Degritter ultrasonic record cleaner

Hi y’all, just a few words on what I think is a worthy alternative to the Audio Desk Systeme and KLAudio ultrasonic cleaners.

http://degritter.com/media-kit/

I’ve been a beta tester on the Degritter for the last few weeks, and am happy to offer my opinions and answer any qs for those interested.

I believe official launch is in early May, and at this stage after a couple of quibbles in day to day use, I’m planning to keep my unit, it’s been a pretty good success, and invaluable addition to day to day life as a vinyl addict.

 

I don’t doubt that the Degritter produces better results than the Audio Desk. At least I hope it does because I just ordered one. But I also believe that the Audio Desk produces better results than just a vacuum RCM like a VPI 16.5. That’s been my experience anyway.

I sure hope it beats the VPI unit. Let us know how it goes with your new Degritter.

 

... But you and @tima are offering some pretty compelling arguments. Seems there could be a Degritter in my future!

Hi Tim - It's not my aim to advocate for any particular desktop RCM, just trying to look at features to discuss them in a straightforward way. This being a Degritter thread I've been polite to avoid downsides. I would not buy any desktop RCM on the market today. It's easy to assemble a better ultrasonic RCM from off-the-shelf parts. Depending on what is chosen, it can be (sometimes a lot) less money. But some people want plug-n-play so the desktop RCM certainly has a place. I hope you enjoy yours.

The horizontal machines such as the VPI 16.5, Clearaudio and Loricraft are vacuums. Their effectiveness is largely in the hands of the end-user's cleaning fluid choices and washing technique. With proper fluid and technique its possible to get a record as clean as most other methods. They have the advantage of using fresh water for every record. But the approach is very time consuming and messy, making record cleaning more of a drudgery, which means one may be less motivated to clean. The vertical machines are washers with push button toaster-like convenience. They are much more complex than the typical horizontal unit, but they can also do a good job while being quick and tidy.

Maybe the best thing about the rise of the plug-n-play RCM is that more people are buying them and using them. To me, this increases the long term viability of the vinyl analog medium and that's a good thing!

 

I don’t doubt that the Degritter produces better results than the Audio Desk. At least I hope it does because I just ordered one. But I also believe that the Audio Desk produces better results than just a vacuum RCM like a VPI 16.5. That’s been my experience anyway.

The Audio Desk was definitely a step up from my vacuum cleaner, especially on the surface of the vinyl, but to get deep into the grooves you need something like the Degritter. I think you'll like it when it arrives

 

Would be interested in observations of foam when cleaning with the Degritter fluid. One of the reasons I stopped using it was foam, sometimes quite excessive and having to wipe it away while records were being cleaned. Perhaps I was using too much...

 

Just to follow up myself - I tried 1ml of fluid (syringe measured) - no foam and lovely slick coverage on the vinyl during washing. No residue that I could see either. Will try this for a while.

 

Hi Tim - It's not my aim to advocate for any particular desktop RCM, just trying to look at features to discuss them in a straightforward way. This being a Degritter thread I've been polite to avoid downsides. I would not buy any desktop RCM on the market today. It's easy to assemble a better ultrasonic RCM from off-the-shelf parts. Depending on what is chosen, it can be (sometimes a lot) less money. But some people want plug-n-play so the desktop RCM certainly has a place. I hope you enjoy yours.

The horizontal machines such as the VPI 16.5, Clearaudio and Loricraft are vacuums. Their effectiveness is largely in the hands of the end-user's cleaning fluid choices and washing technique. With proper fluid and technique its possible to get a record as clean as most other methods. They have the advantage of using fresh water for every record. But the approach is very time consuming and messy, making record cleaning more of a drudgery, which means one may be less motivated to clean. The vertical machines are washers with push button toaster-like convenience. They are much more complex than the typical horizontal unit, but they can also do a good job while being quick and tidy.

Maybe the best thing about the rise of the plug-n-play RCM is that more people are buying them and using them. To me, this increases the long term viability of the vinyl analog medium and that's a good thing!

