Quote:
Originally Posted by Poisonm
Have experimented with the KL Audio with and without filter units and while I don’t know how fine the filter medium is, don’t hear a difference though. Personally I much prefer not to involve chemicals in the washing process and if I have to, will clean it another cycle with just water to insure no residue is left behind. Do you use some specialty water for your cleaning? Fremer doesn’t sound very convinced in that article if I recall correctly.
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The KLAudio machine uses only water, so presumably the only thing removed by a filter would be debris from records. So records cleaned without a filter and with a filter would likely not exhibit much difference until one tested using a tank after many records are cleaned without a filter. Or so I speculate.
Fremer uses an Audio Desk, so that's what he uses for comparisons.
I used NERL Reagent Grade water - bought in 5 gallon boxes - for many years when primarily using my Loricraft PRC-3 point-nozzle machine. Horizontal cleaners require time with one or more different cleaning agents sitting on the record (I used AIVS and Walker's Prelude) and these must be thoroughly rinsed. You're somewhat fighting gravity, and need to agigitate the solution to keep removed dirt from settling back into the grooves before vacuuming it off. I also tried the NERL water in my DIY USC. It works quite well but it is expensive and I honestly cannot say there is a sonic difference between it and distilled water.
The thing with vertical machines such as KLAudio or Audio Desk (I also have one of those) and similar designs without filters is how often the tank is changed. The Audio Desk has a somewhat passive filter, and it does get dirty over time, but I'm thinking by the time it shows dirt it has gone past the point where the water needs changing. Filtering does make a difference however. With a rotating record in the tank, dirt does not settle easily. That's where the filter offers benefit.
If you look at the thread I referenced above about my DIY machine, Part II shows a comparison of both water and filters - it is obvious the filter is working as it shows plenty of dirt and the filtered water looks very close to new water.
If I were using an KLA or ADS or similar unit without a filter, I'd change the tank maybe every 10 records or so.
If you read articles about ultrasonic cleaning, not necessarily for records, it seems pretty well accepted that having some sort of surfactant in the water is commonplace and recognized as giving superior results over water alone. The trick is to get to keep total dissolved solids in the tank very low.
The point of all this is really about air drying. There is no problem air drying a clean record. IPA does not leave a residue and if Ilfotol (wetting agent used in developing film photography) leaves a residue it is undetectable.
The frequency at which the transducers operate is another factor: higher frequencies are more effective at removing smaller particles though not as effective as lower frequencies at removing larger ones. Lower frequency cavitation bubbles are larger but explode with more intense energy.