ABG Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Chris, keen to hear your thoughts on your RCM now that you've had it for a few months. I'm thinking of buying one simply because I find using a manual vac type a little too time consuming. Have you any experience using a vac type RCM? Is the US cleaner significantly easier/less time consuming. Are the results comparable? I'm happy to hear from anybody else that has experience with both types of cleaners, but am specifically looking at this model because the usual ultrasonic suspects are out of my price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Chris, keen to hear your thoughts on your RCM now that you've had it for a few months. I'm thinking of buying one simply because I find using a manual vac type a little too time consuming. Have you any experience using a vac type RCM? Is the US cleaner significantly easier/less time consuming. Are the results comparable? I'm happy to hear from anybody else that has experience with both types of cleaners, but am specifically looking at this model because the usual ultrasonic suspects are out of my price range. Hi Andrew I am very happy with it. Previously I used a KAB EV-1 which has given me great service for about 7 years. The Ultrasonic is very easy to use, but unlike a couple of commercially available models, I use the inbuilt heater to heat the water to around 40 degrees Celsius before use. A cycle takes 12 minutes (3 complete rotations), but that is cleaning 3 records at a time. But cycle time is up to me, the sonic spin kit I purchased to rotate the records is adjustable for different timings. How to A/B an ultrasonic cleaner vs vacuum record cleaning system? I don't have the answer....but really love the results I am getting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzr Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I have the KLAudio ultrasonic cleaner & re-cleaned some albums that I have played once to 10 times since the first clean with it. The difference was this time I added 100mls of white vinegar to the distilled water. It made a difference & all fingerprint/marks were gone & the vinyl was sparkly clean. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Great story, Chris ... I've "got my name down" on the Tindie site but missed out on the last 2 that came up ... so I'll have to keep watching. I have a Qu re. filtering. The way I see it, it would be best to have an external loop out from and back into, the ss tank, so you can pass the liquid through a filter - to remove the gunk that's come off the records. Is this possible with Louis's unit? Can you take the ss tank out from the plastic surround, to get some 'tube nipples' welded to it? (Aquariums have pretty good filter mechanisms which one can employ in this situation.) Regards, Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) Great story, Chris ... I've "got my name down" on the Tindie site but missed out on the last 2 that came up ... so I'll have to keep watching. I have a Qu re. filtering. The way I see it, it would be best to have an external loop out from and back into, the ss tank, so you can pass the liquid through a filter - to remove the gunk that's come off the records. Is this possible with Louis's unit? Can you take the ss tank out from the plastic surround, to get some 'tube nipples' welded to it? (Aquariums have pretty good filter mechanisms which one can employ in this situation.) Regards, Andy Hi Andy, Louis advised strongly to not tamper with the fitted tank, so I just empty the tank after each use. So I'm up for about 9 litres of distilled water every time I use it. EDIT 22/07/2015: Unit has a 6 quart capacity, which equates to 5.6 litres. Not the 9 litres I referred to above. Edited July 22, 2015 by soundfan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Hi Andrew I am very happy with it. Previously I used a KAB EV-1 which has given me great service for about 7 years. The Ultrasonic is very easy to use, but unlike a couple of commercially available models, I use the inbuilt heater to heat the water to around 40 degrees Celsius before use. A cycle takes 12 minutes (3 complete rotations), but that is cleaning 3 records at a time. But cycle time is up to me, the sonic spin kit I purchased to rotate the records is adjustable for different timings. How to A/B an ultrasonic cleaner vs vacuum record cleaning system? I don't have the answer....but really love the results I am getting. If you read some of the OCD guys, using vacuum and Ultrasonic is the best method. I somewhat agree with these guys, however how much is enough as the KLA makes me even lazier :eek: I have a very good vacuum RCM , but only use it if I have extra noisy lp's to help out, then another Ultrasonic clean. btw, great that cheaper Ultrasonic version is working so well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Hi Andy, Louis advised strongly to not tamper with the fitted tank, so I just empty the tank after each use. So I'm up for about 9 litres of distilled water every time I use it. Yes, Chris - he would ... because it could cause a leak which he would get blamed for! So I have no problem with that. But, thinking logically, if you whizz away all the gunk from the grooves with ultrasonics ... then you need to take it out of the cleaning solution. Sure, you can throw away a tank's worth of liquid after each batch (of 3 LPs) is done ... but that is very wasteful. A number of the ultrasonic cleaning implementations on the DIYAudio thread that (I think) you have visited have implemented a filter ... so that is what I want to do. All I want to know is ... is it possible to take Louis's inner ss tank out from the plastic outer box? (So I can send it to my 'metal man' and have an 'in' and an 'out' nipple welded to the ss tank.) Regards, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 If you read some of the OCD guys, using vacuum and Ultrasonic is the best method. Do youse mean US to clean and vacuum to dry, Shane? