I don't know why, but it was extremely satisfying to watch Andrew meticulously correcting the records in the boxes and bins, that were upside down or backwards. Drat on those pesky shoppers who mess them all up for us OCD'ers!
@Darkglobe1977 They do, and it does work amazingly well. The instructions that Andrew followed were not very good. I run a Facebook group devoted to ultrasonic record cleaning with tanks like these and they are not specifically designed from the first off for record cleaning. Although they dont offer the convenience purpose made record cleaning can offer, they are cheap to buy and very easy and flexible to use, also enabling users to clean multiple records at one time; whereas the purpose built record cleaners can only do one record at a time. Not very good if you have a huge record collection.
I’ve not been to a physical record store for decades and watching Andrew at the flea market brought back happy memories of the hours I used to surge at Woolies as a kid flicking through records I couldn’t afford to buy. A lot of the records were the same, but new of course.
I have been using one of these cleaners for two years now and it's the best method of cleaning I have used in 35 years of record collecting. What works best for me is no more than 3 at a time. Give the record a good wipe first, 15 mins max. Then I rinse in a spin clean. Onto the drying rack. Then a final polish with a microfiber cloth. Great video 👍
I got one of these a while ago and it’s been a total game changer Specially with last track of each side, before it sounded so muddy and kinda compressed?, but after a spin in the ultrasonic cleaner and now it sounds as it should!!!
I actually assembled a kit like this about four years ago. There are a few things you can do to improve the results. 1. Buy a variable voltage power adapter for the spinning motor. It works better if you slow the rotation, which you can do by adjusting the power to the motor; 2. Avoid the alcohol and use a small amount of surficant, like Turgitol. You can buy it from lab supply shops. You don’t really need alcohol to break up the dirt. You just need the surface tension of the water to be reduced so it gets in the small grooves of the record. 3. Buy a used vacuum cleaner like the VPI 16.5, etc, to finish the cleaning. If you have smoke residue, for instance, the ultrasonic will leave a small film of “goo” which the vacuum really helps eliminate. I have experience here with my original Parlophone “Love Me Do”. It had no scratches but incredibly dirty, and apparently there was a smoker. It took four trips of 20 min each in the ultrasonic to finally remove the last of that goo. I guess the last bit of advice is to buy some noise cancelling headphones. The noise just seems to get worse every time you use these things.
100% agree with using a vacuum to remove the excess water. I use a ProJect Cleaner because the bottom of the record does not come in contact with a platter. Avoids flipping the record onto the water from the previous vacuming.
@@scottgallagher5344 I have a good friend who bought the ProJect cleaner. He loves it. My 16.5 keeps going, so I’ll keep it until it dies. I will usually let the vinyl air dry for a bit, blot it a lab sponge, and run the vacuum routine. Also, it’s nice having the vacuum around for “maintenance cleaning”.
Second for lower voltage AC plug, I spin at 3 or 4.5V which is a lot slower than the 22V included AC adapter and also for Tergikleen, not alcohol. 12-14 drops per batch; that little bottle has lasted me 550+ records and there's still 1/3 bottle left. I have the same cleaner except the version with the digital display and a beefier record mount.
Thanks for this, it was fun to watch! I am always interested in seeing ultrasonic machines, but I've had stellar results with vacuum cleaning--AND the records are always dry. No drying rack to deal with. Also, distilled water, people! Tap water can have minerals and other stuff that can get left behind. This ultrasonic is finally an affordable one, though!
Very interesting, ive just been looking at my old vinyl collection which I haven't played in years but I'm thinking of rejuvenating and listening to again. This has been a very useful video along with some of the comments left by other viewers, thank you all.
I have one of these machines and it is one of the best investments I've made. They really do clean dirty/dusty albums very effectively. Andrew, I was a touch nervous waiting for your final rating but was relieved when you gave the thumbs up! Cheers.
Anybody who loves vinyl and is serious about the investment needs an ultrasonic cleaner, especially at this dirt cheap price. I’ve been collecting since the late 60’s, and have amassed a decent sized collection. For almost 25 years I’ve been using a vacuum type system, even an inexpensive one cost more than this. 2 years ago I purchased one (costlier) and went through my collection from A-Z, putting new inner and outer sleeves on all, marking the date of cleaning. I can tell you, this ain’t just for old beat up records. Today, I cleaned 5 new audiophile records Analog Productions and Rhino). At the end, there was small pieces of vinyl that had been blasted off of what appeared to be clean, shiny LPs. Better in the tank than having my stylus hit that junk! Cleaning 5 at a time is helpful, some pricey models it’s single clean. So glad to see a price point many can reach in a quality build!
Nice one Andrew. I have been using a Moth machine for almost 20 years but the motor has packed up and i am impressed , another great gadget is an antistatic gun .. they really do work
Thank you for this video! I generally only need to clean one or two records per day at most. Knowing that this process takes a minimum of 45 minutes tells me that an ultrasonic cleaning machine is *not* for me!
Wow! Now, that's a proper Flea Market! I may move to Austria just to go there! I would've grabbed that "Michael Nesmith Live At The Palais". That is long out of print and a great listen!
This is on point!! I was actually shopping for a Vevor ultrasonic cleaner to clean my bike chains and bits and pieces of my project car... Glad to get firsthand info and actual results!!! I guess I'll have to go and click that link then!!
Not a bad price compared to other machines I’ve reviewed. You did a great job. I am definitely considering purchasing this machine as I have a lot of records that need cleaning!
Back in 2018 I ordered an identical-looking ultrasonic disc cleaning machine (they're made in China and sold under various brands) that can clean up to six records at a time on one spindle. I use GrooveWasher concentrate solution, or a custom one with a drop or two of Triton X-100 surfactant in a gallon of distilled water. I have cleaned THOUSANDS of my records in the years since and have been very impressed at how dramatically they can improve the sound of dirty records. I also have an Okki-Nokki wet vacuum turntable for crud that's stuck in the microgrooves and harder to remove. A solution applied and by hand with a goat-hair brush, then sucked up with the microfiber pads on the vacuum, can handle just about anything that isn't an actual scratch.
I was excited to see you picked up that Move album! I hope you’ll do a video on them sometime in the future: they’re one of my favorite bands but are virtually unknown here in the US.
I must say I'm impressed. A record cleaning machine that actually gets the records clean. I could hear a huge difference in the sound quality. Most of the machines (going back at least to the 1970s) are junk.
You passed over the ABBA self titled album from 1975. One of my favorite albums of all time it had SOS of course but it also had more rock oriented songs than any ABBA album ever before or since like so long, King Kong song and hey hey Helen, which is the biggest rocking ABBA song
Thanks as always Andrew. I use spin clean, and then dry them on a record doctor. If I’m just doing one or two records, I just use the record doctor. No complaints
The SpinClean is the best solution for new vinyl, which always needs cleaning. Most of the demonstrated effect on those older records could have been achieved using that. My ultrasonic is for the harder cases (those things are loud as sin, I do it in the garage and close the door behind me.)
I have had this exact model for over a year now. It does not repair records… It cleans them. I use my old hand record cleaner to pre-wash them, and then my ultrasonic to deep clean them. It does make a difference. I use a small mini fan to dry the records in about 10 minutes. I enjoy the process very much. I do not have thousands of records but I do have several hundred. So I think it’s a good investment. Not everything I buy is new.
There are probably a bajillion different ways to clean LPs. My method is they first get put through a 'Spin-Clean' spun 7 times in each direction. While they are still wet, they go in the 'Humminguru' ultrasonic for an extended clean and dry. I then place them in a new anti-static sleeve. Works great for me. By the way, your 'sample dirty records' weren't that dirty. I've picked up LPs that look like they have baked on spaghetti sauce and came out sounding great. Nice review Andrew.
