to love this one. Let me know once you've got it. Thanks for watching!

@krhamrick Жыл бұрын

Worth every penny

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Hi Kevin, Have you been using this brush for a while?

@Ajfields12 Жыл бұрын

Scott, I also saw Michael Fremer’s video about the cleaning brushes, and decided to try the Ursa Major brush. It works great and I love it! Very nicely made and it should last a long time. I’ve had mine for about 5 months. I use a Zero Stat anti static gun first and it removes most of the dust and debris.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Hi Adam, so glad to hear from another who has used this product for some time! I'll try it in combo with Zerostat, though I don't have much of a static problem in Miami.

@jfm0830 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your review of this record brush. I had been sitting on the fence for many months now after seeing Fremmer's "Great Dustoff" video. Your video got me to take action. I received my black wood Ursa Major brush last week. I am generally very, very satisfied with it. It does a far better job than my AQ gold brush. I find everything about the URSA Major works easier and better than the AQ Brush. With its larger size it is far easier to handle and use. The wide conductive band helps you get a positive grip on the brush. One thing is puzzling, however. When I use that rocking/scooping motion you and others describe and then lift the brush straight off the record, I get a 1/8" wide trail of dust. It extends from the label to the lead in groove on the record. I find I have to use this brush like my AQ gold brush. using the rocking/scooping motion and when I get to the last bristles, I start sliding the Ursa Major towards the lead in groove and continue sliding it off the record. Then I get satisfactory results. I am quite puzzled to say the least, because any video on the Ursa Major I have seen shows lifting vertically off the record and it is clean. I was wondering. if you ever had this happen, where you get a dust trail? Thanks again for the detailed review. Seeing the aesthetics up close was very helpful, that helped seal the deal for me. JIm

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Hi Jim, I have not used it that way, but I see no reason you couldn't. Certainly you're not hurting anything. I have sometimes performed the sweep up twice and found that picks up anything left. Also I know they say it can be used in either direction after some time. Mine seems to work better in a specific direction.I can feel the fibers work more smoothly in that direction when you first set it down. They say it breaks in with more use, so maybe that could be a factor too. I'm glad it's working better than the Audioquest. I'll do a few tests in bright light and see if I can shed any additional tips. Fremer's video shows pretty clearly what it can do, but as you see there, he often does it twice with even the top brushes.

@jfm0830 Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters This is not a few random pieces of dust or debris. On a record that is dusty I rock and lift vertically and it looks like no dust is left on the brush. There is a 1/8" wide continuous line of crud from the runout groove to the lead in groove. I was just curious if it was just me, and apparently it is. But it works for me when I use it like the AQ Gold carbon fiber brush only better. I can live with that. At least it works, if not as the manufacturer intended.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

@@jfm0830 Hmm, man I feel bad that it's not performing as expected. I thought it performed pretty well in the Fremer extreme case video, and I use it as a quick touch up on mostly cleaned records and haven't noticed this. I'll look under better conditions and try both methods.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

@@jfm0830 I came home and decided to try a record from those stored in the garage. These had not been cleaned at least not recently. I set up a halogen worklight to see exactly what was going on. A copy of Synchronicity, which has some random dust on it. I swept it as I have been and lifted. I did find a line of dust. There was some picked up by the brush in my case. I did a second pass and a smaller line remained. I then tried using a slight rock up and dragging outward. This was very effective. I think this is the better way to use it and it's curious why Ursa Major hasn't figured that out. It's very easy to demonstrate. I think I missed this because I now realize that since I got it, I've been vacuum cleaning and resleeving everything and was just using for touch up and possible static reduction. I did not do this under the intense light that I just did. I'm sorry I wasn't a bit more thorough there. Good news is it's still a very nice design and it works very well in the manner you describe. I also did test it for microscratches, as early on someone asked about that, and I couldn't produce any in the clear wax with normal pressure dragging across. So it's completely safe to use in this manner. I do hope some of the other commenters or new viewers look over the comments to get this information. Again I apologize but thank you for bringing this to light.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

I just added your observation and my confirmation as an important update at the top of the video description. Thanks for sharing your experience. This is what I love about the dialogue in the comments. Sharing info is vital!

