Record Cleaning - Ultra Sonic or My old ways


I went digging this weekend and came up with a few gems that were on my list.

I went home, dusted them off first then started my cleaning madness. But guess what? I found myself cleaning the record using my old method instead of my $4K ultrasonic method.

When first started to collect records, I started out cleaning with my DIY method, then with a Nitty Gritty, then I got a Spin Clean and used it in combination with my DIY method. I then thought that was madness so I moved up to a KLAUDIO ultrasonic cleaning machine. It works great but I still find myself using the Spin Clean and DIY method. Now that is real madness I thought. But I really get some satisfaction from doing it that way because I feel that the records are as clean as using the KLAUDIO. I think that is really the case because I have stop buying dirty records, therefore not a lot of pops or clicks from the records. I do not collect records just to have a large amount of records. I always listen to my new purchases and put a small red sticker on the ones I think are good pressing and good sounding records (Like the "Hot Stamper" guy does). I then take all of the others to Goodwill. I have a database (Momento Database) on my Android phone with my record collection, including those records that I donated, so that I don't purchase them again. Before having the database, after going Digging I would realize that I already have one or two copies of the same record, so the database really helps because I look up each record to make sure I don't already have it.

So, have ever reverted to your old ways of cleaning records?

The KLAUDIO is just sitting there and I only use it occasionally if I hear some extra noise from the records, which is not often.

almandog

Showing 1 response by audiotomb

No comparison for me

the low evel detail, lack of static and pops, dynamics, etc on my Klaudio are fabulous. And the ease of use has me, well, using it.
i have over 600 records cleaned and cleaned 15 or so a week, sometimes more. I just bought the silencer so that has gone up dramatically. I still kept my Loricraft which uses single point vaccum based on the Keith Monks rc to prep a very stingy record. I have used it 4 times since the KL.

i now buy a lot of uk and german and vintage 50s - 60’s jazz. First pressings.
i have really been able to extract the highest quality out of these records with the Klaudio. Taking vg records and getting many to m-/e+ status. Via surface noise, it doesn't removes scratches but I have actually seen it remove the magnitude of a scratch. This allows me to buy less expensive (already expensive) copies

the KL may not get fingerprints off the surface, but it brings out the sonic inneraction which is all in the underlying grooves

ymmv