Analog Corner

Cavitation revolutionized record cleaning more than a decade ago, when Reiner Gläss's Audiodesksysteme introduced its original fully automatic machine. Mr. Gläss's innovative machine, which automatically spun the record in ultrasonically cavitated water, then dried it with fans, at first was plagued with reliability issues, and because it is sealed, it was not easy to repair.

Like many manufacturers, Mr. Gläss relied upon outside vendors to supply some of the internals, including the pump, which pushes the water up from the reservoir and into the cleaning chamber. Unfortunately for Mr. Gläss and his customers, many pumps failed, and in short order, the Audiodesksysteme RCM got a less-than-enviable reputation for (un)reliability. I avoided reviewing it until reader feedback assured me that the problems many had experienced with the early units had been solved. I reviewed it enthusiastically in 2012; Fred Kaplan followed up with an equally enthusiastic review. I bought the review sample and have had a great, though not perfect, experience with it.

For 4 years or so, Audiodesksysteme pretty much had the cavitation-based record-cleaning field to itself. The advantages over vacuum-type machines are obvious: It cleans better and avoids static electricity because there's no dry rubbing.

Circa 2013, Klaudio introduced its version of a fully automatic, cavitation-based record cleaning machine; I reviewed it on Analog Planet. That machine's build quality and feature set were in many ways superior to those of the Audiodesksysteme. It was metal, featured robust handles that made it easier to carry to a sink to drain water, and had an easily accessed stainless-steel storage tank and a few other good ideas. Its "clamshell" design made getting it open for repair easy, but to ensure the gasket's reliability, Klaudio voided the warranty if you used any kind of surfactant or detergent—anything but plain water. I think a surfactant/detergent is critical to grease-cutting and breaking water's natural surface tension so that the water can reach the dirt inside the record's grooves.

In August of 2019, Klaudio's Peter Cheon exited the market, announcing in a letter that the company couldn't profitably build the cavitation device, which is a shame since friends who own one (or two) are extremely happy with them and swear by their cleaning abilities and reliability. Cheon said the company would continue to honor the warranty and provide service for as long as possible.

I never understood why Cheon didn't just raise the price to where he could make a profit. After all, the demand for a circa-$4000 record-cleaning machine must be pretty much inelastic: Anyone who's willing to spend $4000 on a record cleaner is probably willing to spend significantly more. But that's just speculation, and Mr. Cheon (whose day job is in industrial water management, which he describes in this video I shot at Munich High End 2014) has chosen to concentrate his efforts on his tangential-tracking, pivoted tonearm, which I reviewed in this column in January 2019.

A few "off the shelf," China-sourced "vat"-type cavitation machines have been introduced to the market, adapted for record cleaning (but not drying) by adding barbecue-spit–type spinners. The late David Ratcliff's V-8 machine was popular; in time he added a sophisticated filtration system and then a drying mechanism, both of which took up a great deal of room and added complexity. Since his death, his company and his record-cleaning machine have vanished.

I have never been confident about the most appropriate cavitation power and frequency for record cleaning—or whether any of these entrepreneurs has ever carefully researched it. It's important, because the wrong choices could result in ineffective cleaning or—much worse—damage to your records. I'd be cautious about buying a machine just because it's cheap.

There's also Charles Kirmuss, whose Kirmuss Audio markets a China-sourced vat-type machine that's modified to his specifications and topped with an innovative, motorized record-spinning system. Of all the vat-type cleaners, it's by far the most convenient and easy to use. Kirmuss is eccentric, but he's done the research, much of which he's forwarded to me. I'm confident that, used properly, the Kirmuss machine won't damage your records. I'm also a believer in the efficacy of his machine as part of his record restoration system, which is designed to strip years of accumulated crud from the grooves that he claims other cleaning machines leave behind.

Kirmuss's $970 machine (that price includes accessories) can also be used for more casual, two-minute cleaning of records that aren't too dirty. It still requires hand-drying, but with microfiber cloths, that takes less time than you might think. I used his laborious restoration process on my original UK Track Records (613 013/4) pressing of Tommy and on one of two UK copies of The Beatles (the copy I bought new in 1968—Apple Records PMC 7067/8) and became an instant believer. The improvement in clarity and high frequencies wasn't subtle. I'd thought it was wear resulting from 50 years of playing, but it washed right off in half an hour.

