The Degritter is a $4550 high-end Ultrasonic Record Cleaning Machine that will launch later this month after its initial unveiling on IndieGoGo in May 2018, but it begs the question, would you spend $5K to clean your records?
In what has become a bit of a theme on ChannelNews as of late, is a run of high-end record cleaners that seem to be getting more and more expensive.
Now nearly two years later, The Degritter Ultrasonic Record Cleaning Machine has arrived to clean all your records from 7-inches to 12-inch records, available now for preorder from their website for $4550.
While there’s no word on Australian availability, Pure Music Group is listed as the Australian Distributor for Degritter products, with Sonic Purity as the Associated Retailer, located in Melbourne.
Unlike other record cleaners we’ve featured, the Degritter uses ultrasonic cleaning in a water tank followed by a separate drying cycle to provide a ‘superb cleaning effect’.
Sporting a distinct minimalist aesthetic born from the industrial design means it won’t stick out sitting next to high-end audio systems.
In planning the Degritter, the team said the unit “had to be simple to use”, in addition to not sounding like a typical vacuum cleaner; thus, the team constructed a custom ultrasonic amplifier to power the system.
The Degritter record cleaner uses a unique pumping solution that together with silent dryers and inaudible 120kHz ultrasonics that barely utter a whisper of noise.
Each cleaning cycle lasts 5-minutes without using detergents or solutions; just room temperature distilled water.
That being said, Degritter does offer a batch of cleaning fluid concentrate, that while not being necessary for use, does have certain benefits to help remove dirt from the vinyl surface.
A set of adapters included with the unit allow for cleaning 7-inch and 10-inch records, as the Degritter is designed by default to clean 12-inch vinyl.
The Degritter is also run by control board that can be updated via the SD card slot to provide firmware updates and bug fixes down the line.
An LCD panel on the front of the display above the two ignition knobs will indicate the cleaning process as well as notify the user if, for example, there is insufficient water in the 1.4L tank.
An additional external water tank can be purchased from the Degritter website, along with other replacement accessories, for $100
While the Degritter does offer several more features when compared to the Pro-Ject VC-S2 and Record Doctor VI, a price tag of nearly $5K is enough to turn off even the most obsessed audiophile.
Where I see this product finding a home is inside music studios and DJs, where needing clean records done efficiently may be a necessity, however, five minutes is a long time to clean a record, even with distilled water.
The Pro-Ject VC-S2 record cleaner, which goes for $899, promises a two-second clean in just two rotations, while the Record Doctor VI is just overall more affordable at $485.
Depending on your budget and use case, you have three high-end premium options, with one expensive outlier in the Degritter Ultrasonic Record Cleaner.
