Audio Desk Ultrasonic Vinyl Cleaner

This month's newsletter from The Cable Company contains an promo offer on the Audio Desk System RCM that ought to be made note of for people who do not yet own the machine:

http://www.thecableco.com/newsletter-detail.aspx?iid=5892

For a $25 upcharge there are a whole slew of extras thrown in, many of which are things you would normally need to purchase anyway (first and foremost, additional detergent, which I had to order within the first few weeks, as noted in an earlier response in this thread).

Once again, highly recommended.

 

What about a pre-clean stage, which is what many folks seem to do. I'm thinking about keeping my GEM DANDY as a first stage, then do Ultrasonic in pure water.

 

Klaudio has come out with 7&10 inch adapters, anyone try these in the AD? 100$ each. They look like they should work.

Jeff

 

Oh, now that's interesting news. I could use the 7 incher.

 

What might also work for that is elastic bowl covers; you can sometimes get them in fairly large sizes.

 

Wow, talk about the best dressed chicken in town.

"Ultrasonic transducers are placed perpendicular to both sides of the disc for maximum cleaning effect."

REALLY?

 

Hi mate, just wondering, did you buy one and what are your thoughts? Where did you get it?

Cheers Mark

 

Hi Mark,
I bought it from the dealer here in Melbourne, Australia. Pure Music Group. It's a sensational machine. I believe it's well worth the dollars. If you have the cash, get it.

 

really WHO care's is a cleaning machine makes a lot of noise, the only important thing is the result, if the result is better who care's is make noise, also of course comparing a normal RCM cleaning with Ultrasonic Cleaning is different, Ultrasonic is clearly better but yes very expensive, and my question is why that price 4K, a lot tech for doing that, expensive materials? it looks like an excesive price for that machine.

also why the klaudio machine have minutes to change etc.. dry timer etc... I mean how meter if a vinyl needs more time to cleaning? depends of the mold or dust? I was think is the same time for all records.

 

Stenway- if you are working in the same room the noise may get to you after a while. I tend to clean in sessions using multiple machines and don't just drop a record in and disappear (although you can do that). I think the KL in cleaning mode is more grating on my nerves than the AD because it makes a loud sizzling noise-like a bug zapper- throughout its wash cycle, but I prefer the flexibility of the KL, including the fact that I can use reagent water in it with no fluid additive. I can also do a wash only in the KL and nozzle dry on the Monks, which can deliver even better results sometimes on problem records. As to pricing, I have no answer, but in my estimation these machines are well worth the money. Though ultrasonic is not the sole means of vinyl cleaning for me, I would feel very empty handed without one.

 

thanks Bill, of course Im not an expert just curious about all ultrasonic cleaning, yes the KL looks better made (again visualy I dont have any to try).

one question, with ultrasonic cleaning you just need ONE cleaning for the disc, ONE clean forever is enough, you know a lot ultrasonic cleaning can wrap or damage the record.

also after cleaning you eject the record using gloves or something? you know touch the record... fingerprints etc... Im looking some gloves to touch my records that dont left cloth residues.

 

I have one of these (Audio Desk). I have cleaned 1200 - 1500 records along one year and a half. I couldn't live without it
Yes it is noisy, but very easy of use and excelent results.

 

again, one clean is enough forever for each record?
and any damage wrap in any of your 1500 records after ultrasonic bath?

 

No damage, not at all.
I have only re-cleaned just a few (5-6) that went dirty for any reason.
According to the maker multiple cleans doesn't damage the record. These are my findings too. They sound better if any.

 

Recently bought one of these for christmas , Bettter sound upgrade than a new $4000 moving coil
Sublime piece of engineering , cleaned 200 LPs in a weekend

 

I have had the AD for over a year and cleaned hundreds of records with mine. The convenience alone makes it hard to imagine life without it now. I have used it both with and without the cleaning solution. Sonically, it works well without the solution which makes sense since the KL uses no cleaning fluid and is the same type mechanism.

