KLAudio is stopping production of their Ultrasonic record cleaner.

Wow! @ close to 5k, I don't know why that would happen.

Completely happy with my DIY.

The Degritter is half that price, I believe, and appears to be a superior design. The automatic USC cleaners are great for those wanting convenience, but a DIY version can be put together for a LOT less $.

Degritter better?
that is not what Michael Fremer says

MF owns an Audiodeske and felt the Klaudio top knotch  on par - no chemicals or rollers

I like MF but when has he ever favored a less expensive product over a more expensive one? He will admit that performance is very good but never “better”.

As far as I know, Fremer has yet to do an in-depth evaluation of the Degritter.

I like my Degritter. Have had it for a couple weeks now. I pulled the trigger when they had a few blemished units for sale at a discount. When I got my machine I really couldn’t see anything wrong with it and it works just fine.

Too bad about KL Audio discontinuing their unit. I was pretty impressed when a couple record stores here locally were using the machine to clean inventory. If the price had been closer to the Degritter I might have grabbed one.

I'm surprised to see this. The Klaudio is a fantastic machine: So simple in operation and so incredibly effective.

They will not be around long because their tone arm is a serious joke. Not that I care about their record cleaner. I never have to clean my records because they do not get dirty. 

Another good example for "High End" Audio....anything done serious will not survive.

I've had the KL and now have the Degritter.  I find the Degritter better in every aspect.

vortrex

I've had the KL and now have the Degritter. I find the Degritter better in every aspect.

In what ways?

I found the Degritter cleans better (see my post in the Degritter thread).  The other big difference in the machines comes down to three major points.  The Degritter has a filtering system, a removable water tank, and is completely controlled by firmware.  It's also smaller, lighter, quieter, and better looking IMHO.  Degritter responds to emails promptly.  I once emailed KL with a simple question and never got a response.

Filtering - I was shocked by the amount of sludge in the KL tank when I went to clean it.  It's also very difficult to clean well because access to the tank is limited.  Clearly this sludge was in the tank no matter how often I changed the water.  The Degritter has an inexpensive replaceable filter which can be cleaned and replaced in seconds.  I've seen no crud in the Degritter tank.

Water tank - As I mentioned, with the KL access to the tank is quite limited for cleaning it.  You have to fill the tank with a funnel through a small hole in the top of the unit.  With the Degritter removable tank (lifts out of machine in seconds) you can easily fill and clean the tank anywhere without having to lug the machine around.  You can also easily keep different solutions by buying an inexpensive second tank.

Firmware - Every aspect of the machine is controlled through firmware.  This firmware can be updated by the user simply by inserting a SD card into the machine with the firmware file on it and rebooting.  Degritter has already made a couple updates fine tuning the machine since I have had mine.

Yeah, the Degritter is a "21st Century" version of an ultrasonic.

Whilst a great product - cleaning machines tend to be one off purchases. And people who do such purchases had probably already got good machines in the first place. The high end is shrinking in terms of new buyers - so logic dictates that the kl audio was going to have challenges in reaching market sales.

@vortrex thanks for your overview! There's no substitute for hands-on experience.

I should also say I was happy with my KL when I had it. I actually sold it before I ever heard of the Degritter. It was at a time when I was pulling some money out of my system. Then I realized how I can’t live without an ultrasonic cleaner and found the Degritter in my search. I think everyone should have an ultrasonic cleaner before worrying about some of the other popular tweaks. 

Has anyone tried the Kirmuss Record Cleaning Machine?
A lot cheaper and has some very good reviews.

https://kirmussaudio.com/ka-rc-1-ultrasonic-record-restoration-system/

Saw the Kirmuss at Axpona looks nice but seems a bit of a pain to use. They say you have to wash the record like 4-5 times! That's seems excessive IMO 

I have my Kirmuss for 2 months. I have not compared it to other ultrasonic cleaners but I do own a Loricraft for 10 years. I was hesitant to buy the Kirmuss because of the process. But after cleaning 50-60 LPs I will say that it does a much better job than the Loricraft. 
The process of applying the surfactant is easy and effective. If you watch the video when Mr. Kirmuss discusses the whitish haze on the record after applying the surfactant, I can say that some LPs need multiple cycles to fully remove this stuff, while for others it’s gone after the 2nd cycle. But for those LPs with lots of “soap”, as Kirmuss would say, switching to 2 minute cycles with surfactant instead of 5 minute cycles worked out great for me.
The drying process is also easy. This is one reason I held out on getting the Kirmuss. In fact before I got it I thought I would use the Loricraft to vacuum up the water but it’s not necessary.