I see that Mr. Kirmuss recently delivered a paper titled "LED Full Spectrum vs HPS/White LED; Why Full Spectrum will become the Norm in the Cannabis Industry." I'm happy to do some A/B testing.

The Degritter Record-Cleaning Machine
The recently introduced, fully automatic, cavitation-based Degritter ($2990) is designed and manufactured in Estonia (footnote 1). It is the first fully automatic machine to be introduced since the Klaudio, and with that one gone, it shares an otherwise open field with the Audiodeskesysteme. Beta testing began in the fall of 2017, and the company began selling in the spring of 2019.

The Degritter's art-deco/classic radio appearance easily wins the best-looking record-cleaning machine contest. You'd probably be happy to display it in your listening room. Visitors who don't know what it is might try tuning to their favorite radio station—at least older visitors, who still know what a radio is. You can see the Degritter in action demonstrated by Degritter CEO Taniel Põld in Analog Planet's High End Munich 2019 video coverage.

The first thing to like about the Degritter is the well-written, well-illustrated, English-language instruction manual. It's better composed than many manuals written by companies where the native language is English. It includes an informative discussion about cavitation.

An ultrasonic generator agitates the cleaning medium (water, plain or with surfactant) with high-frequency pressure waves that produce microscopic (approximately 2.5µm) bubbles. Those bubbles grow and collapse, releasing heat and tiny, powerful jets of water that can loosen and remove dirt from the record grooves, tarnish from jewelry, and so on. (So, that "Scrubbing Bubbles" headline is cute but not accurate: The bubbles themselves don't scrub; rather, it's water jets far smaller than either the smallest record crevice or the smallest carbon-fiber bristle, which by the way is about 60µm.)

The Degritter works similarly to the Audiodesk, but it's different in some ways, too. A 12" record goes vertically into a slot—an adapter for 7" singles is available for $80—and water is pumped into the chamber before cavitation and record rotation begins. Unlike the hidden-away Audiodesk tank, the Degritter's water tank (capacity 0.35 gallons) sits at the back of the unit and can easily be pulled up and out by a handle for water disposal and tank-cleaning. You can even wash the tank in the dishwasher if you feel the need—and you may feel the need after you clean a bunch of very dirty records. There's also a filtering system that removes small particles from the water during the cleaning process. Easily accessible from the machine's side, it contains a permanent cylindrical mesh outer filter and a replaceable inner foam one.

Degritter comes clean about its chosen cavitation power (300W) and frequency (120kHz) as well as the location of its four ultrasonic transducers, two each, on either side of the record. It claims its ultrasonic amplifier has been designed specifically for record cleaning, including a "fine frequency sweep" feature the company says provides better cavitation energy and power distribution. It chose 120kHz—other companies use different frequencies—because it says the lower frequency produces smaller, more effective bubbles.

There are two buttons; either will turn the machine on. The left-front button adjusts drying time, which you can set to whatever time you find necessary to get your records dry. The right button rotates to navigate the sophisticated menu system; push it to choose a setting. There are three cleaning-time presets: quick (2:15), medium (3:45), and heavy (6:45). (Dirtier records need longer cleaning; drying time is set separately.) The right button also allows you to adjust fan power and water level as well as certain "housekeeping" functions I won't go into here.

The machine comes with a bottle of surfactant; you can use your own fluid, which is strongly discouraged by Audiodesksysteme. Proceed with caution and avoid highly acidic and highly alkaline solutions. Also avoid solutions that foam, or you might end up in an I Love Lucy sketch. Should a malfunction occur, the right-hand button alerts you with a code that identifies the problem. Some problems are user-fixable.

To prevent excess cavitation-produced heat from damaging records, the OS automatically adds 3 minutes of cooling time when a sensor detects temperatures above 95°. The ultrasonic generator stops working, too.

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Footnote 1: Degritter, Estonia. Tel: +372 5884 8839. (Customer support language is English.) Web: degritter.com. US Distributor: Music Direct, 1118 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago, IL 60660. Tel: (312) 738-5025. Web: musicdirect.com.