to buy or not to buy (ultrasonic record cleaner)

There is no question that cavitation or ultrasonic record cleaning is best. That is, as long as you believe in science, facts and your hearing ability. That being said, your cleaning process or ritual using any machine is as important as the machine itself. There are, of course, a whole host of other factors that come into play (e.g. type of cleaning solution; quality of  turntable & cartridge used for play; handling & storage of records; ritual in playing records; etc.). You don't have to spend thousands on an ultrasonic record cleaning machine. Visit the "CleanerVinyl" site. Using one of their systems with something like a Knosti Antistat or Spinclean for a final rinse will make all the difference but, by all means, keep the bath water clean!   

Lots of time of my hands today; so, decided to check in on this thread. Have to admit I’m still interested in the Degritter, even though I’m still happy with my CleanerVinyl system, Knosti, Last record preservative and Last Power Cleaner in my cleaning regimen. Very satisfied and impressed with the results. Regardless, the Degritter seems faster and more convenient, despite the fact that it’s one record at a time.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading & research on record cleaning, in general, but especially US cleaning. (BTW: Thank You So Muh, whart, for that excellent article by Neil Antin! I consider this required reading, now, for anyone interested in record cleaning!) As part of my reading & research on US cleaning, I wrote (emailed) to lots of experts on this, including several leading major manufacturers of ultrasonic cleaning machines used for medical applications and semi-conductor manufacturing. I asked what I hoped would be a simple question (i.e. what is the best cleaning frequency for PVC record cleaning?).

I’ve learned that It isn’t the size of the bubbles created by cavitation but the force generated by their implosion that does the actual cleaning. So, even if the bubbles aren’t small enough to get down to the very bottom of the record grooves, it doesn’t matter. My concern was (and still is) the immediate cleaning efficacy and possible long term effects on the structural integrity of the PVC and record grooves, if any, at different power & cleaning frequencies, especially if records are US cleaned more than once. I posed this question to Degritter several months ago and never got a response of any kind. Professional audiophile reviewers that I would have considered somewhat knowledgeable on this were somewhat noncommittal, if they responded at all. The manufacturers, on the other hand, people who are bona fide scientists, responded to my inquiries relatively quickly. All of them were very careful to stipulate they or their companies had never done any scientific research on US cleaning as applied to PVC records but most were confident the standard 40kHz cleaning frequency should be safe and effective.

The Degritter employs a 120kHz/300 watts frequency because they say they found this to be the most effective and safe. I asked them for any data or nonproprietary information they could share to prove or support this claim. Nothing! No response! All they really had to do or could have done was describe, in general terms, just how they went about testing this, what frequencies they tried, etc. Nothing! I’ve read all their promotional advertisements & claims, seen the before & after electron microscope shots and all of that but no response. Really? Doesn’t exactly engender the kind of confidence I would need to part with 3 grand for this machine. I’ve seen electron microscope shots of record albums cleaned with other US machines using different frequencies. Same results. So, if any of you folks have any information on this question, I would sure love to have a look. Call me Doubting Thomas but for 3 grand, I need to see, at least, a preponderance of evidence. I’d also be interested in various cleaning solutions. Some "experts" say no alcohol under any circumstances! However, some say just a little alcohol in the right proportion, of course, is necessary, especially to remove mold release agents. Seems different solutions for different types of soils are what works best here. I’ve also read some articles about using a variety of different US cleaning frequencies during the cleaning process works best, as well.

As that cute little elderly lady used to say in those Wendy’s commercials: "Where’s the beef?" Well, where’s the science? Where’s the proof? Too much of this audiophile game is more smoke & mirrors than it needs to be or should be.

BTW: brand new records should be cleaned before play because of mold release agents used in pressing. Just thought I’d shoot that out there.