Thumbs up for ultrasonic record cleaning
All this is really interesting, thanks so much. Now, this is a budget question: I buy new and used records, very often I get them from the thrift store or the bargain bin as I am really open about my compulsive money spending habits. Records from the latter source are usually somewhere between bad and really bad shape. I pass all my records through the Spin Clean machine, which makes a great job for most of the records but some of them seem to be really irrecuperable as they will keep on making really much crackling noise even when they show no visible signs of damage (there's the other way around as well, some records look damaged but they still manage to provide an acceptable sound quality). I ultimately tried the method from this guy: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cleaning-Vinyl-Records/ ... To very little improvement to be honest. Now my budget question is: should I give a go to the ultrasonic cleaner? Or would I be better off upgrading my records that are too damaged, considering that I would probably end up spending approximately the same amount of money? And again, I am not looking for sound perfection but I am feeling somehow Samaritan and want to save these records and am looking for a bearable listening experience. Your opinion is highly appreciated! Have a great day. Alf |
I think that an examination of this thread will show you a better way. IMO, US is the best way. I have a record of 60's folk music that looks terrible, grade about 'Good', but that plays NM. That said, I also have a sealed Chopin which is unlistenable, and no US treatment, 40KHz or 80KHz, improves it. US or not? I would say, definitely. But don't expect miracles, and be sure that the machine will meet its specifications: frequency and power. |
@alf77, It would be hard to expand on @terry9 eloquent post except that to ask how committed you are to vinyl and if you’re in it for the long haul. If your answer is, I am & yes, the US cleaning method is a no-brainer. I’ve been exploring my new filtering system today. Everything runs great, no leaks. It is an extremely nice, effective addition to the process. I’ve been focusing on 3 lps I’ve previously cleaned several times for my initial evaluation. I’ll just mention two now.....Robyn Ludwick "Out of These Blues". This one has been previously cleaned by 3 different methods. I am a huge proponent of pre-steaming for years and always did it prior to using my AD US cleaner. I just put it through my US cleaner earlier this week w/o the filtering system and plain distilled water. I just listened again with the filtering system and distilled water with the AD cleaner additive. (Lyle Lovett "Pontiac"...same history of past/previous cleaning. I’ve listened to these two lps twice this week. Immediately upon putting it on today, I noticed a more spacious sense of a bigger studio, much more involving, more lifelike. This was always an excellent recording in terms of SQ.) This is for the RL lp...Upon listening, I immediately noticed more inner detail, a more relaxed presentation along with a quieter surface noise. This lp had what I previously thought was inherent, unremoveable surface noise. It just became noticeably quieter. While this isn’t a reference recording, (I’d give it around an 8 for sonics) it is much more enjoyable now. Looking forward at some point to following the previously mentioned DIY fluids and more pure water. Have fun! |
@Alf- That link you provided is almost a horror show of what not to do in my estimation. Using dish soap- sure it will work, getting it off is another matter- I suppose hot water will work but it isn't necessary to use some detergent with a lot of other chemicals perfumes, etc to clean an LP-- getting the labels wet- yeah, that's not good- using tap water as a rinse- full of minerals. My experience buying a lot of used records is that ultrasonic isn't a complete answer but complementary to more basic cleaning. Some I know pre-clean without a record cleaning machine and then pop in the ultrasonic. I like the AIVS No. 15 cleaner for deeper cleaning- using it with a pad type applicator, like the Disc Doctor or MoFi makes for a very effective cleaning step. You must rinse this stuff off- I would use distilled water, perhaps a couple steps if doing it manually - with clean cloths. Then into a home brew ultrasonic. Some users may go straight into the ultrasonic for kludged up records- but my experience was the best results came from a combination of methods, which you could do on a budget. I'm pretty agnostic when it comes to brands- whatever works most effectively, with minimal harm caused to the records. |