I have used it with reagent grade lab water and sworn by that in the past. I recently lost my local supplier of this expensive water and have had to revert to distilled water at $.89/gallon. I must say it works just as well IMO.

I clean and flush mine occasionally, though not as often as I likely should. Why? My biggest concern is a tank of stagnant water and microbial growth. Here on Earth life grows everywhere and I'll admit I'm a little paranoid about mold and mildew growing in my tank of record cleaning solution. Filter, yes on the AD, but still. Does the AD solution inhibit microbial growth? We know little about what this solution contains if anything. I notice similar effectiveness without the solution. How about distilled water with a few drops of bleach as a cheap solution that would also inhibit little critters from springing up in this primordial soup? Anyone tried this or any thoughts?

 

Son- could you clarify why you think cleaning and flushing would increase microbial growth? (Maybe I am misreading your post, but are you saying that is why you continue to use the additive, though you have experimented without it?)
I wouldn't put anything in the AD without getting the manufacturer or distributor's approval. When I used the AD, I did reduce the amount of fluid I used, largely to minimize the amount of fluid residue left on the record. I would also think that the cleaning rollers and the filter on the AD could be a point of growth- thus, when I didn't use the machine for any length of time, I drained it, flushed it, and removed and washed the filter and rollers and let them dry outside the machine.
FWIW, you can get reagent water shipped to a commercial address, though it is more expensive @ about $70 per 5 gal, delivered.

 

Sorry, you did misread a bit. I clean and flush the machine periodically to hopefully PREVENT microbial growth from accumulating in the tank's stagnant water. Bacteria aren't really any problem because of their size. More concerning would be mold and mildew which form strands of mycelia and spores.

My question is, what keeps these things from growing in a tank of water just sitting there for likely weeks or months? I don't know what's in the AD fluid or if it may inhibit this growth. When using the AD without additive, or the KL as designed, this would seem to be likely to develop. My thought of a tiny amount of bleach which is very effective against mold and mildew was in regards to this. I would think it could not harm the machine at all and just wondered if anyone had tried it.

I may consider having lab grade water shipped to my office but for now the distilled water seems to be producing comparable results for much less money.

 

I am very interested in this as my AD develops a distinct musty smell in a couple weeks after refill. The rollers stay damp for a long time. I have wondered if running a cycle through it periodically with a thimble of bleach. Maybe making a cover with a tiny fan to circulate air in the chamber to dry it out. Honestly, I would think the reservoir would be more problematic as its pretty sealed and I would thing would be damp even if emptied.

 

You should call Robert Stein at the importer and get his advice. Whenever I didn't use the AD for any period of time, I would drain it and rinse off and dry the filter/rollers and leave them separated from the device. I left the drain plug out and tipped the unit up slightly to enhance draining any residual liquid.
On the KL, there are no fabric or sponge-like elements, and you can access the reservoir through a port- I use some clean room wipes to clean the reservoir every time I drain it, though it has been in constant use and I replace the water frequently too. Be interested in knowing the answer to your question, but (at the risk of repeating myself), I wouldn't put anything in the device without getting approval from the manufacturer.

 

Adding anything to your water to keep microbes from populating can then create a possibility of introducing a residue onto the vinyl. I would do as Bill said and simply empty the unit and let it dry.

 

I am trying to remove the rollers from my Audiodesk in order to clean them but they seem to be stuck in place. I have tried pulling them straight up or with a twist but to no avail. Any owners with the same issue? I am stumped...thx guys.

 

I have replaced them many times. Just pulling them straight up.

 

Weirdest thing. Absolutely cannot remove them. They are stuck. Anyone with the same issue?

 

They slide onto metal pins vertically. There is no catch point. The rollers have a thick plastic cage, you can take a thinnish rag and rap the roller. Use vice grips or wide pliers and pull gently and firmly STRAIGHT up. They should release easily. If you haven't run the machine in a bit you could start a cycle to just get the insert point wet and maybe get some lubrication. Careful not to run it too long and get the whole roller wet. Good Luck.