I own and have used the Kirmuss for the last 5 years. There are not 21 steps to clean a record. You press the start button twice and that's it. The record is clean in about 5 minutes. You do have to dry the record off, obviously. The unit has given me no issues in 5 years of extensive use.
Kirmuss 'In the Groove' Ultrasonic Record Restorer - Upscale Audio Edition
Looking to get an ultrasonic disc cleaner. This one was recommended to me by an audiophile friend. Anyone here have this model? Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. I know nothing about Ultrasonic cleaners but hear they are great.
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I had a Kirmuss for several months, and actually sold 3 units (dealer disclaimer) but after the many steps involved (manual shows 10. see here: https://kirmussaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/KirmussAudio-v10_20-a-User-Manual-KA-RC-1-Vinyl-Record-Restoration-System-2.pdf The machine just sat around so sold it. My other customers all sold theirs as well. It worked fine but it really was a looooong process to do it as described. |
Meet him at Pacific Audio Fest, he was like a used car salesman. Told me right off the bat, that what I'm doing is 100% wrong, and my ultrasonic machine is crap (didn't even ask what I was using). He was very pushy, and turned me off. But he did plant a bug, and did some research on it. No doubt, it will seriously clean a record, but so will all the other good methods. What I don't like is that you clean the same record 3-6 times, that is a LOT of cleanings! One record can take over 30min to clean. In an hour, you can only clean what 3 records tops? Who has that kind of time? I have the Hummigru, it works great for me, and is part of my 2-4 step cleaning process. Used dirty records take the most time, but new ones are done in 2 steps. Usually get 6-8 records done in an hour. I wait till there are 20-30 records to clean, take most of the day to do so. But it's far less involved than his process, in an hour, the actual work is like 10-15min. He also says that all other known record cleaning agents are crap. However, he is using antifreeze to clean his records. Not sure how I feel about that. Watched this video, that was enough to not want his system. |
I'm reading this thread with some interest as my vinyl collection could realistically use a good cleaning, and I believe "dry" cleaning methods do more harm than good. In the spirit of 80/20, how about this thing? It has its critics, but few question it does a good job cleaning records. Also, what do you put in these machines? Distilled water? Thanks!
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Background: I have cleaned ~4500 LPs using the following process:
First, I know this process is/was excessive. I previous worked in an analytical chemistry lab, so I was accustomed to excessively clean processes/equipment... I cleaned a few LPs each evening, and many during the weekends. I have finished this deep cleaning. Now I simply dust each side with a Disc Washer brush before playback. I recommend you try a few steps to see what satisfies you, your needs and your time-budget. Second, please know that cheap equipment is CHEAP ONLY ONCE. After that, you pay every time you use/replace it... (a lesson that my favorite boss taught me years ago). I will never buy a Kirmuss gear - period. There are very few companies that I refuse to consider. I have no confidence in their products - YMMV. Best of luck with your adventure and feel free to message me if you want to 'pick my brains' for more details... |
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