For some vinyl enthusiasts, the surface noise of vinyl records is as endearing as the actions of pulling a disc from its sleeve or lowering a turntable’s tonearm lever.
But of course one can have too much of a good thing, and the sound of a worn record can fall into that category.
And if a good ol’ clean can’t help, maybe the SugarCube SC-1 can.
Designed for people with older or second-hand record collections, the all-in-one noise removal device uses proprietary ‘click & pop’ removal technology by Silicon Valley-based start-up SweetVinyl to eliminate vinyl noise in real-time.
The technology supposedly uses an algorithm to detect, isolate and remove unwanted noise while keeping the music signal unharmed. All owners have to do is hook the SC-1 up to a phono stage, press a button to initiate the clean-up process, and turn a dial to adjust the strength of the process.
We know what you’re thinking: it may have to be heard to be believed…
When the supplied USB key is plugged into the SC-1, the process can be initiated and controlled via SweetVinyl's SugarCube app for iOS and Android devices.
We first saw the SC-1 on Indiegogo back in 2016 and, while a small number were demonstrated in the UK last year, it is finally available to buy in the UK - in black or silver finishes.
The damage, as it were? £1550. We bet the clicks and pops seem even more endearing now.
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