Clearaudio Smart Matrix Silent Record Cleaner w/Dustcover - Black

Swing the Arm Over and It Starts Cleaning

The Smart Matrix Silent begins the moment you move the arm into position. There is no button to find. Fluid goes on automatically, the platter turns, and microfibre strips under the arm work the grooves while it rotates.

Press vacuum when you are ready and the same arm draws the fluid back out, carrying the dirt with it. One arm does the washing and the drying, which is why the machine is as compact as it is.

LPs, EPs and Singles Without Swapping Parts

A sliding size selector on the arm sets the sweep. Twelve-inch, ten-inch and seven-inch records are all handled by moving it, and shellac is fine too. A universal clamp and a single adapter come in the box.

Where the Quiet Comes From

Clearaudio built this one around a quieter operating mode, and the name says where the engineering went. It is a vacuum machine, so it is not silent in the literal sense, but it is designed to be the version of this machine you can run in a listening room.

The platter drives in both directions. Clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation works fluid through the groove from both sides rather than only one, which matters most on records that have sat in a sleeve for decades.

The Professional's Parts in a Smaller Case

Motor, pump, fluid reservoir and waste tank are the same components Clearaudio fits to the Smart Matrix Professional. What changes between the two is the cabinet and the arm. The machinery doing the actual work is shared.

Fluid lives in an internal reservoir you top up through a cap on the lid. The waste tank holds half a litre and wants emptying every thirty to forty records, which it does through a release tube on the back panel.

It measures about 13.6 inches square and 9.3 inches tall with the clamp fitted, and weighs roughly 23 pounds. Maximum draw is 300 watts. Switched off at the rear it draws nothing at all.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Reviewing a brand-new LP that had been crackling, Hi-Fi Choice reported on April 21, 2020 being "delighted to find that the crackle has disappeared, and I am able to appreciate the full dynamic range of the LP so much more."

The same review sets a fair expectation on the name. "The Clearaudio Smart Matrix Silent cleaning process is very easy to use and while not entirely silent, is certainly one of the quietest I have used."

Who Is This Record Cleaning Machine Best For?

• You clean where you listen — the quiet mode is the point of this model, so the machine can live in the room rather than being exiled to a garage
• Your collection is not all twelve-inch — the size selector slides between LPs, EPs and singles, and shellac is covered, so nothing gets left out of the routine
• You want the parts to last — motor, pump and tanks are the Professional's, so this is a smaller case around the same working machinery
• You clean often rather than in marathons — one arm, one button, no setup ritual, which is what makes a record get cleaned instead of shelved dirty
• You were expecting both sides at once — this washes one face at a time and you flip it; for single-pass double-sided cleaning the Double Matrix Professional Sonic is the machine that does it

How Do You Use It?

Put the record on the platter and fit the clamp. Set the size selector to match. Swing the arm across and cleaning begins on its own, with fluid applied and the platter turning under the microfibre strips.

Give it a few rotations, press vacuum, and the arm dries what it just washed. Lift the arm, flip the record, repeat. The arm lifts off without tools when you need to get at it.

Pairs Well With

What belongs beside it:

• Record cleaning solutions — the reservoir wants filling, and the fluid is your choice
• Record cleaning accessories — replacement microfibre strips and spare pads
• Record brushes — a carbon fiber brush before each play protects the work
• Turntables — a deck worth feeding clean records to

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it clean both sides at once?

One side at a time. You flip the record and run the cycle again. Clearaudio's Double Matrix models are the ones that do both faces in a single pass.

How quiet is it really?

Quieter than a conventional vacuum machine, which is what the name is about. It still runs a vacuum motor, so expect noise while the arm is drying rather than library silence.

Can it clean singles and 78s?

It can. The arm carries a sliding size selector for LPs, EPs and singles, a single adapter is supplied, and shellac is handled as well as vinyl.

What comes in the box?

The machine with its dust cover, the universal seal clamp, a single adapter and a bottle of Clearaudio Pure Groove cleaning fluid to get you started.

How is it different from the Smart Matrix Professional?

The working parts are shared — motor, pump, reservoir and waste tank are the same. The Silent puts them in a quieter cabinet with the automatic-start arm.

Is this the black finish?

It is. This listing is the Smart Matrix Silent in black. The same machine comes in silver if that suits the rack better.

See It in Action

A short look at the arm swinging over and the cleaning cycle running:

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