In theory it sort of is. However, there will be carryover products from the clothes that have been washed such as detergents and even some fluff.
A faily risk free method is to taste a bit. It should taste of nothing/smell of nothing.
In some countries like mine they sell it in pharmacy/drug stores.
Ordered from Analogue seduction?
There can be different levels of purity for distilled water depending on the process and materials used. If the rig is anything but spotless non corrosive material it results in a lower grade than that made with glass condensers.
Hence distilled water at the filling station is cheaper than distilled water sold online for lab use. It isnāt the same thing.
Yes, part of a larger order (almost including a Technics 1200G ) the other pieces all ok, just that item not in stock.
Do we have to use high quality distilled water or common supermarket one is enough with the ultrasonic?
I would guess the same applies as for non-ultrasonic. After all water has drained off the record, a small amount remains and evaporates. This small amount contains a certain number of non-water molecules (the number per liter should normally be printed on that bottle). How many you can live with is largely subjective, I think, and the number is small in any case.
Though my university chemistry was a very long time ago
Rationally, I would say it is probably fine as long as the lime scale deposits are prevented, which the regular distilled water from the supermarket should do that you use in e.g. the electric iron for ironing clothes. Apart from the records, this should also prevent deposits that might damage the machine over time.
Irrationally, I am using highly-clean laboratory water from Amazon because itās one headache less, and why not
I think I will follow you on that. 16 euros for 5 l , high grade 100% pure distilled water. I can wash around 100 lps with it . ( 4 lps with 20 cl).
I wonder what @JosquinDesPrez thinks of that. I remember he has 3 machines, an RCM, an ultrasonic and another one. He pushed lp cleaning to an art
I rarely use my RCM any more (maybe once in last two years). My goto cleaner is thre Audio Desk Pro US. I also have a Kirmuss for the really tought, restorative jobs.
I get distilled water at the grocery store, and pay $1.00/gallon. So thatās about $0.26 per liter. I used to use high grade laboratory ultra-pure water, but it was expensive & getting more expensive, so I stopped buying it. I canāt say I ever noticed a difference using it vs using distlled water.
If I see a dry water spot on a record after taking it out of the Audio Desk, then running it through again takes care of it. Now I just inspect the record surfaces after cleaning to avoid the issue.
Good to know, thanks. Still not decided however on that high quality distilled water.
I clean the filter with white vinegar, from time to time. Any harm with it?
Iād really not get too excited about distilled water/deionised water or whatever uber quality water.
Yes, the water should not leave water marks and this will be due to the desolved solids, errr becoming just solids on the lp.
I have access to some very high quality deionised water. The stuff that is used to raise steam in certain types of power station, but iāve not bothered.
My ( softened) tap water is fine. No marks are left, the records look shinny and sound great. Ive managed to turn noisey/unlistenable lps into near silent lps. Albeit after a few washes.
Feel free to fret over which uber quality water to use, but it is not required.
As Suedkiez said, itās, maybe, in a long term, that average quality distilled water can leave some residues inside the machine, then it could affect the good quality cleaning in the future. But I am of course not sure about that.
Depending on your cleaning machine you might still need to use distilled water. In the case of my Audio Desk, using tap water can damage/corrode the internals over time, and Audio Desk says they will invalidate warranty if tap water has been used.
Where I am the tap water is pretty good quality, but it it has stuff in it (some added, some just natural minerals, including calcium) you donāt want on your records long term. Just about every RCM manaufacterer otherwsie recommends distilled water (not purified, as that still has minerals for taste).
I recommend against using tap water. You might not notice a difference short term, but it has the potential to be a problem long term. At least for me dislled water from the grocer is cheap enough thereās no good reason to use tap water.
Still mulling over purchasing a RCM.
Is the Audio Desk Pro a significant leap forward? It is very expensive compared to the competition, which all seem to be awarded excellent reviews on the forum. Interested in your views.
I havenāt tried the competition so I canāt say how mine stacks up to other ultrasonic-based units. I got mine as an ex-dem from the dealer, and when it later failed, Audio Desk offered me a new unit for a nominal upcharge. I ended up with a new unit for about 60% of the retail cost.
The Audio Desk is a sigficant leap forward from a brush-type/vacuum RCM that doesnāt use ultrasonics. Itās also significantly more convenient to use since itās entirely automatic. I had an Okki Nokki and was glad to be rid of the laborious effort involved cleaning records.
Thank you!
No, I meant that regular distilled water from the supermarket should be good enough to prevent that, like it does in an electric iron.
Tap water in most places definitely leaves lime scale and other residue over time, just like it does in the shower and on faucets. The amounts from a single cleaning on a record will be miniscule though, but it will add up in the machine
The AudioDesk is really expensive though, and itās more or less just regular ultrasound emitters, 2 fans from a PC, and a motor assembly in a cabinet. I havenāt used it, but I find 3 or 4K really outrageous for that.
The HumminGuru seems to be more or less as automatic and costs a tenth. If you have been mulling over 3K and therefore donāt have a cleaning machine, Iād say you are better off by simply buying the HumminGuru and having one. Even if the AudioDesk is three times as good. (And I donāt think itās ten times as good)
When I got my Audio Desk (at discount) there were fewer options for ultrasonic, including the vastly more expensive Clearaudio. I like my Audio Desk and am happy with it. Itās now cleaned some 3k records or so and still running great, but if I were buying new today I might look at other options.
I understand that, and the AudioDesk surely was the best in town for a long time. But @Isca_Dumnoniorum isnāt thinking about buying one then, but about buying one now, and the HumminGuru really has changed the game. While there is much to mull about the AudioDeskās price, getting the HumminGuru instead of having nothing is a no-brainer