@stingray7275 8 ай бұрын

@stingray7275 Die Ursa Major ersetzt keine Nassreinigungsmaschine mit Absaugung... das große Aaaber kommt aber noch. Nach dem Nass reinigen sind die Platten meistens noch statisch aufgeladen, wenn man dann mit der Ursa Major nochmal darüber geht, ist dieses "Statische" Knistern so gut wie weg. Die Carbon Fasern sind elektrisch leitend mit dem Griff verbunden und das ist nicht bei allen Bürsten so... schon mal gar nicht mit Samt oder Ziegenhaar. Wer also Probleme mit Statisch aufgeladenen Platten hat (und wer hat die nicht) für den ist die Ursa Major die beste Wahl.

@johndeuble64 Жыл бұрын

Yo Scott. The most awesomeness of record brush videos! I use a Stainless Steel bristle brush from the hardware store… :) I think I’ll check for micro-scratches, may be too aggressive.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Thank you John, as long as you go with the grooves you should be good :-)

@Muzik20 Жыл бұрын

Currently on my want-list. I spent too much on more pre-orders already. =(

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Hi thanks for watching this one. I think this brush is nice looking and well made, but I've had second thoughts on how effective it is. I'd hold off as I'm searching for something that can surpass its performance. Stay tuned!

@Alan_Always Жыл бұрын

A few years ago I bought the Analog Relax brush (before it got so expensive.) It looks/works similar to the Audioquest but the bristles are much thinner than all of the other carbon fiber brushes allowing it to go deeper into the grooves. In the end, there is no perfect brush, it comes down to personal taste.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

It's true, none are perfect. I think this one is a good one, at a fair price for its quality and design.

@primeanalogrecords Жыл бұрын

Fun quick video Scott! Do you have a link for that brush? I’d like to check it out as I’d like to have some thing that I could use in between my ultrasonic cleanings! The ultrasonic is for maybe once every five years or so! So this brush would be great in the interim!😊

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Thanks, there's a link in the description box to the website.

@tanyet Жыл бұрын

Cool brush but I’m not aware of a single brush ever made that has bristles small enough to get in between the record groove. Every time companies say that I just can’t understand why. Love the channel. Cheers.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I don't know, but I suppose it's possible. It would seem that getting deep in the groove would be desirable, but that is why I have a vacuum cleaning machine. I think this takes care of picking up surface dust between cleanings, before or after play. In this regard, it is effective. It is a cool brush and a pleasure to use.

@sidesup8286 Жыл бұрын

Great video Scott! Did you ever try the LAST Record Preservative you said you were going to try? In their literature they say their Preservative also improves sound quality by reducing distortion 300% to 400%. It reduces the friction between diamond and vinyl. I always had no trouble hearing the difference. The lessening of distortion caused some rock music to lose its edge and aggression however. But on jazz and classical I always liked it. Only one treatment is necessary. Unless you vacuum clean your lps with a record cleaning machine. That's another thing, some people out there think that people put their lps through a machine cleaning before each play. That's not so for most users. That's why a brush like the Ursa Major comes in handy. Looking skyward Ursa Major is the constellation of The Big Dipper in the night sky. It's no longer the middle of Summer, and it is not right overhead anymore but I think you can still catch a glimpse of it if you look west when its just starting to get dark, before it disappears over the horizon.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I've got to do a bit more research on Last. I really would like to try it but don't want to risk any harm.

@sidesup8286 Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters Despite the name, LAST is not permanent. If you do not like the way it sounds, a spin on a vacuum record cleaner removes it. My experience and others experience with it, seems to indicate that only good and no harm is done by using it. Some on the forums even claim it somehow reduces ticks and pops and one guy said it removes the slippery pressing compound they put on record stampers so after stamping a record, it doesn't bring the record back up with it; still attatched. I used it for years decades ago. I always toy around with using it again. My sound is as clean as can be, even without it now.

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

@@sidesup8286 I'm going to order some and try it. I have to say anytime I've encountered a used record with a last sticker it's sounded very quiet.

@sidesup8286 Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters I used it on every non-rock record I had, and "some" rock records. I also used it on some half speed mastered lps and someone commented that it sounds like they half speed mastered it again. A very interesting thing is; when you dramatically lower distortion, the frequency response sounds different. There was another product called Sound Guard circa 1978 that was also a record preservative. I didn't have good evaluation at that age; so I don't know how that did. I started getting into sound around 14 years old.

@michelraffin7006 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this…(may be you should repeat the name at the end as i had to go at the beginning) …

@ThePressingMatters Жыл бұрын

Oh good point Micheal, sorry about that. There's always info in the description box.

@Rustoleum7777 3 ай бұрын

No, the Ursa Major brush does NOT scoop up all the dust. For $60, you WISH it did, but in fact and in experience, it leaves a line of dust on the surface. It just does. Everytime,