I'm a dedicated Spin-Clean user, and most of the time, I'm fine with that, but every so often I come across a record that needs a deeper clean into the grooves, and I have a friend with an ultrasonic machine who lets me come over and use his (bringing along a few beers to go with the newly cleaned records that we listen to afterward). Ultrasonics aren't always the best with surface grime or grease, and you don't want to put too much cleaner in the tub, so the elbow grease of the Spin-Clean and the microfibre brushes takes care of that nicely.
I bought this same cleaner about a year back from Vevor and have probably cleaned 300 records with it. It does a very good job, noticeably better than your Spin-Clean type cleaners. A couple things... It does a better job if you don't put more than 3 records in at a time and add the extra spacers in between the discs to spread them out. I also found that buying a lower powered AC adapter to slow the motor down gives a more thorough cleaning.
I use a Vevor like this one. Cost me $150 delivered. After about 7 monthe of use, this is my routine: dust off lps, preclean using Groovewasher G2, 2 lps at a time centered in Vevor bath at about 85 degrees with distilled water and Groovewasher Gsonic for about 10 minutes, dry with 30 year old NittyGritty vacuum machine, finish drying in supplied rack. While cleaning lps I give the covers a mild cleaning. I use a rheostat to slow the rotation and a towel beneath the Vevor to quiet it. Then new inside and outside sleeves and done. The results in most cases are astonishing, like new sounding lps. Highly recommended kit! Thanks.
I personally used a VPI record cleaning machine for 15 years (bought it used for $300). After it died, I invested in a Pro-ject record cleaning machine similar to the VPI. The vacuum feature on it gets my records clean and sounding wonderful. The best $400 I ever spent.
Can you dig it? Very niiice! I was surprised. It’s an odd looking contraption but seems easy enough to assemble. The best part, of course, was “Shopping With Andrew!” Nice record fair/flea market. I miss them very much…and sharing finds with a friend or two. Fun episode. Thanks!
Thanks Andrew! Bought one on the strength of this video, as the price was right - and I was impressed that they delivered in about 3 days. Spent my Sunday afternoon assembling and figuring out how to use it. I’m finding it most effective and easiest to manage when I’m cleaning no more than three at a time. The records are coming out looking and sounding great. I’ve been using the small amounts of isopropyl alcohol as well - but I’m interested in finding out if something else might work even better.
I have owned the VEVOR for about 4 months and have already cleaned out my own 250 piece vinyl collection. My experience: Right at the beginning, I had to enlarge the holes in the white discs - they wouldn't fit. Then I found out that already during the second cleaning, the edge of the LP rubs against the bottom of the cleaner. I solved this by padding with 2 mm rubber on the edge of the tub, where the drive bracket is attached. The speed of rotation is, in my opinion, quite large, because it must be remembered that the area of the LP closer to the center is exposed to ultrasound for a very short time. This can be changed by using an adapter, e.g. 12 - 15V/1A. Less voltage = lower speed. Alternatively, do not use the motor, but turn the LP manually after 5-10 minutes. It's up to you... As a cleaning medium, I use distilled water, approx. 1.5 dcl Isoprophyl (IPA 99.9%), approx. 5 - 10 ml dish detergent and a few drops of Lenor fabric softener - for antistatic. And for the first cleaning of 40-year-old LPs, I give a full 30 minutes.... And then it has to be packed in new inner covers. On some LPs, after cleaning, I occasionally discovered such white bordered dots, it looks like mechanical damage, but it is not. There is no need to be afraid of it, there is nothing to know about reproduction. However, you should also be aware: If the LP was played on a low-quality record player, no amount of cleaning will remove the crackling and distortion. That's just for beginners, so they won't be disappointed.... Conclusion: VEVOR is OK, reasonably priced (I bought it for €158, free shipping), you can also use it to clean jewelry, etc. It's not an overpriced one-size-fits-all that other vinyl cleaning companies offer that cost 4-8 times more, and it's basically still the same thing.
ive had one for ages it really does work ,i do one at a time 30 to 45 minutes depending on age and how dirty etc i use just a dash of windex and distilled water and temp around 30 degrees c...records sound fresher about 90 percent of clicks pops gone ,makes unplayable records listenable again .best thing ive bought ...
I listen to music mainly through headphones with reasonably decent gear and I find that this makes find any level of distortion from vinyl extremely difficult to tolerate. I often buy a record in "ex" condition and when I first listen to it, for the first couple of tracks at least, I agree with the sellers assessment. But then I get to the middle groves and it sounds dreadful with unacceptable amounts of sibilance and distortion. If this sort of inner groove distortion is something you're familiar with, I'd love to know if the sonic cleaner improves things here. 👍🏻
The background music you played while record shopping reminded me so much of Isaac Hayes' Soundtrack from Shaft. I love that album and the sonics of it too.
OK, I have to say, the scratchy sounds at around the four-minute mark when you’re inspecting the dirty vinyl was quite ingenious. 😂 I would assume that the vinyls would sound exactly like that pre-cleaned.
As of November 2024 the Vevor record clean was 144usd delivered through their website. I use distilled water, 2oz of alcohol, and drop ilford one drop at a time until I see slight sheeting of water on the LP. I than rinse in my vinyl styl bin with just distilled water and vacuum dry with a vinyl vac. I do only one at a time for 15 minutes. I can honestly say that I was amazed at the results on LPs I washed and dried and thought were fine, really "popped" in a good way after US cleaning. For less than 400usd you can have a complete record cleaning station, including a table so I can set it up in an out of the way place away from the music room. Vevor 144 vinyl styl 60 vinyl vac 20 ilford 20 tiny shop vac 30 6x2 folding table 30 99% pure alcohol 20 Total 324.00usd Spin On You Crazy Diamonds!
Interesting video, Andrew seeing you go through all those records at the flea market! I don't think the Vevor Ultrasonic is for me but was good to see you use it and to hear the 'before' and 'after' clips!
Oh my! This is one of the few times wherein I could actually tell the difference between "before" and "after!" I should retire my ancient Discwasher brush and get something like this.
I bought an ultrasonic cleaner for my vinyl about six years ago when my record collecting got serious. I was sold on its effectiveness right away when an early pressing of the Please Please Me album was transformed into an almost-new sounding record. In fact I’d shared a clip of Ringo’s performance, ‘Boys’ from before cleaning and did another clip from after which made the difference really stand out.
I loved it I found it very informative I love looking after my records and CDs and cassette tapes any cleaning products that I can get homework greatly. thank you Andrew for posting this video I loved it any cleaning record machine videos I will always watch I love to keep all my music collection in my records in great condition.
It did sound much better after the clean 👍 Excellent video & I'm tempted to get one now :D Even tho I don't really buy much nowadays. Still good to know about this, nice 1 😎
Hi Andrew, I bought one of these a couple of years ago and found it to be the best cleaner I've ever had. The one thing extra I use along with isopropyl alcohol is Kodak Foto-Flow 200 (just a cap full). This allows the water to get right into the grooves as surface tension can keep water out. For distilled water, that company make an inexpensive water distiller which I use to refill the big bottle I bought from the hardware store. The cleaner itself is brilliant. It also knocks out static from vinyl. Using the "tea strainer" I have cleaned several pieces of my wife's jewellery. Overall, I think this was a great investment. You can't get rid of a scratch but any dirt is removed and without touching the record in any way. Thanks for the review, cheers.
