And there's your answer (simple distilled).
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
Premium distilled water for ultrasonic record cleaner
I have a kLaudio lp200 ultrsonic record cleaner
I recall a few comments on reading threads about some special high grade distilled water
i can't seem to find anything via an audiogon search
klaudio says plain distilled is what they use
woukd anyone like to chime in with recommended top grade distilled waters
what properties make these special water brands stand out and the advantage to the sound of the records
a link or two would help
on a side note Klaudio is having a sale on their silencer and I went ahead and bought one
anybody using this silencer?
thanks
I recall a few comments on reading threads about some special high grade distilled water
i can't seem to find anything via an audiogon search
klaudio says plain distilled is what they use
woukd anyone like to chime in with recommended top grade distilled waters
what properties make these special water brands stand out and the advantage to the sound of the records
a link or two would help
on a side note Klaudio is having a sale on their silencer and I went ahead and bought one
anybody using this silencer?
thanks
65 responses Add your response
Or you can be a nut like me who cleans with an AudioDesk and rinses on a VPI 17 with reagent grade water. Do not ask me if I can tell the difference without a rinse. I've never conducted that test and probably never will. Just happy to know that if the AD left any residue from the cleaning agent, I took a shot at it. |
When I had the Audio Desk, I reduced the amount of factory fluid based on input from other long time users. I could still see the effects of that fluid residue afterwards- water spread across the disc fairly evenly, as if there were still a surfactant of some sort present, breaking the surface tension. Theoretically, the ultrasonic cleaning as a finishing step, without the contact of potentially polluting brushes, or static inducing vacuum wands, is best. However, I still got better results on some records by point nozzle drying the ultrasonically washed, but not forced air dried, record. One can do this without spending a fortune on machines- DIY ultrasonic plus used Loricraft will get you there. |
I went with the KLaudio because I didn't want to mess with the Audio Desk cleaners solutions or brushes to be replaced. The KL does a great job. It won't remove surface fingerprints completely, then again these don't affect playback if a record is really noisty or needs extra cleaning I will clean it using a Loricraft. Walker step two cleaner and step 3 water adjent then off to the KLaudio trying to decide if I need to beef up my power chord and isolation platform for the ultrasonic sarc/ |
The amount of misinformation in this thread is INCREDIBLE but not surprising. The KLAUDIO instructions specify NO DISTILLED WATER. It recommends either TAP or bottled water, though there’s reverse osmosis that’s demineralized (Aquafina) and R.O. that had minerals added back (Dasani). The instructions are not sufficiently clear when they say “bottled water” but DEFINITELY do not use distilled says so on page 10 of the most recent manual. |
The amount of misinformation in this thread is INCREDIBLE but not surprising. The KLAUDIO instructions specify NO DISTILLED WATER. It recommends either TAP or bottled water, though there’s reverse osmosis that’s demineralized (Aquafina) and R.O. that had minerals added back (Dasani). The instructions are not sufficiently clear when they say “bottled water” but DEFINITELY do not use distilled says so on page 10 of the most recent manual. |
@grooves this is a 6 year old thread also. |
@grooves- what version of the manual do you have? The one shown on the KL site is English Version 1.2 and says: "Use only distilled water to fill the reservoir. Detergents, tap water, and other additives are not recommended and may react with materials used in the system or cause mineral build-up...." I can check the manual that came with my machine- but the unit shown on their website (still up) looks pretty much identical to the unit I have here in terms of lack of switch on face panel, etc. |
@whart I looked it up also. I picked up a used LP200 a few months ago and downloaded the manual from the KLAudio web site. Since the unit has been discontinued for some time, it is sure to be the most current version of the manual. It clearly says to use distilled water. |
A 6-year long discussion about water. Would that our politicians were nearly as obsessed with clean water as are audiophiles. Distilled water ought to be fine, might even be overkill. Filtered tap water, to remove macro sized particulates, would probably also be as good. Another factor in the outcome is how you dry the LPs. Vacuum suction would seem to go a long way to removing any "dirt" in the water used to clean, but air drying would leave such stuff on the surface of the LP. Probably most of that would be too large to sit down in the grooves. Thom made a good point about once-used water. |
@lewm not to belabor the point, but at the time this thread was originally posted, I was not aware of the DIY methods of filtration of particulates from the US bath-- that sort of kit can be put together fairly inexpensively along with other features that may or may not be available on the "made for records" US machines. It is a fair point regarding pollution of the bath water. Rush Paul and Tima have written about it, as has Neil Antin, who developed mil-spec cleaning methods for 02 systems on Navy submarines. Yeah, it can get a little obsessive. :)
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