Ultrasonic record cleaners


I have a modest lp collection, mixed bag of original college age purchases, used records before the current renewed interest, and some newer albums to replace some older issues from the p mount needle days.  Have a vpi 16 machine and audio intelligent form 6 fluid. I’m not finding a significant improvement on my noisier issues.  The price of ultrasonic cleaners have come down to a price I would consider.  Appreciate the experiences of those who have purchased the ultrasonic machines, are they superior to my vpi and are the less expensive models effective?

TIA

tennisdoc56

See @stringreen chimed in with a pearl of wisdom, NOT!

I have 2 US cleaners. A cheap one and the KA-RC-1 Both work the Krimuss more effective and I have a vacuum system also. 

KA-RC-1 Ultrasonic Record Restoration System - A Division of Kirmuss & Associates, LLC (kirmussaudio.com)

I have one but rarely use it...just takes up space.  Not worth the time or expense of having it.  It may provide a very slightly positive difference but only if you concentrate on the sound...I concentrate on the music

@Harpo75- just a word of caution- isopropyl alcohol fumes can be explosive in an ultrasonic setting. Glad so many people have found Neil. Be well.

Whart - Yes, your cautionary message is correct. You do need to be careful of the alcohol. I only use a small amount in the mixture. About 1/2 a cup in close to 1-1/2 gallons of distilled water in a vented area.
Some people don’t want the alcohol at all and that’s fine too. If not rinsed off the alcohol can dry out the vinyl but it does help clean well. So find a method that you are happy with. The cleaning mixtures that companies sell are usually expensive and are probably 90-99% water depending on the company. Find what works for you and the best that you can afford.

 

I use mine a couple times a month.  I usually buy 3-4 used records each month and also re-clean a couple or so that need it while I have the water and unit set up.  I do about 8-10 records per tub of water mixture.  Then just dump the water, dry the machine and store it in the garage.  I almost built up a water filter system for about $100 or so which would clean the water down to .5 microns and used a little 12V pump but soon realized it just wasn’t worth it.  6-10 records is as much as I ever do and the small amount of water is cheap so what’s the point.  If you run it more then I can see filtering it.

I think even a cheap ultrasonic cleaning system is much better then the old vacuum type systems. Although it would be great to have a vacuum unit to suck the water and any residue off the record after the process!

I bought the KA-RC1 (Kirmuss) on the cheap but soon grew tired of the process outlined in the manual and the Kirmuss surfactant leaves residue in the grooves. Gave up on the machine for a good while. Then realized I could just use the ultrasonic cleaning device with surfactant added directly to the US bath. I found a recipe online and concocted my own cleaning solution using Triton X-100 and 91% Iso.

Once the record was cleaned with KA-RC1, I rinsed it, twice, with pure distilled water and vacuum dried it with my Okki Nokki RCM. The results were very very good.

I have a very noisy Pink Floyd record. Tried cleaning it many times before (using both Kirmuss solution and Okki Nokki) but couldn’t get rid of the noise but the last clean did the trick. Not a single click, pop or crackle. I had to play the record twice to make my self believe that its the same noisy record.

Hope this helps.