I've had one of these for a year or so and it's pretty good. Still haven't done the motor speed control yet, that's next on the list. I only do 2 records at a time. I also do a pre-clean prep with the same mix as I have in the Vevor, which is distilled water, 99.9% isopropyl alcohol, a couple drops of rinse aid and a couple of drops of dawn dishwashing detergent. Things like Turgitol aren't easy to come by in Australia so I use what I can get. Use paint pads to first go over each side of the records before I put them in. I do 30c for 12min and then let them dry. Does a really good job. I've done many dozens over the last year or so and very happy with the results!
I bought a Vevor ultrasonic cleaner with the hope that it would get my records even cleaner than my d.i.y. vacuum setup. I followed the advice I found online. Then I ran it hotter… and soapier… and longer… nothing changed, no improvements. They sounded 0% better than before - the same results I had when I mailed out five LPs to be professionally cleaned. Whenever a record needs a deep cleaning I use Titebond II wood glue. It’s a miracle in a bottle. I’ve heard results that I’d guess were about 50% up to 80% better than before (worn/damaged groove walls don’t sound better when cleaned) and another 5 to 10% better a second go. The glue costs more per record but the results are worth it.
I've had the same machines for a while now, and I'm very satisfied with the results. The only thing I changed was the transformer that spins the discs. I bought a multi-voltage one, and I use it at 1V or 3V-I can't remember exactly-but this makes the disc spin more slowly, similar to other commercial cleaning machines we've seen. In my opinion, this change allows for better cleaning, as the disc spends more time submerged in the water, receiving the ultrasonic cleaning.
@raulfiorito799 Thanks. Ever experience residue drops on the record after it dries? That's has been happening with my Pro-ject vacuum cleaning machine.
I think it depends a lot on the type of water. I use regular tap water and don’t have any issues. The spots left by droplets depend on the hardness of the water. Ideally, you’d want to have a spray bottle with distilled water. Rinse with tap water first, then rinse with distilled water, and let it dry. Or use another method to dry it. But yes, the spots are caused by salts, calcium, and other dissolved minerals in the water that leave marks when they dry. So, the best solution for that is distilled water."
I don't use vinyl much but am intrigued with this machine..great vid demo andrew ...perhaps demo sound differences between mono and stereo cartridges ?that'll be a good one
me too brother, and just for some added cleaning i'll chain it to the back of my truck and drag it down a gravel road so it gets a really good deep cleaning.
I would've brought back home a lot more from that flea market. Many times when I tried to reach out those boxes forgot there was a monitor screen between my hands and the boxes.🤣
I enjoyed this more than I had expected. But I really can't exactly tell you why. Maybe it's because I like technical stuff😊 Nice to see that record dealers in Austria also put interesting stuff at the front and gradually flip to the less interesting records😊
This is awesome, and I'm seriously considering purchasing this device at that reasonable price. A few recommendations I would make. Use no cleaning products at all, just distilled water, most vinyl experts I've talked to say you don't need it with ultrasonic. If you do use a product, you should rinse with distilled water after they come out. You shouldn't leave any products sitting on the vinyl after the cleaning process. However, 99% isopropyl like used here will evaporate very, very quickly, so if you use that only rinsing may not be necessary. Also, pre-brush with a carbon fiber cleaner before you put them in the device to remove loose debris. Finally, believe it or not, you should clean your new vinyl, you'd be surprised by the amount of junk in the grooves from the factory.
One other thing, its a good idea with albums like those with a lot of surface dirt, to do a quick pre clean. That way the ultrasonic can do what its best for; cleaning the dirt that's deep in the grooves without having to plough through all that surface dirt.
To my tired old ears the sound quality didn't seem to differ too dramatically, before and after. Also I would have thought most of the dust could be got rid of with a cloth - but what do I know!
Ultrasonic cleaning deep cleans far better than a cloth. Andrew made a few mistakes, purely out of inexperience and he could have got near silent run in grooves with some simple pre-treating before putting the records into the tank. I run an ultrasonic record cleaning group with 4,500 members on Facebook and we have different cleaning techniques for different record cleaning scenarios for dealing with old dirty records. Generally we can improve a record up at least a playing grade. Which is excellent!
@@revelry1969Wrong! Andrew doesn't need another cleaning machine! The instructions he followed wasn't very good and a few simple changes in technique can easily quieten all those records to VG++ or Near mint condition with near silent run in grooves.
Still, it’s pretty hard to deny that there was not a significant improvement in sound quality in this particular video. Vinyl fanatics (and I belong to this group) all seem to have their favorite methods for rejuvenating their records. I have yet to see a method, including ultrasonic cleaners, that improves sound appreciably compared with a soft cloth and a gentle solvent or a brief dish detergent bath.
Very good. Now, the most interesting thing is to remove the static from the disk. Much of the remaining noise comes from static. A ZERO STAT gun applied on these records after the "bath" is more than enough.
I bought the HumminGuru cleaner and really like it. You don't have all those parts to assemble, and it also dries the record, but it's more expensive. And I see it's price has increased about $200 since I bought mine.
Thank you for doing this review, Andrew! I’ve been eying a machine similar to this (it may be the same one, actually) that is sold at a big box hardware store here in the states. I was skeptical, but after seeing the results (from a trusted source 😊), I may finally get it.
In 6 litres of water I add 9 ml of alcohol which kills mould and de-oils it , and 9ml of Rinse-aid (dishwasher glass cleaner - a surfactant) which helps the water to run off whilst in the drying rack. In my experience, a wet spin clean type manual cleaner takes about 75-80% of surface noise away, but these ultrasonic cleaners will take that to 90-95%. Remember, you wouldn't put a clean foot back into a dirty sock, so re-sleeve with new inners.
Andrew, all that searching for the dirty record " grail " is understandably necessary ,but being.68 years old I would be happier if you would cut to the chase , I trust you .
The great thing about cleaning records this way, is that the very fine, deep dirt sitting at the bottom of the groove falls out by itself purely by sonic agitation. Attempting to do that with any kind of even very fine brush, is liable to drag out the dirt and possibly microscratch the inside of the groove.
I'm so glad you reviewed something like this as I've been dead curious how they actually stack up against other things. All the reviews I've seen are from people who really had no frame of reference. I use an Okki Nokki and while it's not perfect at all, I have tweaked things to give a really good enough result for me by mixing up my own solution that works along with a drop of l'Art du Son. This addition seems to keep the noise down and make it so yo don't have to deep clean them so often. It also works REALLY well on new vinyl and remving the horrible brown crap guff left on the records (releasing agentm, etc). But I have been wondering whether to try one of these but couldn't decide whether to pay out for the experiement.
Nice job, great production and music. At about 20 LPs an hour (after assembly and preheating), a thousand-record collection would take more than a full work week to clean.
I've heard isopropyl alcohol can weaken plastic in the vinyl over time. I've switched to using tergikleen as a surfactant. Just put 10-20 drops in a gallon of distilled water. It's what the US Library of Congress uses to clean records and works really well. Just rinse it with pure distilled water after because it can dry in the grooves.
Nice vid. I have the next model up that’s digital and cleans 8 records. I think your results may have been a little bit better with something like the iSonic cleaning solution. You need a real surfactant to get the vinyl clean. I can usually get 3 cycles out of a batch. Worth the money, for sure. Thanks!
08:00 "screw it up" -- apparently that means something different on that side of the pond than it does in the US where it has a negative meaning. I got one of those Vevor ultrasonic cleaners back in July (it was only 160 USD). Some of my records have mold (from a time I was house sitting for almost a year and foolishly stored my albums in a basement closet) that really benefit from the ultrasonic cleaner (I use some Tergikleen with it).
