Ultrasonic Record Cleaning, What a difference!

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Massproductions, Aug 13, 2014.

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  1. Massproductions

    Massproductions Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    Just recently I went to a vinyl/CD show and there was a guy there cleaning records.

    It turns out he was using these really expensive Ultrasonic record cleaning machines, and would clean my records for a small fee. It was fun to watch the machines work, and he was super nice.

    It made a huge difference to get older used vinyl quiet again. Especially if the previous owner used a poor record cleaning solution that left a crackly reside behind.

    I thought I would mention it since lots of you guys love vinyl. No matter how much you spend on your gear, if the record is dirty, it's not going to sound good!

    This is his site.

    http://www.recordgenie.com/home
     
  2. JasonA

    JasonA Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cereal City
    Cool, I've wondered about this. I started using a Spin-Clean last year and have nothing but good things to say about it. I've gotten so now I won't listen to stuff I just bought until it's been cleaned with it first. I can't afford an ultrasonic machine, but I've seen lots of (over-priced) records on eBay that mention ultrasonic cleaning as a selling point to try and justify the huge price.

    If you don't mind my asking, how much was the small fee the guy charged to clean?
     
  3. Massproductions

    Massproductions Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    Yeah he told me the spin clean was good for a basic clean. Especially if the record has a lot of heavy dust or dirt. I guess it depends how clean you want them. He has two kinds of machines, one that has brushes, and another that uses ultrasound only. I had him do both, to get it really really clean. I think its $2.75 for single clean, or $5.00 for both machines. I would imagine he does bulk discounts, but I only had a handful.
     
  4. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    I'm in the wrong business.
     
    Brudy and Blue Cactus like this.
  5. eurekaiv

    eurekaiv Active Member

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    I wouldn't clean records for a living at those prices—especially on a 4k Audiodesk.
     
  6. Massproductions

    Massproductions Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    I know, it's cheap, but shhhhh! Don't tell him that! :righton:
     
  7. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    I'll stick with my $500 Clearaudio Smart Matrix(my price), and clean my own 3000 plus collection. It may be cheaper for you, not me.:righton:
     
  8. Paully

    Paully De gustibus non est disputandum

    Location:
    Tennessee
    I have been seriously contemplating building one of those. I haven't because I listen to so much new vinyl that probably wouldn't be helped that much. But for around $600 you can build your own, the main expense being the tank. Eventually I will probably do it. When I am fixated on an audio thought that I can eventually afford for this long, it usually happens.
     
    utahusker likes this.
  9. spencer1

    spencer1 Great Western Forum Resident

    Happy with my Nitty Gritty record cleaner.
    Had an almost unplayable Fred Neil record come back from the grave with that thing.

    I too now clean new records before I play them kinda like my wife cleans new clothes before she wears them.
     
  10. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    I agree, building one is the way to go, expense wise, and relatively simple. Ultrasonic, followed by rinse/vacuum would be a great option.
     
  11. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I always clean new records on my Okki Nokki before playing them. Record pressing plants aren't exactly clean rooms. Into a new MFSL sleeve after the clean.
     
    raferx likes this.
  12. Paully

    Paully De gustibus non est disputandum

    Location:
    Tennessee
    Oh yea, I have a Nitty Gritty and I clean every record, new or otherwise, with AI fluid and then a distilled water rinse. Certainly important. But a sonic cleaner still looks pretty cool"
     
  13. Can you pint us to some DIY instructions?
     
  14. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    An ultrasonic cleaner does look fast and easy. I like the AI products too.
     
  15. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    My worry with these Ultrasonic record cleaners is; how well do they do with really dusty records? Do you need to give really dusty records a quick clean to remove the excess dirt? I'm thinking you do in order to ensure the water doesn't get too dirty.

    I'd like to try one but if I had the money I'd have to opt for the Audiodesk as it has a fan. Building one doesn't look too complicated based on some of the things I've seen online but after a wash wouldn't you have to run it through a RCM to get it dry. Air drying for me wouldn't be an option.
     
  16. eurekaiv

    eurekaiv Active Member

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Vacuum RCMs make static so I don't personally see rack drying as much of a disadvantage for Ultrasonics. I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of a static charge actually helped the records stay cleaner, even after sitting out for a bit.
     
  17. Blue Cactus

    Blue Cactus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    Been using a VPI 16.5 for years but this Ultrasonic cleaner sure is tempting.

    Now to convince the wife.................:sigh:
     
    David Ellis likes this.
  18. Paully

    Paully De gustibus non est disputandum

    Location:
    Tennessee
  19. TimArruda

    TimArruda Well-Known Member

    Location:
    St. Petersburg, FL
    Thanks for the link Paully. I would love to do ultrasonic cleaning, but the current prices for these machines are way out of my league. A DIY solution is something I would seriously consider.
     
    Paully likes this.
  20. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    If I left my records out to dry where I live now they'd collect dust fairly quickly, hence the need to dry and place them in sleeves sooner rather than later. It's a very old house and despite dusting and cleaning often, it piles up quickly. I always shoot my records with an anti static gun before inserting in a sleeve though. But if I left them out to air dry I'd have to wipe them down before putting them in a sleeve.
     
  21. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    To say that "Vacuum RCMs make static" is a generalization. I've never had a static issue with records cleaned on my Okki Nokki and it doesn't get much drier than New Mexico. Maybe it's the cleaning solution that I use.
     
    utahusker likes this.
  22. eurekaiv

    eurekaiv Active Member

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    I get a ton of static when I pull a record off my Okki Nokki and it was the same before with my VPI. I can watch stuff suck right to the surface as I pull it off the platter.
     
  23. eurekaiv

    eurekaiv Active Member

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Looking around some more, as I suspected, static seems to be a very common problem among vacuum RCMs. How much static might be down to some variables like how much fluid, how many revolutions etc. but in my years of cleaning on my vac RCMs, I've never experienced a completely static free record coming off the platter. Ultrasonics seem not to have this issue. Unfortunately, I've not used one personally so I have no experience to guide me but I still suspect that a record clearly free of static charge will collect less dust, even sitting out in the open for a bit, than one that does.
     
  24. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    Interesting. I've never had a static issue. I've always uses AIVS one step formula #6 with excellent results. I know that most people use a two or three step cleaning process so I wonder if the extra vacuuming is inducing the static problem. After a clean I put the record in a MFSL sleeve and a carbon fiber brush before each play.
     
  25. STBob

    STBob Active Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    I bought a spin clean too. They are really nice and get most of the dirt out of the records. About the only thing I have tried that is better but a PITA is using wood glue to clean them. I've only done that on a few records to test it. The spin-clean is so much easier to use and can do like 40 records in a short period of time. But that wood glue was able to bring a reggae record back to life that the spin-clean could not do. I think reggae records get more abuse (aka beer spilled on them) it sounded terrible and I was going to throw it out. The glue made it close to new sounding. Must have pulled the beer out of the grooves.

    I did read that some cleaners are not good for the records because they strip out any lubrication in the groovers. ie. Alcohol based and possibly ultrasonic cleaners. The lack of lubricant causes more heat build up during play which in turn causes more friction, needle wear and record wear.

    It makes sense but I don't know if this is actually true. Do records have a natural lubricant in the grooves? Or does the special spin clean solution replace it? Not sure on this.
     
    JasonA likes this.
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