Ultrasonic record cleaners

I find proper record cleaning is just about the biggest upgrade I’ve ever experienced. What good is a decent table and a lovely cartridge if the record is dirty? I am constantly surprised at how quiet—often silent—a record can be despite age and heavy use. I’ve a few from the sixties that I know were played often on a crappy Philips record player with a ceramic cartridge, and on everything I’ve owned since, and they are still silent!

Most of my cleaning has been with a point-source vacuum, the Loricraft PRC-4 Deluxe, and having added a Degritter, I think I’m getting things as clean as I can with little effort. Everything goes through the PRC-4 with a homemade mixture of detergent (currently L’Art du Son), IPA and DW, then into the Degritter for a ’Heavy’ clean with their own solution, and it gets placed in a new inner sleeve. Using the Loricraft first saves the tank of Degritter fluid from getting gross contamination (it is re-used for 30 disks). Furutech Destat III and a blower brush before playing, but nothing touches the record, other than air and ions. After about half a dozen plays, it goes back through the Degritter, but I don’t repeat the Loricraft unless I hear any surface noise, in which case it gets a long visit with AI Enzymatic solution before going in the Degritter again. Styluses are cleaned with a dry carbon fibre brush.

If I could have only one of those machines it would be the Degritter. If the only option were a 60kHz U/S machine, I’d prefer the Loricraft. The extra energy and the smaller size of cavitation bubbles makes the difference that justifies the Degritter’s price until someone else makes a 120kHz/300W for less money!

Fer Gawd's sake, don't tell Fremer about jeweller's putty!

@chowkwan @pindac I believe you are correct to say that very clean records will prolong stylus life. One my cartridges that have cantilevers (an odd statement to some of you, I suppose) I do use an "ultrasonic" stylus cleaner - it isn't ultrasonic at all, much lower frequency, and some Last 4. But the Deccas can only withstand a stylus brush, and this is important: any liquid placed on their styli will track up inside the cartridge and dissolve the glue holding the coils in place. You do not want that to happen!

I have modified my practice as a result of reading Neil's thoughts (I must have missed it in the book, if it was there). I now de-gas each morning before cleaning my first disk. And that is not some sordid reference to the bathroom.

So far, I can say it has done no harm. It makes good sense technically, so I shall continue the habit as it costs nothing and might add something important (like making my expensive Degritter work better!)

I think the main change for the Degritter Pro is that it uses two baths, with one reserved for rinsing. It automates what many people already do by swapping the tank with a second one for a DW rinse.

I can take my cleaned record out of the Degritter and put it back on the Loricraft for a DW rinse and vacuum, but the the thing is, I can't hear any difference if I do that.

I am going to try using the Degritter with plain DW after a wash and vacuum on the Loricraft, hoping the ultrasonic cavitation alone will remove what the Loricraft missed, and at the same time rinsing any detergent residue left after the Loricraft vacuumed it.