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Yes, Chris - he would ... because it could cause a leak which he would get blamed for! So I have no problem with that. But, thinking logically, if you whizz away all the gunk from the grooves with ultrasonics ... then you need to take it out of the cleaning solution. Sure, you can throw away a tank's worth of liquid after each batch (of 3 LPs) is done ... but that is very wasteful. A number of the ultrasonic cleaning implementations on the DIYAudio thread that (I think) you have visited have implemented a filter ... so that is what I want to do. All I want to know is ... is it possible to take Louis's inner ss tank out from the plastic outer box? (So I can send it to my 'metal man' and have an 'in' and an 'out' nipple welded to the ss tank.) Regards, Andy Yes, one only has to cut the 4 plastic ties securing the tank to the container. to be able to remove tank. But..... I am at work and will confirm tomorrow arvo when out of bed,and will advise if anything else needs to be done to remove tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Do youse mean US to clean and vacuum to dry, Shane? Andy No clean and dry with both Hard to vacuum two sides at the same time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 An update. My unit recently blew a fuse, and to change it I had to remove the tank from the plastic enclosure. Water somehow corroded one of the elements, making the cleaner in-operative, when I went to use the unit a couple of weeks later Louis from Vibrato has been brilliant. I sent it back for repairs at the Companies expense, and have now decided to upgrade the enclosure to this one: Cost to me - $120 for the aluminium enclosure, nil for the repairs and postage back to me. Very happy with the after purchase dealings I have had with Louis and Vibrato. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djb Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Interesting thread will keep watching developments 9 l distiller water a time! Unless you are harvesting the water from an expensive clothes dryer that becomes expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABG Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I've been watching this thread with interest Chris. Glad to hear that Louis stands behind his products. I'm now pretty much convinced this is the way to go for me. I love that you can clean multiple records at the same time. While my little Record Doctor V does just as good a job as the mega buck ultrasonic cleaners, it is way more time intensive and spare time is not something I have in spades at this stage of my life. Is there anybody else in Sydney (or surrounding areas) interested in buying one of these? I'm hoping that by combining orders we might be able to save a few bucks on freight. I do understand that may not be possible even if we do have multiple orders - I just figure it doesn't hurt to ask. Chris, would you be willing to assist with the selection of best parts and making introductions to Louis, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 I've been watching this thread with interest Chris. Glad to hear that Louis stands behind his products. I'm now pretty much convinced this is the way to go for me. I love that you can clean multiple records at the same time. While my little Record Doctor V does just as good a job as the mega buck ultrasonic cleaners, it is way more time intensive and spare time is not something I have in spades at this stage of my life. Is there anybody else in Sydney (or surrounding areas) interested in buying one of these? I'm hoping that by combining orders we might be able to save a few bucks on freight. I do understand that may not be possible even if we do have multiple orders - I just figure it doesn't hurt to ask. Chris, would you be willing to assist with the selection of best parts and making introductions to Louis, etc? Hi Andrew, I can certainly email Louis and let him know that there may be members here that possibly could be interested in a purchase, and maybe a bulk shipment. As for best parts, not quite sure what you mean? I think in future any units made by him will have the Aluminium enclosure, the unit (AFAIK) remains exactly the same apart from the enclosure. