When it comes to owning a physical copy of your favourite music, nothing comes close to the analogue warmth of vinyl. After near extinction, this medium has come back as strong as ever over the last decade, and there’s now a vast array of record players and accessories available at any price point from hundreds of different companies. One of these manufacturers is Austria’s Pro-Ject Audio Systems, which has just launched not one, but two powerful record-cleaning machines — the VC-E2 and VC-S3.

While dry brush cleaning is good for removing dust on the record quickly, a wet clean is more thorough when getting rid of stubborn dirt and oil from fingers, and ensures the grooves are kept in their optimal state for better sound quality. The VC-E2 is more compact in size, with a 0.5-litre liquid cleaner tank that uses the newly improved vacuum steam outlet. The premium model VC-S3 is larger with a 2.5-litre tank, which is handy for people with a large record collection, and features a vacuum motor with aluminium mounting pads and cataphoretic surface treatment.

Both models work in the same fashion and it’s quick and easy to use; fill the tank with cleaning fluid, place the record on the machine, and put on the magnetic clamp to seal the record label from the cleaning fluid. From there, the stable metal arm and self-adhesive arm strip handle all the work. With a cleaning speed of 30 RPM and a couple of rotations, the record is effectively cleaned and restored to its former glory.