Kirmuss ‘In the Groove’ Ultrasonic Record Cleaner – Upscale Audio Anniversary Edition

$475 in upgrades over the stock Kirmuss machine! The Upscale Audio Edition comes with the upgrade record washer assembly that fits three LPs and one 45 RPM all at once, worth $350. It also comes with nine accessories worth $125. 

• We are unable to offer returns or exchanges on record cleaners except in the case of manufacturer defect, which would be exchanged for like item.
• Before you ask for a price match, check first if you are looking at the basic machine everyone else sells vs. this upgraded Upscale Audio Edition. 

Step-by-step directions on the use of the cleaner:

“After the last wash cycle, Dr. Kirmuss polished the record with a microfiber cloth and slipped it into a clean sleeve. Off I trotted back to the Monitor Audio-Roksan room. Brown and I examined the record — it looked brand new. Glossy, clean, and basically perfect. We slammed it back on the Xerxes 20 and the record was dead silent. Zero ticks or pops, no more skips, and now there was top end — the highs returned, Albert Collins’s Telecaster regained that nasty attack, those biting overtones. I could hear the extension, spaciousness, and textural definition that I knew the Shiraz could extract out of a record’s grooves.”

— ROBERT DEUTSCH, STEREOPHILE MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2014

“Best of all, when I played [a Kirmuss-cleaned record]–holy crap! The top end was fully restored, the backgrounds were superquiet, transients were sharpened, and the amount of inner detail–particularly the microdynamic shifts in Pete Townshend’s rhythm guitar strums–produced an almost new listening experience. That’s not hype.”

— MICHAEL FREMER, STEREOPHILE MAGAZINE, JULY 2019

“We’ve been cleaning records for a long, long time. What makes the Kirmuss stand out above the rest is twofold. First, it’s cost effective. Second, it does an incredible job.”

— JEFF DORGAY, TONE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2019

“Billed as a “record restoration” device rather than strictly a record cleaner … you’ll be rewarded with a more spacious soundstage and truer instrumental timbre.”

— THE ABSOLUTE SOUND, 2020 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS

 

The Kirmuss Audio Model Ka-Rc-1: Revolutionize Record Cleaning

Kirmuss rightly calls this machine a record restoration device because its patented cleaning procedure goes deep into the record groove, removing mold release agent, residue from previous cleaning machines, and other unwanted layers and grit that have been baked into the vinyl.

The result? Lower noise, improved detail, and an impressive 1.3 to 4 dB gain in volume with both new records and vintage crate finds. This is the result of the groove being set free!

Why Deep-Clean Records?

New or used, in paper sleeves or plastic… no matter the condition of your records or how you use and store them, they inevitably require maintenance.

New records need cleaning because of a product called mold release agent, an oil that helps the stamper cleanly separate from the hot vinyl, allowing for the grooves to remain accurately pressed. But this oil sits deep in the finest part of grooves, and attracts dust and dirt. Paper sleeves are notorious for leaving behind dust and particles, which is why so many vinyl enthusiasts use special anti-static plastic sleeves. The sooner you clean your new records (and get them into good sleeves), the more you can hear them as the artist intended. 

When playing uncleaned records, dust particles and contaminants build up on the stylus. This accumulation dulls the sound, and also, those dreaded pops and crackles are caused by dirt, grime, and particles lodged in the record grooves being hit by the needle, as well as static discharges, all amplified by the cartridge. All are annoying!

Heat generated by the contact of the stylus with the record will cause micro-dust particles to lodge in the grooves. These are difficult to remove without the cavitation of ultrasound machines. 

The Kirmuss Advantage

A patented and patents pending record suspension system assures that records of any speed and size see their grooves cleaned safely. There is no chance of damage to the record from skewers or clamps. 

The other aspect of the Kirmuss process is that you repeatedly used an ionizing spray that gives the record a charge that’s opposite to the bath, so that the ultrasound can properly remove even the tiniest particles. You can actually see these layers of dirt and contaminants come off the record.

The initial de-grease bath is distilled water with a maximum of 40 ml of 70% isopropyl alcohol solution. (Please note, check the label and ensure there are no other ingredients.) Ultrasonics need a surfactant to aid in the cavitation of the water solution to better clean and remove contaminants.  And so, in its subsequent cycles, you apply, by way of the supplied goat-hair brush, a PVC-friendly, water-soluble, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-static surfactant to the record aimed at removing accumulated surface contaminants present from other cleaning systems. 

The Kirmuss process allows you to actually see when the record is clean and restored. As the surfactant is brushed onto the record, toothpaste-like substance appears, and this reduces on subsequent cycles, validating the effectiveness of the system: removing fungus, contaminants, as well as agents applied in prior cleaning methods and systems.

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Included Accessories