I appreciate your comments. I have a good friend who frequents this forum as well and he has built a very good ultrasonic cleaner, recipe and process. I wish I had his patience, mechanical ability and scientific understanding of all this. But at the end of the day I'm probably just too lazy, and truth be told I've probably just succumbed to COVID boredom and WANTED a new ultrasonic and based on the discussion here felt like the Degritter was the best option for me. I appreciate all of you guys.

 

Tima said : But the approach is very time consuming and messy, making record cleaning more of a drudgery, which means one may be less motivated to clean.

I’m ok with that now, but I must confess that at a certain point of my life, spending an afternoon cleaning records on my Keith Monks with multi step cleaning formulas in an empty apartment thinking about nothing was like a meditation act and a kind of therapy.

 

The Audio Desk components have been revealed and discussed herein. The ultrasonic unit inside is a low power and inexpensive (at $30ish USD) device. I also believe the Audio Desk to be ineffective in terms of pure ultrasonic cleaning capability, and that its main mode of cleaning records is via the brushes. How effective that is overall can be debated. I'm happy to have gone with Degritter.

I've used both, and it's not fair to say that the Audio Desk doesn't work. It does, beautifully. It has resurrected records that I never thought I'd be able to fully enjoy.
The Degritter happens to work too, and it's a damn sleek machine.
You can't go wrong with either.

 

I have just jumped on this and made an order out to X Audio of Singapore. I too have an Audiodesk that is nothing but a useless paperweight after the first year. While it worked I was happy I had the latest and greatest ultrasonic cleaner that did not need any user effort to clean both sides of an LP. All too short lived. I also bought a KL Audio RCM as alternative. This unit still works very well but alas, it's out of production. When the degritter came onto the market, I was already on the lookout for dealers near my country. Struck gold last week.

Hi Joe, it will be great if we can connect. I am based in Singapore and am looking around to jump onto the Degritter. I have a KL Audio which served me well for 5 years and survived a couple moves. But it suddenly gave up on me . I sent it to Korea for repair. It just got back yesterday and guess what, it stalled again after I cleaned 3 records! It’s very frustrating.
Who should I get in touch with at X Audio? I will also send you a PM. It will be good to connect anyways.
Cheers
Sujay

 

I've used both, and it's not fair to say that the Audio Desk doesn't work. It does, beautifully. It has resurrected records that I never thought I'd be able to fully enjoy.
The Degritter happens to work too, and it's a damn sleek machine.
You can't go wrong with either.

Nobody said the the Audio Desk doesn't work, but it demonstrably/anecdotally works less well than the Degritter and also costs a little more. There are also concerns over failures and costly repairs, with users reporting woes on other forums, whereas Degritter's support, so far, has been exemplary. I'd argue that choosing to buy the Audio Desk today instead of the Degritter would be the wrong choice.

 

Nobody said the the Audio Desk doesn't work, but it demonstrably/anecdotally works less well than the Degritter and also costs a little more. There are also concerns over failures and costly repairs, with users reporting woes on other forums, whereas Degritter's support, so far, has been exemplary. I'd argue that choosing to buy the Audio Desk today instead of the Degritter would be the wrong choice.

I'd argue that hearsay and bashing one product to promote another doesn't go very far. You made your purchase and that's fine - you don't need to justify to us in it that way.

 

Nobody said the the Audio Desk doesn't work, but it demonstrably/anecdotally works less well than the Degritter and also costs a little more. There are also concerns over failures and costly repairs, with users reporting woes on other forums, whereas Degritter's support, so far, has been exemplary. I'd argue that choosing to buy the Audio Desk today instead of the Degritter would be the wrong choice.

bazelio did, that's what prompted me to post.
And I don't find the Degritter works better than the Audio Desk. They're both equally good at what they do.
Yes, one is cheaper than the other, and Degritter's support is indeed fantastic. I like the way they work. That doesn't mean Audio Desk owners need to worry and rush to buy a new machine. Theirs is perfectly fine and reliably works just as good.

