Not come out of the box yet Going to be trying it soon - just been busy with life and with the teens at home I am hardly allowed any time listening. I have a plan to put it and the records in the outside room which needs to be decorated and then shelving purchased (we have been waiting over six months for the decorator to turn up - now waiting for second decorator having given up on the first) - so who knows when it will happen
I bought some records that had allegedly been cleaned on the project and I was not impressed, which put me off. But given what I have spent on the lp12 it seemed worth spending proportionately on a cleaner
The Kickstarter is still kicking, but HumminGuru had a delay of a month or two due to taking feedback on board. The first phase of mold development was completed at the end of May, now they are testing and refining, the second mold sample completion should be announced soon. Delivery to backers expected in September.
Thatās interesting on the project - Iām kind of in the same place, the Degritter feels like a much more sophisticated solution. Will wait on tenterhooks for your views on operation, build quality, and results!
You can find less expensive Ultrasonic on the famous auction site. Maybe I will buy one later.
One is even made in USA. The total cost is around 800 dollars.
FedEx just dropped off my HumminGuru from the Kickstarter pledge. Iām not home yet, so pics and report will have to wait until later today or tomorrow, depending on how I manage
My second Audio Desk failed, so I am thinking about a Degritter. How are people coming along with theirs? I have 4500+ LPs so I need something that can handle a large duty cycle.
My understanding is that I can have two tanks ready for use. One with detergent/surfactant and another with just distilled water for rinse. Is that correct?
Iāve just placed an order for a HumminGuru. NZD750 including shipping although I think Iāll have some duty to pay on it as well. So maybe around $900 all up.
I think this is a pretty fair price to pay (here), considering other record cleaning machines like the project vacuum cleaners are around $1000 in NZ.
I wonder if someone will pick up distribution rights, so I thought Iād get in before the price increase that might entail. Plus Iāve read your reviews and all the other positive feedback over the last few months.
Iāve had my Degritter for a year now and have cleaned 1200 records with it so far. One of the best investments Iāve ever made in my 45 year hifi journey.
Stylus dust and detritus is a thing of the past.
I had Okki Nokki for 4 years and it was an awesome cleaner but Degritter takes things to the next level.
The Kirmuss rep went through the quite laborious process of cleaning the disc with a soft makeup / shaving style brush using their proprietary anti-static ionizing surfactant spray, then a 5min cycle in the ultrasonic bath, and repeat until the brushing process created zero white foam on the record. This took four ultrasonic cycles in my recordās case - a truly patience testing process for a large collection.
During this demo, I was informed about the ādiscrepanciesā of other ultrasonic cleaners and the fact that they can either create too much localised heat on the record surface, employ cavitation at the incorrect frequencies and also not apply true cavitation evenly over the entire record playing surface. Plus quite damning criticism of new start up companies who havenāt sufficiently researched the process to back up their claims. One begs the question, which ultrasonic RCM manufacturers are trustworthy and who are jumping on the vinyl resurgence bandwagon?
Iām tempted by the Kirmuss machine, but the laborious restoration process would test even the most dedicated record collector, and Iād prefer a more automated process to take the hassle out of this chore. Michale Fremer seems to have come around to Kirmuss process, so assume this is one of the better cleaning machines.
Given how few RCMs are in use every day or even every week, surely the right answer for those of us who donāt live in the middle of nowhere is to borrow/ lend RCMs.
If I didnāt have that, Iād be very interested in the Degritter and the Kirmuss machine, particularly given where prices are now. However, which of the top dozen or so choices you use (and whether you own it, borrow it or pay a shop to use it for you) surely matters a good deal less than whether you have or have not cleaned your records in the last few years.
Iāve been using a Kirmuss for 9 months now. It canāt get rid of all pops and clicks, but does a better job than anything I have tried. It is a bit of a process and I find new records need 2 goes with the surfactant. So 5 mins in the bath, surfactant, 5 min bath, surfactant and final bath. Other records Iāve had for years and that have not been treated too much with anything else are the same. Those that have been through other solutions such as Permastat, VPI 17 with various fluids and the latest the Project RCM with the Project fluid usually take three cycles. Charity shop and other used vinyl may take longer with more cycles.
The difference for me is as you suggest in more information from the grooves and absolutely no static. Some of my records that were unplayable have been nicely restored whereby I can now listen to them. Itās not perfect but IMHO the best Iāve tried. But you can do two albums at a time.
BTW if itās a rainy day and I donāt have much else on the agenda I will spend a day restoring, usually get 15-18 records done and then I get to play them. Itās certainly a labour of love.
I have had a Kirmuss for years but 1) I gave up on the very laborious official cleaning process and 2) I abandoned use of that very expensive fluid.
Now I just use the Kirmuss as a regular ultrasonic bath for deep cleaning records. I use Tergikleen as the surfactant. It is very significantly cheaper than the Kirmuss fluid ($35 for a bottle thatās enough for mixing 30 gallons). I put 20-25 drops in the Kirmuss bath, then I run two records for 10 mins, flip them over and run them again for 10 mins. Then they get a rinse cycle in the Audio Desk. I change the water every 50 records.
I buy a lot of used classical records and this process has restored a lot of record to play like new. I find the time-consuming, laborious Kirmuss process unnecessary and get results that are just as good if not better.
Many people have asked āDr.ā Kirmuss to back up his claims with some proof, and he never has. He also wonāt tell anyone what his doctorate is for. Heās quite the character with his lab coat and all, but most take him with a grain of salt. LOL Iām not saying he is or isnāt correct, just that we really donāt know that he is.
As far as I know there has never been any solid proof that cavitation damages grooves. There was even someone who made that claim in lengthly blog article and later retracted. I have cleaned thousands of records and only noticed improvements.
Yes, when I was chatting to the rep and questioning the prices of the āancillariesā associated with the process, the costs of the liquid, plus with recommended rotation of the distilled water, it all started to add up in terms of consumables. Very reassuring to hear that deviating from the Kirmuss method is still of benefit. If / when my Okki-Nokki plays up, I think it will be the Kirmuss machine that replaces it, unless something else comes out in the meantime. although, the Nessie and Clearaudio automated machines look interesting, but very expensive.
Again, very helpful indeed. I still think that the traditional vacuum process with a little brush agitation, and leaving the liquid to soak is still very effective at removing most clicks and pops, but there is always the odd record where multiples passes seem ineffective. I forgot that you can do two records at a time with the Kirmuss machine, and rotate the process, so when oneās in the bath, the other is having the ionising agent rubbed into the groove. That is more efficient than one record at a time on a vacuum RCM.
My Audio Desk will likely get replaced with a Degritter. Iāll use that with a plain water tank for regular cleaning of new records, and the combination of the Kirmuss and Degritter for deep cleaning. I have some 4500+ LPs so there are still plenty in my collection with caked-on DiscWasher fluid, etc that can benefit from deep clean.
I work from home, and by making the Kirmuss more of an automated process, I can clean records while I work.
Going to be trying it soon - just been busy with life and with the teens at home I am hardly allowed any time listening. I have a plan to put it and the records in the outside room which needs to be decorated and then shelving purchased (we have been waiting over six months for the decorator to turn up - now waiting for second decorator having given up on the first) - so who knows when it will happen
