to buy or not to buy (ultrasonic record cleaner)


Hi Audiogoners,

So I have been considering investing in an ultrasonic record cleaning maching. Prob like some of you I question the ROI. So. I have a friend that purchased one and luckily he allowed me to take it for a spin (no pun intended).

I wanted to compare the results to my record cleaning system which is a Spin clean ($150) and a Record doctor record Vacuum ($300). I wont say what brand of ultrasonic cleaner I tested as not to disparage, or promote that brand publicly to be fair. if you want to know which one you can send me a private msg.

so to keep it simple I will let you judge for yourself. I have posted two pics taken with a USB microscope to my virtual systems page. Test1 and test 2. One of these pics was taken after cleaning with my system and the other with the ultrasonic cleaner

Can you tell which one is the ultrasonic??

should be intersting
barnettk
I recently added an Amazon ultrasonic cleaner bundle, and I use that then vacuum with my Record Doctor.  I couldn’t be happier.

20 drops of Tergikleen and distilled water and my records sound better than ever.
Which looks???
The ONLY thing that matters is the sound. Many hours of scrubbing and vacuuming over the years wasted. I've cleaned "clean" records and they sound like better presses every time.
Try a different jury.

Based on my readings, I tend to think that ultrasonic is now the way to clean discs, whether new or old.

Just get it. It is a one-time investment anyway, and should you want to dispose of it, someone will get it. 
There is no one best way to do this, and as to the OP, the idea that ultrasonic is going to show its stuff on a "dirty" record is, I think you’ll find, not necessarily true. In many cases with used records we have no idea what contaminants they have been exposed to; ultrasonic is one tool in your arsenal to deploy. I combine cleaning methods, pre-clean used records (some of which are rare and of high value) and use ultrasonic, but the latter is not the only solution-- it may be good for records that have been maintained in pristine condition by audiophiles, but even in those instances, I often wonder what "cleaning" methods were used that left residue.
There are best practices to this starting with what archives do, including the Library of Congress.
There is no one wonder chemical and dealing with ultrasonic, there are trade offs-- you want to lower surface tension of the water, perhaps have some detergent to bind the contaminants, but the other side of the equation is how that stuff is removed once it has done its job. That, to me, is where the rinse step plays a role.
I’m not a materials scientist or bio chemist but have spent a fair amount of time digging down into this stuff and can defer to those with more knowledge than me. Unfortunately, most of the science of making records, at least in the published papers of journals like the AES, stopped in the ’70s. Cleaning agents are regarded as proprietary by their makers and in some cases, the manufacturer of an ultrasonic machine may insist that you use their fluid lest you violate their warranty.
If you are DIY, you have more options and there are a lot of fluid concoctions that people have shared on the web. Often, it is based on trial and error, or someone’s suggestion that a particular chemical or combination of chemicals works for them.
There is science to this, and it requires a methodical approach. As mentioned, Neil Antin has done an extensive study on record cleaning, the chemistry and methods. He is in the process of revising that study to account for ultrasonic cleaning and I hope to publish it soon. It will be available at no charge, and Neil has been generous with his time in working with users to help them address issues of detergency, foaming, removal of surfactant and the like.
As to investing in an ultrasonic machine as a one time proposition, the transducers will eventually burn out; there are equipment failures (witness the early AD teething problems which I gather have been sorted with the PRO model).
If one is looking for a simple, drop a record in and push a button type approach, the current in vogue machine is the DeGritter, with which most users report positive experience. I think you’ll find if you spend time with the made for LP machines that they are a compromise; thus, the need to use conventional manual cleaning for used records, in combination with ultrasonic. There is no one size fits all solution to this in my estimation.
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