Nope. But I love the video, fascinating viewing ...and the flea market! It's ALL IMPORTS, when you see it in the USA. Anyone interested in truly cleaning a record- read this. I figured it out. I'm old, and I tried everything. At your kitchen sink: Dawn (name brand only) dish soap. Warm water- just cool enough not to bend the vinyl, and- "a baby brush". A regular hairbrush for infants. Very gentle plastic bristles. I was skeptical. If you haven't tried this, then you might be, too. With that brush, you can scrub hot soap subs deep in the grooves. You can scrub with full force, all day, in ANY direction, and it will not scratch the surface. You can scrub a record until it is "clean". I mean, one hundred percent clean. Use the same brush to rinse off the soap, scrub it all off, under warm water. Dry right away with a lint-free towel. You don't need special water. The trick is: get the record "clean". You can expect absolutely no crackles or pops related to a dirty record. You can expect absolutely NO trace of any residue on your stylus when you play it. I wish I would have known this 50 years ago. A baby brush. The baby brush I got was from Walmart and cost $2.49. You should see me at my sink, scrubbing a valuable record like it was a dirty frying pan. Try it on a junk record. The first time I did it, I was very hesitant with the brush. But,you need not be. Scrub it furiously.
@@thenerktwins I truly have never experienced any type of deep, deep cleaning from any machine, than from the method I described. It does take effort, but, the result is a record that is absolutely clean, and sounds absolutely as good as possible. It's certainly a personal choice, to invest the time. I actually find the process kind of thrilling after so many decades of cleaning records in various ways and then setting the stylus in the groove and hearing some kind of strange noise. To finally be able to remove that deep-seated grime seems like great fun. But...I'm old. Sometimes it's fun to just look out the window.
I only do 2 records at a time in the vevor ultrasonic, so the labels are covered and separated by the spacer. You should have the last record label covered, labels normally dry out if wetted, but the ink on some can run. I use the ultrasonic to remove cleaner residue from the vac machine, so just use tap water, the water is filthy after a few seconds, so I think it's pointless wasting money on distilled water. The main issue I've had is keeping the spindle horizontal, it drops over time. I have to use a knife on the inside of the plastic to hold up the inside, and keep the spindle "horizontal".
I have had a Pro-Ject record cleaning machine for around 5 years, and yes, it's dearer than this one, but it's also much easier to use, with better results and I have to say I prefer it. This one takes too long to do the job, especially filling the tank every time you want to use it. I can use the Pro-Ject to do one album and be finished in no time at all. However, for the price, the one you've featured seems to do an OK job.
As a person who has been using an ultrasonic cleaner (Audio Desk System) for 13 years, let me make a suggestion. For dirty records they should first be pre cleaned using a vacuum machine with lots of liquid. Then use a ultrasonic cleaner but do not use alcohol. That makes vinyl brittle. Drying them with a microfiber towel is better than air drying. Air drying can allow particles to settle on the record.
Andrew, you need to use a better cleaning solution to get better results. I use distilled water with l’art du son cleaning fluid. Rinsing them after with a spray of distilled water also helps get rid of any residue leaving much cleaner and quieter vinyl
Touch of the OCD when flipping through the records and turning them the correct way round. I have the same issue. Maybe it was done for the camera. That'll do as an excuse. 🤭 About the record cleaning machine - there is one from a brand called Spincare. Very available new, even places like ebay, for £79. I've had a used record shop owner clean record for me and it worked very well indeed. Plus there are other ultrasonic record cleaning machine options out there.
Once you LPs have been cleaned with one of these. No more lint on the stylist, you will not have to clean off dust from you LPs again if you keep them bagged and the cover shut on the turntable and static also gets eliminated. I got one of these years ago from Amazon. It allows up to 7 LPs to be cleaned at once. It by far is the best thing I have ever done to my LPs. Nothing gets an LP cleaner. I have had LPs that were so filthy and brown when held to the light. After a good cleaning looked almost brand new. You only need to run them about 4 minutes unless they are super dirty, 15 minutes is overkill. Water and a bit of alcohol like he did is all you need. Make sure you use LPs you don't care about at first and learn how to use it. If you have the water at the right levels it will not get on the labels. Loading LPs and removing them takes a few times to get used to it, if you make mistakes you can easily scratch them.
Supersonic - Clean Of The Century 🤭 Ultrasonic cleaners are great, I use one with carb cleaner to clean up transmission components on my road racing bike. That's actually a great price, considering you get the motor etc too.
Hey Andrew, great video. I have and use a lot of a system very similar to the one you show in the video. And although the equipment can wash 5 records at the same time, I recommend washing one at a time or two at a time at the most, since the waves produced by the ultrasound cannot reach all the grooves. Anyway, we can only listen to one record at a time. Right? Otherwise, quite informative. I always watch your videos, which helped me to learn more about the 4 from Liverpool. Thank you very much. Greetings from Coral Springs Florida USA
The fact he flips the vinyl the right way so the front cover shows when he’s at the shops helps me sleep at night
I do this all the time! Good to know we're not alone.
Thats ok when the records are not so closely squeezed together
I do that as well!!! Great job, Andrew! - Roger
Me too!!! 😂😂
Thought I was the only maniac... 😆
I don't know why, but it was extremely satisfying to watch Andrew meticulously correcting the records in the boxes and bins, that were upside down or backwards. Drat on those pesky shoppers who mess them all up for us OCD'ers!
Agreed. Shame he didn't have time to put them in alphabetical order too!
@@DerekBews And arrange them by artist!
pesky shoppers and fat bottomed girls are what make the rockin world go round.....imho:)
I think a Parlogram & Techmoan collab makes sense
@Darkglobe1977
They do, and it does work amazingly well. The instructions that Andrew followed were not very good.
I run a Facebook group devoted to ultrasonic record cleaning with tanks like these and they are not specifically designed from the first off for record cleaning.
Although they dont offer the convenience purpose made record cleaning can offer, they are cheap to buy and very easy and flexible to use, also enabling users to clean multiple records at one time; whereas the purpose built record cleaners can only do one record at a time.
Not very good if you have a huge record collection.
I’ve not been to a physical record store for decades and watching Andrew at the flea market brought back happy memories of the hours I used to surge at Woolies as a kid flicking through records I couldn’t afford to buy. A lot of the records were the same, but new of course.
@@KevinTheCaravanner I agree..great memories
I have been using one of these cleaners for two years now and it's the best method of cleaning I have used in 35 years of record collecting.
What works best for me is no more than 3 at a time. Give the record a good wipe first, 15 mins max. Then I rinse in a spin clean. Onto the drying rack. Then a final polish with a microfiber cloth.
Great video 👍
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing 👍
@@johnfloydman7735 What stops the labels getting soaked in water as they turn ?
I got one of these a while ago and it’s been a total game changer
Specially with last track of each side, before it sounded so muddy and kinda compressed?, but after a spin in the ultrasonic cleaner and now it sounds as it should!!!
I actually assembled a kit like this about four years ago. There are a few things you can do to improve the results. 1. Buy a variable voltage power adapter for the spinning motor. It works better if you slow the rotation, which you can do by adjusting the power to the motor; 2. Avoid the alcohol and use a small amount of surficant, like Turgitol. You can buy it from lab supply shops. You don’t really need alcohol to break up the dirt. You just need the surface tension of the water to be reduced so it gets in the small grooves of the record. 3. Buy a used vacuum cleaner like the VPI 16.5, etc, to finish the cleaning. If you have smoke residue, for instance, the ultrasonic will leave a small film of “goo” which the vacuum really helps eliminate. I have experience here with my original Parlophone “Love Me Do”. It had no scratches but incredibly dirty, and apparently there was a smoker. It took four trips of 20 min each in the ultrasonic to finally remove the last of that goo. I guess the last bit of advice is to buy some noise cancelling headphones. The noise just seems to get worse every time you use these things.