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP1 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I love the ingenuity of this but if you are looking to get an ultrasonic record cleaning machine at a reasonable price there are a couple at this site. http://www.cattylink.com/rw800.html 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABG Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 @@Tasso Thanks for the link. Have you used one of these Amari RCM's? Anybody else? Experiences/thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 @@Tasso Thanks for the link. Have you used one of these Amari RCM's? Anybody else? Experiences/thoughts? I emailed them out of curiosity this morning asking for specs, mainly to find out what KHz it operates at. Will post any info I receive back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABG Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 @@soundfan Thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP1 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 @@Tasso Thanks for the link. Have you used one of these Amari RCM's? Anybody else? Experiences/thoughts? If i hadn't already bought a Audiodeske machine I would have given it a go. Amarri is the company that makes pretty decent analog gear that gets sold under the brand "Hanss Acoustic" outside China for a lot more $$ . I saw their impressive display of turntables and RCM's at the Guangzhou show. They also make an Audiodeske knock off but what i like about this particular machine is the separate dual sided vacuum. It looks like you do the ultrasonic cleaning and then raise the record to be dried by the by the vac. It is probably not automated but it will cut record cleaning and drying time down significantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 but what i like about this particular machine is the separate dual-sided vacuum. It looks like you do the ultrasonic cleaning and then raise the record to be dried by the by the vac. It is probably not automated but it will cut record cleaning and drying time down significantly. But that retains drying by passing the groove annulus under a brush (ie. contact) and using a vacuum. Some people (jeromelang, for instance) think of this as a problem - so the ultimate drying, IMO, must be blow-drying. So that's what I am investigating. Regards, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP1 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 But that retains drying by passing the groove annulus under a brush (ie. contact) and using a vacuum. Some people (jeromelang, for instance) think of this as a problem - so the ultimate drying, IMO, must be blow-drying. So that's what I am investigating. Regards, Andy Blow drying isn't always perfect either. Vacuum drying in the vertical position is pretty close to ideal in that it will dry both sides at once in a couple of revolutions. People can over-think and over-pay for just about anything. This is also their top of the range model placed above the blow drying Audiodeske knock off 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EV Cali Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) Been flowing this with interest as ultrasonic appears to be the way to go with regard to cleaning records and other items. Found this one on ebay in Sydney http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300938561722?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT It is $349, appears to be the right size ,has a stainless case and @@andyr has a drain. Is there any reason to chose the Vibrato over this one. Not wanting to knock it but the Vibrato looks like parts from an Ultrasonic cleaner mounted in a plastic storage box. Edited July 16, 2015 by EVcali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) Been flowing this with interest as ultrasonic appears to be the way to go with regard to cleaning records and other items. Found this one on ebay in Sydney http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300938561722?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT ultrasonic.JPG It is $349, appears to be the right size ,has a stainless case and @@andyr has a drain. Is there any reason to chose the Vibrato over this one. Not wanting to knock it but the Vibrato looks like parts from an Ultrasonic cleaner mounted in a plastic storage box. ultra 2.JPG The Vibrato will in future be sold with the Aluminium enclosure,as per the picture I posted up thread. And the ebay unit you linked to is only a 42 kh unit. Edited July 16, 2015 by soundfan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) Very cheap, EVcali - but no reason why it shouldn't work well! But what frequency is it working at? IMO, 40Khz is too low, 80Hz (which the Vibrato is) is ideal ... but 60KHz (which my Sonix IV is) is fine. To me, a drain is an advantage (which this one has) ... but does it have a heater? AIUI, not essential but warm water does do a better job than cold. Of course the US tank is the heart of the cleaner but you then have to rig up a contraption to hold the motor (to rotate the records). This has to have a spindle, so several LPs can get cleaned simultaneously. Regards, Andy Edited July 16, 2015 by andyr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Blow drying isn't always perfect either. Vacuum drying in the vertical position is pretty close to ideal in that it will dry both sides at once in a couple of revolutions. People can over-think and over-pay for just about anything. This is also their top of the range model placed above the blow drying Audiodeske knock off Sure, Tasso, but the issue is ... does the 'cloth' on the vacuum slot lips do any damage to the groove? Also, given that I'll be able to clean 6 LPs simultaneously in my US tank - how am I going to vacuum dry 12 sides? Use my Nitty Gritty, side after side? What I'm thinking of is that I would remove the spindle containing 6 LPs from the US tank and then put it into another (perspex) box which has some blowers - possibly even simple hairdryers (on their lowest heat setting!). Regards, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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