I watched that video, and Mr Kirmuss seems very convinced of the merits of his product.  But I wondered about what is really generating that white schmutz that then has to be removed by multiple repeat cleanings.  It seemed to me it might be a precipitate formed from his cleaning fluid and "something else" coming together.  (It bothered me that he used the same cloth over and over again; the kludge could be in the cloth not on the LP.) In other words, the cure is causing the disease, but I certainly could be wrong at this distance.  In any case, the process was too involved and labor intensive to suit me.

I was skeptical before getting the Kirmuss thinking that the smudge was just part of the process and it was all just snake oil. But the white smudge is not consistent from record to record. Some records are smudge free after 2 cycles, while others need more attention. What I do is I have multiple brushes for applying the surfactant and I spray each brush with distilled water and dry it off with the microfiber cloth. It’s a 30 second process. 


 

The heavy wash cycle on the Degritter is now 12 min from start to finish.  This was recently increased with a firmware update.  I like it this way, no do-overs needed.  Every record gets a heavy wash to start with whether it is new or old and from that baseline I will maintain with a light or med wash going forward.

@vortrex I have been using the medium wash for the most part, but do a heavy wash on occasion. I have a question for you. Have you yet encountered the cooling cycle engaging during any of you washes?

Yes, the cooling fan engages every time I wash.  It's warm here now.    We'll see what happens in the winter.  I don't mind it coming on during the actual wash cycle but I do not agree with leaving it running after you're done washing.  My Degritter is in my audio room.  So, I need to put the machine to sleep after every wash if I plan on listening to what was just cleaned because the cooling fan runs forever even when the machine is doing nothing.  I suggested they shut the cooling fan off if another cleaning cycle is not started in XX seconds but they didn't like that idea.  I see no point in cooling water if you are not washing.

@vortrex interesting my fan does not stay on after the cleaning cycle is finished. It will come on after about a minute to two into the wash cycle (usually following the third or fourth record in a row that I have cleaned), add the two minute cooling process to the wash cycle, then go back to washing, and eventually drying. At the end of the drying cycle the machine stops. Now sometimes there will be more than one cooling process during a wash, but I am told by Degritter that during this process where the water is being filtered to cool down the record is still being cleaned.

Mine will stay on for 10-15 minutes or more after the cleaning cycle is done.  I guess that means my water is hotter than yours.  It will eventually shut off if I let it go, but I am in the habit now of putting the machine to sleep after each record I clean.  Right now since I am going through all my records one by one with the heavy wash I clean one, then listen, clean one, then listen, etc.

if you have a KLaudio and don't have the silencer I would consider buying it. You can really cut down on the decipels

I off chance just saw the price of it's replacement filter....I can't say it.

Wow, what a bummer!!  I'd stock up on parts if I knew which ones to get.I bought mine a while back hoping to ditch my Loricraft. And after extensive testing, I found that the KLA was no match for the Loricraft for first wash. BUT, what really came through was that LP's sounded better when cleaned by the KLA after the Loricraft. There was no debating the difference. So, instead of shortening my cleaning I ended up lengthening it a bit. At first, I was upset but after a bit I got over it and now I wouldn't give it up for anything. It removes that last bit of "film" (for lack of a better word) and gives me greater "clarity" and silence.

Sorry guys, all that sounds exhausting,I've owned an Audio Desk pro for about 18 months now.I clean every record I have,new or old before playing the first time and it works perfectly.About five minutes for a really great cleaning,and your good to go.I owned a Nitty gritty years ago and it put fine scratches on every record you tried to clean.Audio Desk leaves every record perfect,every time.New vinyl needs to be cleaned before playing.I couldn't recommend an Audio Desk anymore,it's worth every penny.

good  products stay, others die...

best
E.

Wow, what a bummer!! I'd stock up on parts if I knew which ones to get.I bought mine a while back hoping to ditch my Loricraft. And after extensive testing, I found that the KLA was no match for the Loricraft for first wash. BUT, what really came through was that LP's sounded better when cleaned by the KLA after the Loricraft.

Do you do a rinse step on the Loricraft?

A reason your combination is more effective than the KLaudio alone is not so much the Loricraft, which is just a nice vacuum, but your use of surfactants or enzymes.  A wash and a rinse.  I imagine it is quite effective though maybe a bit messy. 

good  products stay, others die...

Products that make a profit stay, others don't.