100% agree with using a vacuum to remove the excess water. I use a ProJect Cleaner because the bottom of the record does not come in contact with a platter. Avoids flipping the record onto the water from the previous vacuming.
@@scottgallagher5344 I have a good friend who bought the ProJect cleaner. He loves it. My 16.5 keeps going, so I’ll keep it until it dies. I will usually let the vinyl air dry for a bit, blot it a lab sponge, and run the vacuum routine. Also, it’s nice having the vacuum around for “maintenance cleaning”.
Second for lower voltage AC plug, I spin at 3 or 4.5V which is a lot slower than the 22V included AC adapter and also for Tergikleen, not alcohol. 12-14 drops per batch; that little bottle has lasted me 550+ records and there's still 1/3 bottle left. I have the same cleaner except the version with the digital display and a beefier record mount.
Hello, Are you saying that the more you use these types of record cleaning machines the more surface noise appears on the records? 😱
@@lennonnicolas5994 ha! No, the more I use them, the more I hate the noise the cleaner makes. The records are great.
Thanks for this, it was fun to watch! I am always interested in seeing ultrasonic machines, but I've had stellar results with vacuum cleaning--AND the records are always dry. No drying rack to deal with. Also, distilled water, people! Tap water can have minerals and other stuff that can get left behind. This ultrasonic is finally an affordable one, though!
I wash my records in the dishwasher before I play them on my Crosley Cruiser.
Peak audiophilia
LMAO! Good one!
Be better playing them on the Crosley then sticking them in the dishwasher
I forgot to mention that I also store them in PVC sleeves after playing them.
I use a 200grit sandpaper, after about 10 minutes. I can barley hear the music at all. Wonderful.
Very interesting, ive just been looking at my old vinyl collection which I haven't played in years but I'm thinking of rejuvenating and listening to again. This has been a very useful video along with some of the comments left by other viewers, thank you all.
I have one of these machines and it is one of the best investments I've made. They really do clean dirty/dusty albums very effectively. Andrew, I was a touch nervous waiting for your final rating but was relieved when you gave the thumbs up! Cheers.
Anybody who loves vinyl and is serious about the investment needs an ultrasonic cleaner, especially at this dirt cheap price. I’ve been collecting since the late 60’s, and have amassed a decent sized collection. For almost 25 years I’ve been using a vacuum type system, even an inexpensive one cost more than this. 2 years ago I purchased one (costlier) and went through my collection from A-Z, putting new inner and outer sleeves on all, marking the date of cleaning. I can tell you, this ain’t just for old beat up records. Today, I cleaned 5 new audiophile records Analog Productions and Rhino). At the end, there was small pieces of vinyl that had been blasted off of what appeared to be clean, shiny LPs. Better in the tank than having my stylus hit that junk! Cleaning 5 at a time is helpful, some pricey models it’s single clean. So glad to see a price point many can reach in a quality build!
Best part of that was hearing the first few seconds of Yellow Rainbow (before and after)
Nice one Andrew. I have been using a Moth machine for almost 20 years but the motor has packed up and i am impressed , another great gadget is an antistatic gun .. they really do work
Thank you for this video! I generally only need to clean one or two records per day at most. Knowing that this process takes a minimum of 45 minutes tells me that an ultrasonic cleaning machine is *not* for me!
Wow! Now, that's a proper Flea Market! I may move to Austria just to go there! I would've grabbed that "Michael Nesmith Live At The Palais". That is long out of print and a great listen!
I nearly did! If it's still there, I'll pick it up next weekend.
that selection of vinyl at the beginning is amazing
This is on point!! I was actually shopping for a Vevor ultrasonic cleaner to clean my bike chains and bits and pieces of my project car... Glad to get firsthand info and actual results!!! I guess I'll have to go and click that link then!!
i am very pleased that you have a clean record Andrew. i knew you were an outstanding gentleman!
Not a bad price compared to other machines I’ve reviewed. You did a great job. I am definitely considering purchasing this machine as I have a lot of records that need cleaning!
Glad it was helpful!
Exciting to see free market on a sunny day!
Back in 2018 I ordered an identical-looking ultrasonic disc cleaning machine (they're made in China and sold under various brands) that can clean up to six records at a time on one spindle. I use GrooveWasher concentrate solution, or a custom one with a drop or two of Triton X-100 surfactant in a gallon of distilled water. I have cleaned THOUSANDS of my records in the years since and have been very impressed at how dramatically they can improve the sound of dirty records. I also have an Okki-Nokki wet vacuum turntable for crud that's stuck in the microgrooves and harder to remove. A solution applied and by hand with a goat-hair brush, then sucked up with the microfiber pads on the vacuum, can handle just about anything that isn't an actual scratch.
I've found that all Move albums sound better as they get older!!
I was excited to see you picked up that Move album! I hope you’ll do a video on them sometime in the future: they’re one of my favorite bands but are virtually unknown here in the US.
I must say I'm impressed. A record cleaning machine that actually gets the records clean. I could hear a huge difference in the sound quality. Most of the machines (going back at least to the 1970s) are junk.
I just brought one its great - I have cleaned Jewlery with it and it really works plus records - I love it especially for the price
You passed over the ABBA self titled album from 1975. One of my favorite albums of all time it had SOS of course but it also had more rock oriented songs than any ABBA album ever before or since like so long, King Kong song and hey hey Helen, which is the biggest rocking ABBA song
Isn't King Kong Song on Waterloo?
@@paulatB2B oops you’re right. I’m probably thinking of the song “watch out.”
That is a crime! He also passed up Adam and the Ants Prince Charming
Thanks as always Andrew. I use spin clean, and then dry them on a record doctor. If I’m just doing one or two records, I just use the record doctor. No complaints
The SpinClean is the best solution for new vinyl, which always needs cleaning. Most of the demonstrated effect on those older records could have been achieved using that. My ultrasonic is for the harder cases (those things are loud as sin, I do it in the garage and close the door behind me.)
I have had this exact model for over a year now. It does not repair records… It cleans them. I use my old hand record cleaner to pre-wash them, and then my ultrasonic to deep clean them. It does make a difference. I use a small mini fan to dry the records in about 10 minutes. I enjoy the process very much. I do not have thousands of records but I do have several hundred. So I think it’s a good investment. Not everything I buy is new.
A Collection of Beatles Oldies was my gateway Beatles record. A really great value compilation at the time on a budget label.
Then maybe you'll enjoy our video about that album: ruclips.net/video/XY4S0v6KNEg/видео.htmlsi=hxEFN-GD7jPTb5HR
@@Parlogram Wrong link...think I've seen the video you refer to anyway
There are probably a bajillion different ways to clean LPs. My method is they first get put through a 'Spin-Clean' spun 7 times in each direction. While they are still wet, they go in the 'Humminguru' ultrasonic for an extended clean and dry. I then place them in a new anti-static sleeve. Works great for me. By the way, your 'sample dirty records' weren't that dirty. I've picked up LPs that look like they have baked on spaghetti sauce and came out sounding great. Nice review Andrew.
I'm a dedicated Spin-Clean user, and most of the time, I'm fine with that, but every so often I come across a record that needs a deeper clean into the grooves, and I have a friend with an ultrasonic machine who lets me come over and use his (bringing along a few beers to go with the newly cleaned records that we listen to afterward). Ultrasonics aren't always the best with surface grime or grease, and you don't want to put too much cleaner in the tub, so the elbow grease of the Spin-Clean and the microfibre brushes takes care of that nicely.
