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Record Cleaning Machine ~ Ultrasonic vs. Rest

As title suggests, those of you who have switched to Ultrasonic RCM, did you find records that were previously suffered from dust and grime or noise now spins clean as whistle.

I am currently using a Pro-Ject VC-S2 with their recommended cleaning solution to clean my records which requires some efforts on my part. I don’t mind the process but still can’t get some of the records to play cleanly. Does this mean, user error or some records are just inherently noisy and buying an Ultrasonic machine like Degritter Mark II or KL Audio won’t make them play any quieter.

Did you find a process that works well for those stubborn noisy records. I don’t mind assuming the role of a pro dishwasher for handful of records..LOL!

At the end of the day, I am looking for this process to be fully automated thus my desire to consider an Ultrasonic machine that does it all.

128x128lalitk
lewm
13,092 posts
 

If the water bath in a US machine stays “clean”, doesn’t that suggest it’s not removing detritus from LPs, which is its purpose?

dogberry
664 posts
 

It's a question of how clean, isn't it? I use a cleaning solution with surfactant on the Loricraft, followed by a DW rinse. Then the Degritter with just DW, relying on cavitation for any further cleaning. Since Degritter recommends changing water every 20-30 disks, I'd rather remove the majority of crud with the vacuum machine and not contaminate the Degritter's tank with any more of it than necessary. If I changed the water after every disk, which might seem the counsel of perfection, I'd be running my water distiller every day to provide enough. Just a matter of finding a trade-off that one can be comfortable with.

elliottbnewcombjr
5,455 posts
 

The compact ’keep on a shelf’ design appeals to me, anyone tried it or one like it/

HummingGuru 40hz clean/dry

lewm
13,092 posts
 

Dogberry, so far as I have been able to learn by reading the many threads on US RCMs, you are correct not to use a surfactant or detergent with your US machine.  As far as I can determine, most manufacturers of US RCMs don't recommend adding anything but water to the bath, except maybe Kirmuss with all its pre-cleaning rituals. But I think that using detergents/surfactants, as I do in my lowly VPI 16.5 or 17 (not sure what I have; the platter rotates in both directions, and it has a stainless steel waste tank) is a decided advantage in favor of the vacuum type cleaner.  My neighbor had a Loricraft for a while, but he kept having problems with the string thing.

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cleeds
5,957 posts
 

I bought a first generation Nitty Gritty back in the late '70s. It's a very effective machine, but rather noisy and messy in operation. It still works, although I only use it on the rare occasion that I need to play a dirty used record.

I bought a Klaudio US machine about 7 years ago, and it does pretty much everything I need of a record cleaner. It washes, it dries, and it does it with one-button convenience. It is amazingly effective and so easy to use that there's just no excuse for ever playing an unclean record.

Most new records are not truly clean, btw, and there's no way to get the best from an LP if you're relying solely on dry brushes to remove dust.

Whatever you choose, I think the best record cleaning protocol is the one you'll actually follow.

 

 

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