Ultrasonic RCM - thoughts

[farflungstar]

There's a couple of ultrasonic RCMs on fleabay at the moment - any thoughts on this method as compared to the usual....

[farflungstar]

No one has an opinion on RCM's?

[struth]

I believe you need or should be trying for a high frequency transducer if going that way, and unfortunately they cost a lot. Its all about bubble size

[farflungstar]

But are they any better than the usual method?


http://www.ebay.pl/itm/302468491710

[struth]

who knows; depends on who you talk to, but for extra cost i would say no. maybe quieter tho and cleaner if they dry them too. a moth bi directional cleans very well so it hard to imagine it getting much cleaner

[Wakefield Turntables]

You can make your own for a few hundred quid. Why pay audioPHOOL prices for a glorified instrument cleaner?

[Barry]

There is some concern that damage can occur to the vinyl due to cavitation. One recent ex-Member, who had done some research into record cleaning, was quite adamant ultrasonic RCM were bad for the health of your records.

I might be a good idea to learn if any professional record archivists use them.

[hifi_dave]

I have tried an ultrasonic cleaner and didn't find it any more effective than a Moth and therefore not good value IMO. Furthermore, I have used a Moth for 30 years and know it is perfectly safe.

[The Black Adder]

Sounds good... 'Ultrasonic'. Great marketing. :)

Not sure how it can be bad for records unless the surfactant somehow reacts to the ultrasonic thus damaging the record?

[The Black Adder]

I have tried an ultrasonic cleaner and didn't find it any more effective than a Moth and therefore not good value IMO. Furthermore, I have used a Moth for 30 years and know it is perfectly safe.

+1 Dave... The Moth is very good indeed.

[struth]

I have tried an ultrasonic cleaner and didn't find it any more effective than a Moth and therefore not good value IMO. Furthermore, I have used a Moth for 30 years and know it is perfectly safe.

had mine over 10 years I think now. still on same pads and it still cleans perfectly. Only thing that has happened was the grub screw holding the turntable loosened off a bit.simple fix

[GJO]

Met a chap earlier this year,he purchased one,2K I think he said,broke down after the warranty period and the maker has told him it can't be repaired.

[hifi_dave]

Customer satisfaction. Way to go.

[Barry]

Sounds good... 'Ultrasonic'. Great marketing. :)

Not sure how it can be bad for records unless the surfactant somehow reacts to the ultrasonic thus damaging the record?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning

and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavitation.

As I said they sound like a good idea in principle (especially for really dirty records), but I'm unaware of any record libraries or archives that use them. I think most use something like the Keith Monks RCM, which is not an ultrasonic cleaner.

As an aside, why are RCMs so expensive? Necessary, if not essential, but IMO expensive.

[Audio Al]

I have seen what ultrasonics can do to alloy carb bodies :eek:

Would not use one on my record collection :nono:

[farflungstar]

Best stick with traditional then. Any thoughts on the Project jobbie?

[Audio Al]

I have owned a Okki Nokki and a Moth , Im going to say somthing contriversial now ( in my opinion ) they are both

" VERY LOUD , painfully so " and do the job " sort of " NO comparison to the machine I now own that is VERY QUIET and does a excelent job , the only drawback is the price , I justified the purchase based on the size of my LP collection 2000 ish , If I clean them all once each it works out at .75p per LP plus cleaning fluid

Lots of advantages , I can go into more detail if needed ,

PS buy some ear defenders :)

[Barry]

£1,500 is a hell of a lot of a lot of dosh for an RCM. What make is it?

[Audio Al]

A Loircraft PRC3

[Zoidburg]

I have an ultrasonic cleaner with automatic motor bought from eBay for about 150 quid, in my opinion for its price it's decent,does a good job of giving me disks that seem quieter and less crackly. I bought mine from a supplier in Poland I think after reading quire a few positive reviews on a Facebook audio page.

[montesquieu]

I thought long and hard and read much on this subject, and ended up with a Loricraft PRC6. Very quiet (it's feasible to listen and clean at the same time which you can't do with a Moth - which I had prevously) and works extremely well.

If I had the dosh I might be tempted to have an ultrasonic for occasional use for really problematic records (finishing them off on the Loricraft) but there seem to be too many questions about them for daily use.

I'm delighted with the Loricraft.