I bought this same cleaner about a year back from Vevor and have probably cleaned 300 records with it. It does a very good job, noticeably better than your Spin-Clean type cleaners.
A couple things... It does a better job if you don't put more than 3 records in at a time and add the extra spacers in between the discs to spread them out. I also found that buying a lower powered AC adapter to slow the motor down gives a more thorough cleaning.
Your timing is perfect! I was just looking over a Nessie vinyl master. Thank you for the very informative video again Andrew and crew!
Glad to help!
I use a Vevor like this one. Cost me $150 delivered. After about 7 monthe of use, this is my routine: dust off lps, preclean using Groovewasher G2, 2 lps at a time centered in Vevor bath at about 85 degrees with distilled water and Groovewasher Gsonic for about 10 minutes, dry with 30 year old NittyGritty vacuum machine, finish drying in supplied rack. While cleaning lps I give the covers a mild cleaning. I use a rheostat to slow the rotation and a towel beneath the Vevor to quiet it. Then new inside and outside sleeves and done. The results in most cases are astonishing, like new sounding lps. Highly recommended kit! Thanks.
Andrew used one of my all-time favorite words at 9:45. Electrics!!
I personally used a VPI record cleaning machine for 15 years (bought it used for $300). After it died, I invested in a Pro-ject record cleaning machine similar to the VPI. The vacuum feature on it gets my records clean and sounding wonderful. The best $400 I ever spent.
I have one too. Great machines.
Can you dig it? Very niiice! I was surprised. It’s an odd looking contraption but seems easy enough to assemble. The best part, of course, was “Shopping With Andrew!”
Nice record fair/flea market. I miss them very much…and sharing finds with a friend or two.
Fun episode. Thanks!
The shopping part is always a lot of fun!
@@Parlogram So true!
Thanks Andrew! Bought one on the strength of this video, as the price was right - and I was impressed that they delivered in about 3 days. Spent my Sunday afternoon assembling and figuring out how to use it. I’m finding it most effective and easiest to manage when I’m cleaning no more than three at a time. The records are coming out looking and sounding great. I’ve been using the small amounts of isopropyl alcohol as well - but I’m interested in finding out if something else might work even better.
Thanks, that's good to know. Hope it works out well for you.
I have owned the VEVOR for about 4 months and have already cleaned out my own 250 piece vinyl collection. My experience: Right at the beginning, I had to enlarge the holes in the white discs - they wouldn't fit. Then I found out that already during the second cleaning, the edge of the LP rubs against the bottom of the cleaner. I solved this by padding with 2 mm rubber on the edge of the tub, where the drive bracket is attached. The speed of rotation is, in my opinion, quite large, because it must be remembered that the area of the LP closer to the center is exposed to ultrasound for a very short time. This can be changed by using an adapter, e.g. 12 - 15V/1A. Less voltage = lower speed. Alternatively, do not use the motor, but turn the LP manually after 5-10 minutes. It's up to you... As a cleaning medium, I use distilled water, approx. 1.5 dcl Isoprophyl (IPA 99.9%), approx. 5 - 10 ml dish detergent and a few drops of Lenor fabric softener - for antistatic. And for the first cleaning of 40-year-old LPs, I give a full 30 minutes.... And then it has to be packed in new inner covers.
On some LPs, after cleaning, I occasionally discovered such white bordered dots, it looks like mechanical damage, but it is not. There is no need to be afraid of it, there is nothing to know about reproduction.
However, you should also be aware: If the LP was played on a low-quality record player, no amount of cleaning will remove the crackling and distortion. That's just for beginners, so they won't be disappointed....
Conclusion: VEVOR is OK, reasonably priced (I bought it for €158, free shipping), you can also use it to clean jewelry, etc. It's not an overpriced one-size-fits-all that other vinyl cleaning companies offer that cost 4-8 times more, and it's basically still the same thing.
ive had one for ages it really does work ,i do one at a time 30 to 45 minutes depending on age and how dirty etc i use just a dash of windex and distilled water and temp around 30 degrees c...records sound fresher about 90 percent of clicks pops gone ,makes unplayable records listenable again .best thing ive bought ...
I listen to music mainly through headphones with reasonably decent gear and I find that this makes find any level of distortion from vinyl extremely difficult to tolerate. I often buy a record in "ex" condition and when I first listen to it, for the first couple of tracks at least, I agree with the sellers assessment. But then I get to the middle groves and it sounds dreadful with unacceptable amounts of sibilance and distortion. If this sort of inner groove distortion is something you're familiar with, I'd love to know if the sonic cleaner improves things here. 👍🏻
The background music you played while record shopping reminded me so much of Isaac Hayes' Soundtrack from Shaft. I love that album and the sonics of it too.
This looks like a great device for cleaning your old records. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
OK, I have to say, the scratchy sounds at around the four-minute mark when you’re inspecting the dirty vinyl was quite ingenious. 😂
I would assume that the vinyls would sound exactly like that pre-cleaned.
As of November 2024 the Vevor record clean was 144usd delivered through their website.
I use distilled water, 2oz of alcohol, and drop ilford one drop at a time until I see slight sheeting of water on the LP. I than rinse in my vinyl styl bin with just distilled water and vacuum dry with a vinyl vac. I do only one at a time for 15 minutes. I can honestly say that I was amazed at the results on LPs I washed and dried and thought were fine, really "popped" in a good way after US cleaning. For less than 400usd you can have a complete record cleaning station, including a table so I can set it up in an out of the way place away from the music room.
Vevor 144
vinyl styl 60
vinyl vac 20
ilford 20
tiny shop vac 30
6x2 folding table 30
99% pure alcohol 20 Total 324.00usd
Spin On You Crazy Diamonds!
Great selection - half of that second bin is stuff I've been meaning to pick up.
Interesting video, Andrew seeing you go through all those records at the flea market! I don't think the Vevor Ultrasonic is for me but was good to see you use it and to hear the 'before' and 'after' clips!
Oh my! This is one of the few times wherein I could actually tell the difference between "before" and "after!" I should retire my ancient Discwasher brush and get something like this.
I bought an ultrasonic cleaner for my vinyl about six years ago when my record collecting got serious. I was sold on its effectiveness right away when an early pressing of the Please Please Me album was transformed into an almost-new sounding record. In fact I’d shared a clip of Ringo’s performance, ‘Boys’ from before cleaning and did another clip from after which made the difference really stand out.
Hi Andrew a great video! The untrasonic cleaner is exactly what i'm lolking for! Cherrs 😊 👍🏼
Can't believe you passed on that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie soundtrack @3:04! What a find!
Worth it for Frankie Howerd!
You're looking at a man who's had rare Beatles records passing through his hands for decades. I imagine few things phase him at this point.
@@joshwilliams7692 I pulled copies of the Sgt. Pepper soundtrack *and* All This And World War II out of a $3 bin recently. Pure gold!
Great flipping! Saw some cool stuff ! 😉
I loved it I found it very informative I love looking after my records and CDs and cassette tapes any cleaning products that I can get homework greatly. thank you Andrew for posting this video I loved it any cleaning record machine videos I will always watch I love to keep all my music collection in my records in great condition.
