if I buy an ultrasonic cleaner for my records will I be able to hear the difference?


I have a lot of records and have cleaned some of them with a VPI vacuum machine. My system is quite nice  but not ultra high end ( turntable about $2K and the rest to match) .Will I be able to hear the difference , with my system or is it just for those who can afford the very best?
rrm

Showing 2 responses by sbank

@rrm , IMHO @pbnaudio gives you a great recommendation. I used a VPI 16.5 for years, used it with most of the available fluids and brushes available and it was pretty good. I was a beta tester for AudioIntelligent, but my fav was the Walker Audio Prelude which took 4 steps, a bit of a pain in the a**. Then after checking out a few friends US machines and having champagne taste & beer budget,  I followed suit following the methodology eloquently described by @rushton in this thread: 
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/rushton-s-diy-approach-to-ultrasonic-record-cleaning-published-by-posit 
and here:
https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/rushton-paul-diy-approach-ultrasonic-cleaning-lps/
Long story short; ebay US tank, Vinylstack record spinner to rotate LPs in the tank, a combo of suggested chemicals (a complex first purchase that will last most years), a cheap pump/filter setup to keep the tank clean for ~50-60 LPs without changing water/chemicals and a DIY vacuum rinse station that I made from a $5 Ikea lazy susan. Details of that easy project is in my posts on Rushton's thread. All in ~$500,
It works great, is easy to do(not as simple as a one-button $3k machine), and clearly improves sonics both on old & new LPs. Crap in newly purchased albums isn't to be underestimated. It wears on styli and cantilevers and they should always be cleaned before playing if you want to preserve your gear and get the best sound for your investment. Cheers,
Spencer

@rollintubes Amen, bro. What he said. Except for being too cheap to being a Cyclone to do the drying, I'm doing the same. I bought a 3D-printed attachment with velvet brush that slides onto a shopvac. With my lazy susan-based manual drying station spinner, it does the trick like the VPI 16.5 that I had used before. I sold it and it covered most of the cost of the whole US setup. Cheers,
Spencer