Ultrasonic Record Cleaner 40 v 80 v 120 kHz

@jwr159,

First - recommend reading this article awad-reprint II (crest-ultrasonics.com), and the take-away is that for record cleaning, much above 80-kHz has no real benefit.  

Second, if you read this post - Ultrasonic Cavitation & Cleaning Explained | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet! (whatsbestforum.com) pay attention to the basic rules regarding kHz vs power.  Quick takeaway, is that a low powered 120-kHz is not going to clean very well.

If you are going to do the UT-DIY, the best UT tanks are the Elmasonic P-series elmasonic_p_gb.pdf (vwr.com) dual frequency 37/80-kHz with a variety of operating functions and are well powered by real power.  Most people with the Elmasonic P-60 or P-120 operate 10-min auto-cycling between 37-kHz and 80-kHz; then 10-min at 80-kHz.  Some of the other UT tank reported power levels are a bit optimistic.  

But going the DIY path, there is a lot of details to get it right such as the spinner speed, number of records, bath management, filtering, etc.  If you want to explore this further this free book Chapter XIV does a deep-dive - Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition - The Vinyl Press.

Otherwise, the general precision aqueous cleaning process is based on two steps, pre-clean and final clean.  New records can go straight to final clean, but used records generally need a pre-clean step, and you have many options.  The book above has a simple manual sink method using multiple chemistries, but there is also the option of vacuum-RCM, and combinations followed by UT final clean.  Keep in mind that except for the $$$$ Clearaudio unit, vacuum RCM do not clean the record - you clean the record with the brush and chemistry.  Vacuum-RCM adds convenience with speed to dry.   But, the UT record specific HumminGuru, Degritter & KLAudio all have the benefit of convenience - drop the pre-clean record into the slot and push start and ~10-min record is clean and dry or mostly dry with each having its own pros & cons.  If curious I did a comparison between the DG and KL here Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition | Page 13 | Steve Hoffman Music Forums.

But, let me stress that as far as I am concerned, there is no best cleaning process.  The best process is the one that is best for you.

Good Luck,

@jwr159,

No I do not use UT. I do not clean enough records, and convenience is not something that is a priority to me. The manual process leverages chemistry (detergents & acid, Liquinox, Citranox & Tergitol) especially the acid that you would not use with the other cleaning processes and with the right brush and the right technique achieves a very clean record. But the manual sink method is technique sensitive and is not convenient and much beyond cleaning 6 records at a time is not practical. It’s pretty much as the book end of Chapter XII states:

XII.16 The final chapters of this book will discuss machine assisted cleaning methods: vacuum record cleaning machines (RCM) and ultrasonic cleaning machines (UCM). It’s important to consider that machines are generally developed for two primary reasons – reduce labor and improve process efficiency. Process efficiency can mean faster (higher throughput) and/or higher probability of achieving quality or achieving a quality that manual labor cannot produce. Manual cleaning in the appropriate environment with appropriate controls can achieve impressive levels of cleanliness, but the labor, skill, time and probability of success generally make it impractical for manufacturing environments. But for the home audio enthusiast, depending on your attention to details, adopting machine assisted cleaning may or may not yield a cleaner record. However, the ease of use and convenience provided by machines can be very enticing and cannot be denied.

But, let me stress, as the book Forward states - All cleaning procedures specified herein are presented as only “a” way to clean a record. No claim is made there is only one way to approach the process. In the final analysis, the best cleaning process is the one that is best for you.

Good Luck

The Audiodesk_Pro is a very low powered UT device.  The manual Audiodesk_Pro_Manual-2018-7-Inch-Kit.pdf (galibierdesign.com) indicates an overall power of power 90W (which include the rollers) and a volume of 4.5-L which at best yields 20W/L but more likely 60W UT power for 13.3W/L.  Comparing against other 40-kHz machines, the HG max power is 60W, but the UT power is ~50W in 0.4L = 125W/L while the king of the hill, the KLAudio is 200W in 0.78L = 256W/L (the KLAudio is a beast).  However, the smaller tanks need more power because the ratio of tank surface area to volume is high, while the Kirmuss 35-kHz is about 165W and about 6.5L = 25W/L (it uses the same basic UT tank as the Isonic P4875 https://questforsound.com/pdfs/iSonic-catalog-P4875+MVR10.pdf.  

@jwr159, 

If you read the book, Chapter XIV XIV.4 Record Spacing, and XIV.6
Record Rotation Speed you should realize that they are spinning too many records too fast.  Otherwise, the 4875 tank is 40-kHz and 160W while the CS6.1 is 48-kHz and I believe only 80W power - I did a quick review here iSonic CS6.1-PRO ultrasonic record cleaner | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet! (whatsbestforum.com)

@jwr159, 

Be advised that inexpensive UT tanks like the Vevor can be very noisy; enough to drive you out of the room or wear hearing protection.  Also, you will want to buy new power supply that can slow down the motor such as  Amazon.com: Belker 36W 3V 4.5V 5V 6V 7.5V 9V 12V Adjustable Voltage Universal AC/DC Adapter Power Supply for Household Electronics Security Camera Router LED Strip Light Keyboard Tablet - 3A 3000mA Max. : Electronics.  

You can add a filter that can extend the bath life for not too much money - Amazon.com: iSonic 1 Micron in-Water Filter for P4875II+MVR, P4875II-4T-NH+MVR or P4875-NH+MVR : Industrial & Scientific.  You will have to adapt it to the Vevor. 

If you can keep the bath clean, you then monitor the bath with a TDS meter.  They are available for <$15 but they are generally not very accurate at low levels with this being the lowest accurate unit I have found - Amazon.com: HM Digital 716160 COM-100 Waterproof Professional Series Combo Meter, 7", White/Purple : Industrial & Scientific.  You refresh the bath when it reads 5-10 ppm.

Or, pre-clean with Merril unit and then final clean/dry with the HG HumminGuru Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner | RCM | Recording Cleaning Machine; see the manual here HumminGuru Owner's Manual.  The HG only uses 400-ml of DIW and you just replace about every 6- records.  FYI, the general consensus is that the new more expensive HG-Nova adds some convenience, but it cleans no better.    

Good Luck,