It did sound much better after the clean 👍 Excellent video & I'm tempted to get one now :D Even tho I don't really buy much nowadays. Still good to know about this, nice 1 😎
Hi Andrew, I bought one of these a couple of years ago and found it to be the best cleaner I've ever had. The one thing extra I use along with isopropyl alcohol is Kodak Foto-Flow 200 (just a cap full). This allows the water to get right into the grooves as surface tension can keep water out. For distilled water, that company make an inexpensive water distiller which I use to refill the big bottle I bought from the hardware store. The cleaner itself is brilliant. It also knocks out static from vinyl. Using the "tea strainer" I have cleaned several pieces of my wife's jewellery. Overall, I think this was a great investment. You can't get rid of a scratch but any dirt is removed and without touching the record in any way. Thanks for the review, cheers.
Thanks for the tips!
I've had one of these for a year or so and it's pretty good. Still haven't done the motor speed control yet, that's next on the list. I only do 2 records at a time. I also do a pre-clean prep with the same mix as I have in the Vevor, which is distilled water, 99.9% isopropyl alcohol, a couple drops of rinse aid and a couple of drops of dawn dishwashing detergent. Things like Turgitol aren't easy to come by in Australia so I use what I can get. Use paint pads to first go over each side of the records before I put them in. I do 30c for 12min and then let them dry. Does a really good job. I've done many dozens over the last year or so and very happy with the results!
Thats one helluva flea market
I bought a Vevor ultrasonic cleaner with the hope that it would get my records even cleaner than my d.i.y. vacuum setup. I followed the advice I found online. Then I ran it hotter… and soapier… and longer… nothing changed, no improvements. They sounded 0% better than before - the same results I had when I mailed out five LPs to be professionally cleaned. Whenever a record needs a deep cleaning I use Titebond II wood glue. It’s a miracle in a bottle. I’ve heard results that I’d guess were about 50% up to 80% better than before (worn/damaged groove walls don’t sound better when cleaned) and another 5 to 10% better a second go. The glue costs more per record but the results are worth it.
Many thanks Andrew, this thing looks nice.. shouldn't be too much of an issue finding dirty LP's, just place an order😂✌️🤘
So you spend the first 5 minutes of this program looking for dirty records- absolutely brilliant.
I've had the same machines for a while now, and I'm very satisfied with the results. The only thing I changed was the transformer that spins the discs. I bought a multi-voltage one, and I use it at 1V or 3V-I can't remember exactly-but this makes the disc spin more slowly, similar to other commercial cleaning machines we've seen. In my opinion, this change allows for better cleaning, as the disc spends more time submerged in the water, receiving the ultrasonic cleaning.
@raulfiorito799 Do you let the records air-drip dry, or do you use something else to dry them?
@@markjacobsen8335 "I simply let them dry on a stand, and that's it."
@raulfiorito799 Thanks. Ever experience residue drops on the record after it dries? That's has been happening with my Pro-ject vacuum cleaning machine.
I think it depends a lot on the type of water. I use regular tap water and don’t have any issues. The spots left by droplets depend on the hardness of the water. Ideally, you’d want to have a spray bottle with distilled water. Rinse with tap water first, then rinse with distilled water, and let it dry. Or use another method to dry it. But yes, the spots are caused by salts, calcium, and other dissolved minerals in the water that leave marks when they dry. So, the best solution for that is distilled water."
Very interesting video Andrew, if I was still a vinyl junkie, I’d be buying this product. Will recommend to my friends who are still vinyl junkies.
I don't use vinyl much but am intrigued with this machine..great vid demo andrew ...perhaps demo sound differences between mono and stereo cartridges ?that'll be a good one
I usually just use sandpaper and steel wool.
😂
me too brother, and just for some added cleaning i'll chain it to the back of my truck and drag it down a gravel road so it gets a really good deep cleaning.
So do the Australian cricket team.
I would've brought back home a lot more from that flea market. Many times when I tried to reach out those boxes forgot there was a monitor screen between my hands and the boxes.🤣
I enjoyed this more than I had expected. But I really can't exactly tell you why. Maybe it's because I like technical stuff😊
Nice to see that record dealers in Austria also put interesting stuff at the front and gradually flip to the less interesting records😊
I was getting jealous when you were going through that rack of Euro-Beatle albums Andrew. A few in there I would like to have !
Excellent, I may invest in one of those. Cheers!
This is awesome, and I'm seriously considering purchasing this device at that reasonable price. A few recommendations I would make. Use no cleaning products at all, just distilled water, most vinyl experts I've talked to say you don't need it with ultrasonic. If you do use a product, you should rinse with distilled water after they come out. You shouldn't leave any products sitting on the vinyl after the cleaning process. However, 99% isopropyl like used here will evaporate very, very quickly, so if you use that only rinsing may not be necessary. Also, pre-brush with a carbon fiber cleaner before you put them in the device to remove loose debris. Finally, believe it or not, you should clean your new vinyl, you'd be surprised by the amount of junk in the grooves from the factory.
One other thing, its a good idea with albums like those with a lot of surface dirt, to do a quick pre clean. That way the ultrasonic can do what its best for; cleaning the dirt that's deep in the grooves without having to plough through all that surface dirt.
Another good informative video!!! Good to see you review these things and if they really work.
To my tired old ears the sound quality didn't seem to differ too dramatically, before and after. Also I would have thought most of the dust could be got rid of with a cloth - but what do I know!
Right. That machine didn’t really do anything. We need to get Andrew a proper machine
Ultrasonic cleaning deep cleans far better than a cloth.
Andrew made a few mistakes, purely out of inexperience and he could have got near silent run in grooves with some simple pre-treating before putting the records into the tank.
I run an ultrasonic record cleaning group with 4,500 members on Facebook and we have different cleaning techniques for different record cleaning scenarios for dealing with old dirty records.
Generally we can improve a record up at least a playing grade. Which is excellent!
@@timhubbard8895 that machine I doubt even had ultrasonics in it. Get a kirmuss and have piece of mind. This machine reviewed is just cheap and weak
@@revelry1969Wrong! Andrew doesn't need another cleaning machine! The instructions he followed wasn't very good and a few simple changes in technique can easily quieten all those records to VG++ or Near mint condition with near silent run in grooves.
Still, it’s pretty hard to deny that there was not a significant improvement in sound quality in this particular video. Vinyl fanatics (and I belong to this group) all seem to have their favorite methods for rejuvenating their records. I have yet to see a method, including ultrasonic cleaners, that improves sound appreciably compared with a soft cloth and a gentle solvent or a brief dish detergent bath.
Very good. Now, the most interesting thing is to remove the static from the disk. Much of the remaining noise comes from static. A ZERO STAT gun applied on these records after the "bath" is more than enough.
I could watch Andrew explaining anything!
I bought the HumminGuru cleaner and really like it. You don't have all those parts to assemble, and it also dries the record, but it's more expensive. And I see it's price has increased about $200 since I bought mine.
Thank you for doing this review, Andrew! I’ve been eying a machine similar to this (it may be the same one, actually) that is sold at a big box hardware store here in the states. I was skeptical, but after seeing the results (from a trusted source 😊), I may finally get it.
Glad I could help!
In 6 litres of water I add 9 ml of alcohol which kills mould and de-oils it , and 9ml of Rinse-aid (dishwasher glass cleaner - a surfactant) which helps the water to run off whilst in the drying rack. In my experience, a wet spin clean type manual cleaner takes about 75-80% of surface noise away, but these ultrasonic cleaners will take that to 90-95%. Remember, you wouldn't put a clean foot back into a dirty sock, so re-sleeve with new inners.
What kind of alcohol? Denatured? Rubbing? Wood grain?
@@jamesireland1584 alcool isopropylique
@@jamesireland1584 isopropanol is the one you want to use
I used to go to these flee markets in Austria. Awesome finds
Andrew, all that searching for the dirty record " grail " is understandably necessary ,but being.68 years old I would be
happier if you would cut to the chase , I trust you .
