Thumbs up for ultrasonic record cleaning

fsonicsmith, "When a reviewer automatically dismisses analogue as a faulty medium or insists upon truthful reproduction of the lowest octave of pipe-organ or double-bass, I know to steer clear."

I share your skepticism with commercial reviewers, while appreciating Dudley.  But I'm confused by your statement quoted above.  The pipe-organ has the potential for a 16 Hz note which a cartridge may not track.  But the double-bass (4-string string bass) low reach is 42 Hz.  Any decent cartridge should reproduce that.

And yes, I prefer analog for sonic enjoyment.

@slaw

You ask, "Ever tried a carbon impregnated filter? Is this a possibility in our application?"

Yes and yes. I go one step further to carbon block filters (0.5 micron particle filtration) for the next-to-last rinse.

@slaw 

RE rinsing, I should add that it is important to start with good water. It's not too hard to get rid of the suspended solids, but the dissolved minerals are hell. RO is about the only way to reduce them, and even then you have to worry about the spec. One key spec is conductivity (high is bad).

If you don't have good tap water, I would suggest successive baths in distilled.

I've been interested in ultrasonic cleaning for some time. Having a background in ultrasonics in the engineering laboratory setting, I am even more curious now that so many high-end hi-fi users are seemingly impressed by its application to vinyl cleaning.

I'm sure most all of you are aware of the past claims that ultrasonic cleaning adversely affects high frequency information in the vinyl (somehow).  These claims I've read were interesting, but the claimants indicated neither the level of sophistication of their cleaning process nor their audio systems.

I'm sold on experimenting with the cleaning process, but my knowledge of ultrasonics gives me pause as I consider these claims regarding high frequency affects on the vinyl.   Since I haven't seen it mentioned here, can anyone also address this concern so as to allay my trepidations?  Thanks!

@terry9,

Thanks!

@nolojunko,

Hi. I wouldn't know how to alleviate your concerns on any other level than what I've experienced by listening and reporting that here. Many audiophiles including professional reviewers who've tried it are sold. It's hard to get a more across the board, wide spectrum of people to agree on things but they have in this case.