AFI

Flat.Duo

By: Michael Fremer

November 6th, 2025

Category:

Accessories

AFI Flat.Duo Record Flattener/Vinyl Relaxer (Take Two)

this time: more confident recommendation

Put yourself in my place: you've unboxed the AFI Flat.Duo and it's time to try flattening a warped record and give the "relax" a record feature a whirl. But at the same time a manufacturer is doing a turntable installation that will take some time, so rather than delay the audition, you do it during the install, so he's witness to the whole thing.

That's how the original review in the hyperlink above went down and the results were as reported there. He heard what I heard on a few "relaxed" records, and I couldn't very well write anything other than what I reported in that review because it's exactly what happened, and what happened was that for some reason while the warped records flattened nicely and remained quiet, the "relaxed" records were after relaxing afflicted with pops and ticks.

The manufacturer was turntable designer/manufacturer Dietrich Brakemeier who was installing the Acoustical Systems A*Stellar turntable for a review in The Absolute Sound. He was as curious as I was about the AFI Flat.Duo. He heard what I heard. How could I not honestly report what I'd heard?

Super Clean Plate Spelled the Difference

Did you grow up being told to "clean your plate"? I did and I should have paid attention to that but nothing in the instructions said anything about cleaning the plate upon which the record being either flattened or relaxed was placed upon. So after unboxing, I used it as instructed.

When I got back to testing the "relax" mode, I first cleaned the plate surface with some highly diluted "Simple Green" and relaxed a record. Here are the two files. Not saying which is which, or even if they are different files or the same one repeated twice!

I recorded side one of this 4 LP one sides reissue of the famous Reiner/CSO stereo recording of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" recorded in stereo in 1954 but not released in stereo until 1960 As LSC-1806. After recording it I put it into the AFI Flat.Duo, set it to "Relax" mode and once it had been relaxed, I recorded it again. The cartridge was the Audio-Technica MC-2022 (single piece diamond cantilever/stylus) mounted on the SAT CF1-12 tonearm on the Wilson-Benesch Prime Meridian turntable. Phono preamp was the Luxman E-07 under review. At $7000 it's the least expensive link in the chain.

So have a listen and please post your comments

Specifications

Manufacturer Information

Comments

2025-11-06 06:57:44 PM

Come on wrote:

Just the first minute or so: second playback is more 3D already at the faint beginning and deeper reaching in bass. Following horns have more richness and 3D, following drum is more palpable, rich and with more reverb into the hall.

Other than sound: what I don’t like is the surface noise sensibility of the „heater surface touches the grooves“ concept.
2025-11-07 08:41:54 AM

John Thompson wrote:

Prefer the first version. Second sounds brighter/harsher a bit more musical instrument mash up. Whereas in the first the instruments are better defined, seem to occupy their own space better and sound more like musical instruments. I could imagine getting listening fatigue with the 2nd but not the 1st.
2025-11-07 05:14:19 PM

Silk Dome Mid wrote:

My records are already plenty flat, and I am relaxed about it.
2025-11-08 03:19:47 AM

asdffx wrote:

AFI does require disc cleaning before pressing, as mentioned in the AFI manual, but it's not emphasized enough. I think they need to make customers pay special attention to this. However, doing so would probably be too troublesome and affect product sales. Furthermore, I think other brands of pressing machines should also clean the discs before processing.

Another issue is disc demagnetization. I've found that demagnetization is necessary for a fair comparison. The pressing process involves metal, electric current, and heating coils, which will magnetize the disc.

When I first started using AFI, I didn't pay attention to this, thinking that the "releax" treatment had both advantages and disadvantages. en, advantages is more , I think.

But later I discovered that demagnetization makes the differences much clearer.

Seem Michael likely had a disc demagnetizer; I wonder if both recordings for this comparison were demagnetized before recording.

And my demagnetized is Furutech DeMag α
2025-11-11 07:34:55 AM

Tim wrote:

1st is considerably better to my ear..

2nd sounds somewhat harsh, congested and sluggish by comparison.

Wasnt even close.

If 1 was the relaxed then Im gonna have to get me one!! If 2 was relaxed then keep that thing away from my records.
2025-11-14 11:28:06 PM

Tim wrote:

@Mr. Fremer

release the results!
- 2025-11-18 04:20:29 PM
  
  Come on wrote:
  
  I love everything here, but you touched a weak point. MF more or less never gets back to a chat where he announced that he’ll clarify something and report back…and he even doesn’t solve some of his own puzzles.
  
  The other problem is that there’s no notification feature for chats on this site, so no chance to recognize when something would indeed be solved months later.
2025-11-27 04:31:12 AM

John Hughes wrote:

#2 sounds more betta to me. Bass at beginning reaches deeper and there is more resolution. Tonality is richer, instruments have more body.