15:03 Who has already started singing "Dreamer" there? Lol.
The great thing about cleaning records this way, is that the very fine, deep dirt sitting at the bottom of the groove falls out by itself purely by sonic agitation.
Attempting to do that with any kind of even very fine brush, is liable to drag out the dirt and possibly microscratch the inside of the groove.
Very informative, Andrew! - Roger
Glad it was helpful, Roger!
I'm so glad you reviewed something like this as I've been dead curious how they actually stack up against other things. All the reviews I've seen are from people who really had no frame of reference.
I use an Okki Nokki and while it's not perfect at all, I have tweaked things to give a really good enough result for me by mixing up my own solution that works along with a drop of l'Art du Son. This addition seems to keep the noise down and make it so yo don't have to deep clean them so often. It also works REALLY well on new vinyl and remving the horrible brown crap guff left on the records (releasing agentm, etc).
But I have been wondering whether to try one of these but couldn't decide whether to pay out for the experiement.
Nice job, great production and music. At about 20 LPs an hour (after assembly and preheating), a thousand-record collection would take more than a full work week to clean.
Thanks, Andrew, very useful and informative as always.
Glad it was helpful, Matt!
I love my new SpinCare and it’s cleaning fluid, very easy to use and inexpensive…
This is the sonic cleaner that I'm going to buy.
I've heard isopropyl alcohol can weaken plastic in the vinyl over time. I've switched to using tergikleen as a surfactant. Just put 10-20 drops in a gallon of distilled water. It's what the US Library of Congress uses to clean records and works really well. Just rinse it with pure distilled water after because it can dry in the grooves.
It's safe in small quantities.
Nice vid. I have the next model up that’s digital and cleans 8 records. I think your results may have been a little bit better with something like the iSonic cleaning solution. You need a real surfactant to get the vinyl clean. I can usually get 3 cycles out of a batch. Worth the money, for sure. Thanks!
08:00 "screw it up" -- apparently that means something different on that side of the pond than it does in the US where it has a negative meaning.
I got one of those Vevor ultrasonic cleaners back in July (it was only 160 USD). Some of my records have mold (from a time I was house sitting for almost a year and foolishly stored my albums in a basement closet) that really benefit from the ultrasonic cleaner (I use some Tergikleen with it).
Nope. But I love the video, fascinating viewing ...and the flea market! It's ALL IMPORTS, when you see it in the USA. Anyone interested in truly cleaning a record- read this. I figured it out. I'm old, and I tried everything.
At your kitchen sink: Dawn (name brand only) dish soap. Warm water- just cool enough not to bend the vinyl, and- "a baby brush". A regular hairbrush for infants. Very gentle plastic bristles.
I was skeptical. If you haven't tried this, then you might be, too. With that brush, you can scrub hot soap subs deep in the grooves. You can scrub with full force, all day, in ANY direction, and it will not scratch the surface. You can scrub a record until it is "clean". I mean, one hundred percent clean. Use the same brush to rinse off the soap, scrub it all off, under warm water. Dry right away with a lint-free towel.
You don't need special water. The trick is: get the record "clean".
You can expect absolutely no crackles or pops related to a dirty record. You can expect absolutely NO trace of any residue on your stylus when you play it.
I wish I would have known this 50 years ago.
A baby brush. The baby brush I got was from Walmart and cost $2.49. You should see me at my sink, scrubbing a valuable record like it was a dirty frying pan.
Try it on a junk record. The first time I did it, I was very hesitant with the brush. But,you need not be. Scrub it furiously.
I don't think you're wrong, but the point of gadgets is often to save you the time and effort, right?
@@thenerktwins I truly have never experienced any type of deep, deep cleaning from any machine, than from the method I described. It does take effort, but, the result is a record that is absolutely clean, and sounds absolutely as good as possible. It's certainly a personal choice, to invest the time. I actually find the process kind of thrilling after so many decades of cleaning records in various ways and then setting the stylus in the groove and hearing some kind of strange noise. To finally be able to remove that deep-seated grime seems like great fun. But...I'm old. Sometimes it's fun to just look out the window.
@@CraiginOhioUSA After I watched the video, I agree. This isn't cleaning anything
Scrub it furiously?!
@@FIREFLY071 "I'm not mad at the record. I'm mad at the dirt. "
I only do 2 records at a time in the vevor ultrasonic, so the labels are covered and separated by the spacer. You should have the last record label covered, labels normally dry out if wetted, but the ink on some can run.
I use the ultrasonic to remove cleaner residue from the vac machine, so just use tap water, the water is filthy after a few seconds, so I think it's pointless wasting money on distilled water.
The main issue I've had is keeping the spindle horizontal, it drops over time. I have to use a knife on the inside of the plastic to hold up the inside, and keep the spindle "horizontal".
Dirty ultrasonic water? Use a water filter while cleaning and this will prolong the fluid life
I have had a Pro-Ject record cleaning machine for around 5 years, and yes, it's dearer than this one, but it's also much easier to use, with better results and I have to say I prefer it. This one takes too long to do the job, especially filling the tank every time you want to use it. I can use the Pro-Ject to do one album and be finished in no time at all. However, for the price, the one you've featured seems to do an OK job.
...this is good Andrew. Thank You.
You're very welcome
As a person who has been using an ultrasonic cleaner (Audio Desk System) for 13 years, let me make a suggestion. For dirty records they should first be pre cleaned using a vacuum machine with lots of liquid. Then use a ultrasonic cleaner but do not use alcohol. That makes vinyl brittle. Drying them with a microfiber towel is better than air drying. Air drying can allow particles to settle on the record.
Andrew, you need to use a better cleaning solution to get better results. I use distilled water with l’art du son cleaning fluid. Rinsing them after with a spray of distilled water also helps get rid of any residue leaving much cleaner and quieter vinyl
Touch of the OCD when flipping through the records and turning them the correct way round. I have the same issue. Maybe it was done for the camera. That'll do as an excuse. 🤭
About the record cleaning machine - there is one from a brand called Spincare. Very available new, even places like ebay, for £79. I've had a used record shop owner clean record for me and it worked very well indeed. Plus there are other ultrasonic record cleaning machine options out there.
Thanks Andrew, I think I may invest in one
Once you LPs have been cleaned with one of these. No more lint on the stylist, you will not have to clean off dust from you LPs again if you keep them bagged and the cover shut on the turntable and static also gets eliminated. I got one of these years ago from Amazon. It allows up to 7 LPs to be cleaned at once. It by far is the best thing I have ever done to my LPs. Nothing gets an LP cleaner. I have had LPs that were so filthy and brown when held to the light. After a good cleaning looked almost brand new. You only need to run them about 4 minutes unless they are super dirty, 15 minutes is overkill. Water and a bit of alcohol like he did is all you need. Make sure you use LPs you don't care about at first and learn how to use it. If you have the water at the right levels it will not get on the labels. Loading LPs and removing them takes a few times to get used to it, if you make mistakes you can easily scratch them.
Supersonic - Clean Of The Century 🤭
Ultrasonic cleaners are great, I use one with carb cleaner to clean up transmission components on my road racing bike.
That's actually a great price, considering you get the motor etc too.
Hey Andrew, great video. I have and use a lot of a system very similar to the one you show in the video. And although the equipment can wash 5 records at the same time, I recommend washing one at a time or two at a time at the most, since the waves produced by the ultrasound cannot reach all the grooves.
Anyway, we can only listen to one record at a time. Right?
Otherwise, quite informative. I always watch your videos, which helped me to learn more about the 4 from Liverpool. Thank you very much. Greetings from Coral Springs Florida USA
That’s for watching. More Beatles soon!