Got Warped Records? The AFI FLAT.DUO Promises to Flatten and "Relax" Them

it works!

Got warped records? Warped records are a problem, though I have to say I really don't get too many of them. In fact, finding a warped record to flatten was not that easy for me. Finally one came along as a gift—a 180g Japan-pressed reissue of Happy End's Kazamachi Roman. Sometimes warped records come directly from the factory as a result of insufficient cooling time, but many a well-pressed record warps as a result of bad handling by the usual suspects: USPS, UPS and FEDEX. Records left out to bake in the sun, records left on loading docks. Even a vacuum hold down platter is no guarantee of warped record flat playback. Sometimes getting the vacuum to hold on a warped record requires odd physical contortions—if your turntable has vacuum, you know what I'm talking about.

I own the Orb disc flattener, which works really well, though I've rarely had to use it. This new one from Germany, by comparison, is lightweight, compact, energy efficient and can simultaneously flatten two records (the right side of the photo shows the table on which the unit sat when I took the picture. It's compact). It also has "relax" mode that operates at a lower temperature for a longer period of time and is supposed to "temper" the vinyl to give the sound a more supple and relaxed quality along with some other benefits described later.

Setting up and using the device is fairly straightforward though the menu system was oddly configured. You have to scroll through a wide range of set-up options—peripheral to the task at hand like language, "beep" and fan settings—before you get to the one that lets you choose among the flattening and relaxation pre-set options. You can also configure the FLAT.DUO to operate at your chosen temperature and time range, but that's best done with expendable records. I stuck with the standard flatten "preset".

It's important to clean the record you wish to flatten or relax before putting it in the FLAT.DUO. It's also a good idea to clean the "hot plate" and the top plate that applies the flattening pressure.

As you'll see in the video, the flatten function worked effectively and though I didn't show it in the video, the record sounded as perfectly quiet as it did before flattening. The "relax" mode, which operates at a lower temperature had an issue: it left pops and clicks on the record that were not there before it was 'relaxed'. I'm still trying to work through the problem using expendable records.

After getting major pops and clicks that are permanently there, I scrupulously cleaned the unit's surfaced and pre-cleaned another record in the KLAUDIO cavitation based cleaner and then "relaxed" a test pressing of Patrick Leonard's It All Comes Down to Mood (I'll keep working that record forever!). Hear if you hear a difference (other than the occasional pops and clicks). I'm going to further investigate this issue because obviously this is not supposed to happen!

The FLAT.DUO costs $2500. Not inexpensive, but if you're in a record or audio club, it's a worthwhile accessory for the group to invest it. I think I should repeat here that I flattened a few records and all came out flat and as quiet as they were going into the flattening process.

The FLAT.DUO is imported by Musical Surroundings. The instruction manual though complete lists no company contact or name or address or phone number or email address or anything, which is odd, but Musical Surroundings is a dependable importer. On the website the relaxing process is described thusly:

What happens during vinyl LP tempering? 
During tempering, the vinyl record is slowly and evenly heated up to the plateau temperature, held at this temperature for a while, and then cooled very slowly and in a controlled manner - a process that can take up to four hours. Slow and even cooling is more important than heating. This allows the molecules to align themselves naturally and without stress. This process significantly reduces the tensions and makes the material harder, more robust, and more homogeneous.

And the product's history is on the site as well:

AFI (Audio Fidelity Improvement) and HiFi-Studio Wittmann are the makers of the FLAT.DUO, a groundbreaking innovation in record care. The FLAT.DUO record flattener/relaxer, combines state-of-the-art technology with efficient design. Through the revolutionary use of EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) for housing construction, they have achieved energy efficiency previously thought impossible and simultaneously reduced the ecological footprint.

The idea and the technical know-how for the record flattener came from Dr. Ullrich Kathe - a passionate hi-fi fan, analog lover and long-time customer of HiFi Studio Wittmann. One day, Ulli Kathe brought his vision of a record flattener into the studio, motivated by the knowledge that wavy records directly influence the essential settings of a high-quality pickup, such as the horizontal alignment of the turntable, tracking force, VTA, azimuth and anti-skating. Depending on the shaft position, the needle dips to different depths, which changes the previously carefully set parameters during scanning. Oliver Wittmann, the owner of the studio, was immediately enthusiastic about the idea. He offered to take care of marketing and sales as well as the sonic evaluation of the flattening processes. That was the start of the joint project: 'The record flattener', Made in Germany.

I felt obligated to report my less than satisfactory "relax" experience and I will report back again after I carefully "relax" more records. As with any record flattener, use with care! There were no warnings about flattening "lipless" 200 gram records so I assume that unlike the ORB, the Flat Duo is safe to use on those. Watch the video!