to buy or not to buy (ultrasonic record cleaner)

Ok. Here is the thing that I think makes a difference. With the ultrasonic you use a boars hair brush and surfactant which I did use when I I did the cleaning. I am betting that if I incorporate that into my systems cleaning routine the grooves will be about as clean, but your right. Test 2 is the ultrasonic cleaner. However if there is a difference I don’t know if I could justify spending the coin for the ultrasonic. 
Furthermore. The listening test proved to be in inclusive as I heard no sonic difference between cleanings. If it was I certainly could not detect it. Also the downside. The process takes way away longer using the machine. I could clean 10 records by the time it takes me to clean one using the machine. Ok I’m getting a little bias now because that should not matter but I have over 400 albums and it will take me a year to clean them all with the ultrasonic. I guess if I were buying old dusty records maybe but I only buy new or used in mint condition. I guess for the one offs where I run across an original pressing of an old record I will just borrow the machine again lol. Now I will tell you that this machine is not one of the more expensive ones. (Under $2k) so I’m not comparing this to one of the more top of the line cleaners either. 

@tablejockey 
do you use Tergikleen in your spin clean? If you don’t you should try it. I may also stat using a very small amount of 70% alcohol. The Tergikleen works very well tho. 

"do you use Tergikleen in your spin clean?"

barnettk-

I see tergikleen mentioned on many threads. 
After using up the supplied  cleaner with the Spin Clean years ago, I never bothered to look into a replacement.

My formula is very crude/low tech. A couple drops of clear dishwashing liquid and 99%alcohol. I'm sure the LP cleaning purist are cringing after reading this. Make matters worse, I RINSE it off from the tap-BLASPHEMY! No doubt there' still stuff in those grooves under a microscope but I don't sweat it. Maybe if I had a $50K arm/table I would be more into it.

The results with US is obvious to my ears. I want one. The itch just hasn't been strong enough yet for me to hit the "buy now" button.

I have a collection of 50-60 divas that MUST be quiet. I've done US on  my treasured Billie Holliday,Ella, Sarah... and have been blown away with results.

It does start with the LP. I try and find the best condition albums when I bin dive. No funky mold covered saves from floods or whatever.

I've got an Audiodesk Systeme PRO and I would never go back. Garage sale or very dirty LP's go through a Spin Clean first. But, it seems like there are more affordable options than the Audiodesk. 

However, I have to say, with the level of investment and sheer time that you have put into your gorgeous system, it doesn't seem like the cost of an ultra-sonic RCM would be at the top of the list of your priorities. Buy one. Sometimes it will make a negligible difference, and sometimes a crappy looking $1.00 record will turn into audio magic. Walking home from work one day I rummaged through a stack of records at a garage sale and found a bad looking copy of Breakfast in America by Supertramp. Cleaned up by my machine, put on my deck, and BAM I was transported back to the summer when it was on the radio all the time when I was 11 years old and my mom and I were in a new city looking for a house. That was wonderful and I probably wouldn't have picked it up without knowing that I could clean the heck out of it at home. Also, I wouldn't have bought that record new or used from any of the usual audiophiley places, or even put it on a streaming list; I had kind of forgotten about it. Having a good ultrasonic machine has been a great investment for me and my stereo (though pretty damn nice) aint quite like yours ;)

Cheers,
Oran

oranfoster-

I know that feeling of being transported to a better place once the needle drops on something heard 40 years ago. I think it's part of the allure of table insanity-a decent setup, that is. My rig is low on the food chain...
under $8K new MSRP- table/cart/phono stage. Just enough to get an idea what the fuss is all about.

The AD is the model I want. Like anything else there's conflicting owner experience with it, but I always got a kick out of using it, when I have.

All those MIC Amazon specials are great for the price, but still not turnkey enough like the AD. I'm patiently waiting for the killer used deal.