 

bazelio did, that's what prompted me to post.
And I don't find the Degritter works better than the Audio Desk. They're both equally good at what they do.
Yes, one is cheaper than the other, and Degritter's support is indeed fantastic. I like the way they work. That doesn't mean Audio Desk owners need to worry and rush to buy a new machine. Theirs is perfectly fine and reliably works just as good.

No, I didn't. And now that you've brought up reliability, I'd point out that I know of many firsthand accounts from personal acquaintances (including a dealer who dropped the line) that disagree with the reliability aspect of Audio Desk. And this doesn't even broach the subject of customer support.

@rDin you didn't bash Audiodesk; you gave an anecdotal experience which is so often what people come to forums looking to find.

 

I also believe the Audio Desk to be ineffective in terms of pure ultrasonic cleaning capability, and that its main mode of cleaning records is via the brushes. How effective that is overall can be debated. I'm happy to have gone with Degritter.

Here.
It is not ineffective, and it does a far, FAR better job than traditional machines with brushes. I know because that's what I had before I bought my first Audio Desk. I've also used a Keith Monks for a few months, and the Audio Desk was much superior to that as well.
Again, if you like your Degritter, that's great. Doesn't make the Audio Desk ineffective, or a great machine as well.

 

Here.
It is not ineffective, and it does a far, FAR better job than traditional machines with brushes. I know because that's what I had before I bought my first Audio Desk. I've also used a Keith Monks for a few months, and the Audio Desk was much superior to that as well.
Again, if you like your Degritter, that's great. Doesn't make the Audio Desk ineffective, or a great machine as well.

Right. I didn't say it doesn't work. Thanks for the refresher. What I said is essentially that if records come out of an Audiodesk clean (and I didn't specify whether or not they do) then my belief is that they don't come out clean because of its ultrasonic capability, but in spite it.

 

And I countered your claim that it is the ultrasonic capability, as I have had plenty of brush-based machines, and none do as thorough job as the Audio Desk.
I'm talking about cleaning really old 50s, 60s, 70s records purchased from flea markets and thrift stores. The Audio Desk performed miracles on records I thought I'd never be able to enjoy.

 

I'd argue that hearsay and bashing one product to promote another doesn't go very far. You made your purchase and that's fine - you don't need to justify to us in it that way.

You are misrepresenting what I said. No bashing, I'm simply presenting the facts as I see them. The Audio Desk is NOT an ultrasonic cleaner: it has been torn down by others and shown not to be so. And from reading forums the Audio Desk has more failures than the Degritter (so far) which seem harder/more expensive to get resolved. The Degritter is an unltrasonic and the Degritter is the better cleaner. You can verify that objectively (microscopes) or subjectively (with your ears).

 

You are misrepresenting what I said. No bashing, I'm simply presenting the facts as I see them. The Audio Desk is NOT an ultrasonic cleaner: it has been torn down by others and shown not to be so. And from reading forums the Audio Desk has more failures than the Degritter (so far) which seem harder/more expensive to get resolved. The Degritter is an unltrasonic and the Degritter is the better cleaner. You can verify that objectively (microscopes) or subjectively (with your ears).

What's your point? We understand you seem to be happy with your recent purchase. That's fine. Who are you arguing with? In a thread about the Degritter you seem to need to discredit a different product, Audio Desk - a product that has been around for many years and likely inspired the Degritter. As Alex reports, a product he and other people have attained good results with - is that a problem? Do you see people come to this thread to bash discredit the Degritter "with the facts as they see them"? No. Who are you tring to convince?

Talking about what other people say on other forums? Sorry - that's boring. Try making a positive contribution.

 

What's your point?

Once again, you are misrepresenting what I say. Why, I wonder?

 

There is just the stating of the facts, I do not see any agenda here on rDin's side. The actual problem lies with the competitors marketing claims of ultrasonic cleaning which has been demonstrated to be false. The competitors name has come up n?merous times on the topic so it is relevant too. No one is questioning the quality of the cleaning by the competitor brand. Why would anyone be protective of a company with demonstrably false marketing claims?