AFI FLAT.DUO Record Flattener & Relaxer
AFI FLAT.DUO Record Flattener & Relaxer
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View full detailsAFI FLAT.DUO Record Flattener & Relaxer
Uses heat to flatten vinyl and remove uneven cooling stresses from pressing. Treat two records in 1.75 hours. Made in Germany
AFI (Audio Fidelity Improvement) and HiFi-Studio Wittmann present the FLAT.DUO, a groundbreaking innovation in the world of record care. The FLAT.DUO uses fans and an innovative heat-press module to heat up records, and the EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) housing offers the perfect slow cooling needed to properly temper vinyl.
Two records can be treated simultaneously in an hour and 45 minutes, as against the four-hour times of other products. The DUO also signifies the two treatments by which a record is flattened for better tracking and the material is "relaxed", removing stresses that decrease audio performance.Â
Passive Tempering
The use of EPP as an enclosure material makes passive tempering of vinyl records possible. The slower and more evenly the temperature drops at the end of the process, the better the tempering process and thus the sound improvement. Thanks to the excellent insulating properties of EPP, simply switching off the heating voltage is enough to achieve a perfect, ideally decreasing temperature curve. There is no need for reheating to extend the cooling phase.
The FLAT.DUO requires only 30 watts of power.
Why Do This?
Records are pressed at around 300 F, with the pressing process taking around 30 seconds. After a short cooling phase using water, the record is removed and stacked on a spindle weighted down with metal plates, for further cooling. Due to the uneven and rapid cooling--much faster on the outside than on the inside--and the toughness of the material, the long molecular chains of PVC and polyvinyl acetate have little chance of aligning themselves in a relaxed manner. This production method leads to material stresses that are "frozen" in the material and are audible.
During tempering, the vinyl record is slowly and evenly heated up to plateau temperature, held at this temperature for a while and then cooled down very slowly and in a controlled manner. Slow and even cooling is more important than heating. This allows the molecules to align themselves naturally and without stress. This process significantly reduces tension, making the material harder, more robust, and more homogeneous.