It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new AV system. New systems bring fresh promises of performance, convenience and of course fun. Sometimes however, new gear needs help in order to meet those promises, which brings us to the product category of AV accessories.
Back in the golden days of home audio when vinyl ruled the world and dealers would not only sell turntables, phono preamps and other components to enable the playback of Led Zeppelin’s new “Houses of the Holy” record or Cheap Trick’s “Live at Budokan,” they would sell a myriad of AV accessories to ensure users’ turntables delivered years of reliable performance.
Some of those accessories include stylus cleaners, cartridge alignment tools, stylus force gauges and test records.
For years before the reemergence of vinyl, audiophiles kept the accessories category alive by their continued purchases of these products. Their purchases through the 1990s and early 2000s helped ensure that record brushes, stylus cleaners and other AV accessories would still be available today.
In 2020 the vinyl and accessories market is much different than it was back in vinyl’s glory years. In many cases, modern turntable users aren’t purchasing these calibration tools because so many of the modern turntables that are available are preconfigured and already setup.
These preconfigured turntables haven’t completely eliminated accessory sales, however. Some of the more popular AV accessories that today’s vinyl enthusiasts are still buying include record cleaning systems, record brushes and record clamps.
10 AV Accessories Any Audiophile Will Love
AudioQuest Anti-Static Brush
AudioQuest’s Anti-Static Brush is a simple device that music lovers can use to clean their records safely. AudioQuest explains that its record brush employs more than 1.6 million conductive fibers set in two rows. These carbon fibers are aligned to reach into record grooves to pull out dust and dirt, while eliminating the issue of static.
Auralex SubDude HT
The SubDude HT is designed for larger subwoofers. Covered in a velour material that is laid over an inert structural layer that floats on a cushion of Auralex’s Platfoam, the SubDude HT isolates low frequencies, while reducing resonance artifacts. The product supports up to 300 pounds.
A/V Room Service Equipment Vibration Protectors (EVPs)
Available in a choice of sizes and densities, A/V Room Service’s EVPs can be used to isolate anything from turntables and monitors, to pro gear that includes guitar and bass heads. A/V Room Service also provides users a choice of rubber and felt finishes to match specific applications.
IsoAcoustics Aperta300 Isolation Stand
The Aperta300 is an isolation speaker stand that features an open design and 3-inch low profile. IsoAcoustics points out the stand provides a tilt option to help angle a speaker into a good playback position. The company offers the Aperta300 in a choice of silver or black finishes and it supports weights up to 60 pounds.
Jensen Transformers VRD-1FF CATV Isolator
The Iso-Max VRD-1FF is a capacitive-based isolator that breaks ground loops that cause hum and buzz in audio, and 60Hz hum bars in video. The product can be used with RG59 or RG6 cable, and it is engineered for a flat response from 2 MHz to over 1300 MHz. Jensen also notes the VRD-1FF employs high-grade F-connectors to ensure 75-ohm compatibility.
MediaLight Mk2 Dimmable A19 Bulb
Designed as an affordable way to help improve the bias lighting environments of media systems, the MediaLight Mk2 Dimmable A19 bulb complies to SMPTE Standard ST 2080-3:2017 “Reference Viewing Environment for Evaluation HDTV Images.” The bulb provides a D65 color temperature, and it works with Crestron, Lutron and other dimmers.
Metra Home Theater Ethereal HDM-GA2 Gigabit Accelerator
The second-generation HDM-GA2 takes pre-existing hardwired passive HDMI cables and expands their bandwidth up to 24Gbps for distances up to 15.5 meters. The product supports HDMI 2.0 standards, and it can expand cabling throughput up to 48Gbps on cable lengths up to nine meters. It also provides eight programmable EQ settings and it supports eARC.
Pro-Ject Clamp It Record Clamp
Pro-Ject explains that reducing the amount of resonances between a record and turntable platter can improve record playback. The company’s Clamp It record weight clamps to a turntable’s center spindle without stressing a turntable’s motor. It also provides fine tuned pressure to help play warped records.
Pyle Pro Audio Studio Speaker Risers PS103
The 9-inch by 12-inch PS103 speaker risers from Pyle are made of high-density engineered foam that provides a stable solution to isolate speakers. The sound-dampening PS103s provide a reversible upward/downward surface option to enable users to angle their speakers in a choice of three positions.
Spin Clean Record Cleaning System
Available in a choice of three bundles, the Spin Clean Record Washer is designed to provide vinyl lovers with an effective and affordable way to clean their records. Users simply fill the basin with distilled water and drop in some of Spin Clean’s washer fluid. Users then turn their records clockwise and counterclockwise a few times in each direction. After the cleaning users then use the drying cloths to dry their records.
