The Degritter machine met my expectations. Nice looking, very easy to use, great user interface, excellent flexibility in how you want to wash the records. Being able to drop a record in, push a button and walk away was what I wanted.
There was one software glitch (machine didn't automatically turn off after 15 minutes as it is supposed to) but that was purportedly fixed with updated software that I have yet to download and install. But nothing that has impeded the use of the machine.
It's nice that the Degritter can be updated by the user as new software is released - they can tweak how the machine works based on user feedback and their own research.
Just to try, I did get a second tank. So if I want I can do a wash with surfactant, then insert the second tank to wash off the surfactant. Not sure this has made any difference. It's tough to know because I only ever have one copy of a record to wash, they are all going to be in different shape sonically, so it's hard to compare multiple cleaning methods.
As for sonic results, like any record cleaner it depends on the shape of the record and the nature of it's noise. Obviously this machine won't get rid of pops and ticks caused by actual damage to the record, only if it's caused by debris that can be scoured out. Overall I'd say I hear an appreciable difference with every record after cleaning - smoother, less hash, somewhat less pops and ticks. There have been the occasional jaw-dropping difference. One record went from sounding like it had been taken directly from a trash compactor - hard to even hear the music through the noise - to sounding almost brand new after a wash in the Degritter. I hadn't thought such a thing possible until I heard it.
Downsides? Sometimes I'm not sure I prefer the sound of the washed record to the unwashed record. It can sometimes make a record sound in a way a bit more CD-like than vinyl. Can sometimes seem to lose a little bit of life/air/leading edge after a wash.
There was one software glitch (machine didn't automatically turn off after 15 minutes as it is supposed to) but that was purportedly fixed with updated software that I have yet to download and install. But nothing that has impeded the use of the machine.
It's nice that the Degritter can be updated by the user as new software is released - they can tweak how the machine works based on user feedback and their own research.
Just to try, I did get a second tank. So if I want I can do a wash with surfactant, then insert the second tank to wash off the surfactant. Not sure this has made any difference. It's tough to know because I only ever have one copy of a record to wash, they are all going to be in different shape sonically, so it's hard to compare multiple cleaning methods.
As for sonic results, like any record cleaner it depends on the shape of the record and the nature of it's noise. Obviously this machine won't get rid of pops and ticks caused by actual damage to the record, only if it's caused by debris that can be scoured out. Overall I'd say I hear an appreciable difference with every record after cleaning - smoother, less hash, somewhat less pops and ticks. There have been the occasional jaw-dropping difference. One record went from sounding like it had been taken directly from a trash compactor - hard to even hear the music through the noise - to sounding almost brand new after a wash in the Degritter. I hadn't thought such a thing possible until I heard it.
Downsides? Sometimes I'm not sure I prefer the sound of the washed record to the unwashed record. It can sometimes make a record sound in a way a bit more CD-like than vinyl. Can sometimes seem to lose a little bit of life/air/leading edge after a wash.
