Ultrasonicrecords Adds Dryer Cube to Compliment V-8 Cleaning Machine

Owners of the ultrasonicrecords.com V-8 ultrasonic record cleaner have long been clamoring for a drying device. Now there is one.

The Dryer Cube is an approximately 12"x14"x15" five pound box incorporating a timer controlled high speed fan. Simply lift the cleaned but wet records (up to 8 at a time) out of the V-8 and drop them into the Cube. A steady stream of filtered air dries them. With an extra drive rod and a set of spacers it's possible to clean 40+ records an hour says designer David Ratcliff, who builds the Dryer Cube all himself by hand.

Price will be $795 "a la carte". Current V-8 owners ordering by April 15th can save $300 and get one for $495. New customers ordering both a V-8 and the Dry Cube by April 15th will get a package price of $1995.

Mr. Ratcliff says the unit will be available in both the standard black finish and an upgraded wood finish. The V-8 will also be available in the upgraded wood finish.

Visit ultrasonicrecords.com for ordering and additional information.

COMMENTS
avrcguy's picture

That "wood" finish looks like it was reclaimed from the set of That 70's Show. Hideous! Throw in a free Lava Lamp, and they'll have the perfect trio.

myheroiscoltrane's picture

I like the metal finish better. Also, the records come out of the bath with a line of schmutz on them from the surface of the water.... Rather than drying this line on to them, I run them immediately through my vpi 16.5 ... Cheaper than his full price drying cube, and works great!

blueskiespbd's picture

It's African mahogany and optional. And FYI I like That 70's show and lava lamps.

Mark UK's picture

The perfect example of why other things took over from vinyl except for us cranks, isn't it?

Do you REALLY imagine that people would prefer that to an iPod? :)

Toptip's picture

Even real wood, when combined with blue plastic, a gigantic chrome V8 sign and what looks like the plexiglass top of an ice bucket, complete with knob, reminds one of some cheesy 70s Detroit iron parked outside a Motor Lodge. Driver and his gf probably inside smoking Pall Malls and engaging in unprotected pre-HIV amour.

Journeyman's picture

I actually had huge laugh with this comment of yours!
I actually agree with ya...XD

Toptip's picture

Plus when someone takes "African mahagony" and manages to make some crap out of it that looks like a vinyl veneered hotel mini bar fridge, well, you have to laugh...to hide the tears you shed thinking, "this is what's happening to tropical forests!"

I wonder if it comes with a key and contains $10 bottles of Coke?

blueskiespbd's picture

Perhaps if the car were a classic woody instead of a Detroit clunker
you would find it more aesthetically pleasing. Funny that you miss the point of the V-8 and the Dryer Cube. Clean 16 sides at once in 10 minutes and dry the same is less time than that. The beauty of that my critical friend is a joy to behold. Clean on. Oh and before I forget......the cigs were Camels.

Mark UK's picture

Your 'Classic Woodies' were Detroit clunkers when made too. Made by the same people as make the present US cars. But not made so well as the modern ones as techniques have improved.

These two boxes? They seem to work quite well and are not particularly expensive. So good.

Who cares what they look like? You are not going to keep them in your lounge as a 'feature' anyway. They will go in the store cupboard with your other cleaners when not in use. Do you care what your floor cleaner looks like?

Toptip's picture

My goodness! In my haste I must have missed the white, suburban home dimmer switch on the side and the broiler oven fan underneath. This gadget is shrine to bad taste!

"Who cares what they look like? You are not going to keep them in your lounge as a 'feature' anyway" You kidding me? Even famous ancient rockers now say, "Vinyl is a fashion statement!"

Plus, frankly, something that is just a $700 replacement to a $5 dish rack should at least look better than a DIY project cobbled together over the weekend from the Home Depot hardware department.

Journeyman's picture

I must admit the thing looks ugly (with all my respect to the people who make it but its true, sorry), I actually love that wood type but the V8 and other details are just too ugly plus it's $700.
If I was the designer the V8 would go, plus I would change the color of the control panel to black with with letters.

Mark UK's picture

Not me, it would go where I said. Filling the lounge with nerdy and not often used things does not appeal to me, though I admit there is a big radio controlled toy plane on the table at the moment :)

I've never own a record cleaner, I use hand methods. But if I was in the US this might be tempting. Doesn't matter what it looks like.

Journeyman's picture

If I had this at home my wife would not put it outside the line of sight, she would brake it with a hammer...I'm not joking! Last desktop case I had was a little too big for her. Let put it this way, I had an ultimatum. The case goes intact or goes in pieces, you choose! XD and yes I love her because of that also, not the typical gal.

Toptip's picture

It actually gets better. I just watched the video. While it may wash-n'-dry 16 LPs at a time, those have to be stacked, perilously, on a giant skewer, like döner at a kebab take out.

Journeyman's picture

I don't want to be unfair to the maker of the device because Dave looks like a really nice person. The cleaner isn't so bad for a DIY product but he has some design ugliness he must solve.
As a journeyman in some areas this is what I would solve ASAP in both of his designs, change the switches for something more professional looking and black, using a white sw with a black power cable is ugly, the same goes for that white sw on the side of the dryer, mate black paint for plastic from krylon would solve that. The same goes for the digital panel on the side.
As a amateur carpenter I must say wood and water are a complex combination, I would make those record stands from brushed steel and drop the wood. As for the divider I would go for acylic but thats me. The money he asks for the machine is atually pretty fair because it's hand made one by one so as a maker I understand he needs to pay his bills. Btw my wife would still brake that machine but with a Decent german made hammer out of respect for the maker! :-D Now serious I love Kebad, now I want to go downtown...thats unfair Toptip...darn

blueskiespbd's picture

Many comments seem to be aimed at making fun of a solid product that posters do not own. This is unfair and says more about the person than the product. Trolls are like that. I do own a V-8 and love how it makes my records sound. The price is very low and not everyone can afford $4K for the German Audio Desk or the Korean KL both only cleaning 1 record at a time. OK it certainly can be improved visually and I trust some of those visuals will be improved as the product matures. In the mean time I am really enjoying the sound of my vinyl as never before knowing that all the dirt has been removed from the groove. I wonder how Neil Young cleans his records ?

isaacrivera's picture

It seems the V8 is also a lot quieter than the Audio Desk, the KL or the new Clearaudio. Is this true in your experience? I unfortunately do not have space for any of these machines, but if I did, the V8 would be high on the list. Though I would probably pass on the wood finish, the price is unbeatable and you can clean 8x the records in the same amount of time!

Toptip's picture

Really? How about this -- http://www.spincleanrecordwasher.com/ ?

It costs $79, works perfectly, fits anywhere and actually looks like it was made circa 2015.

And do not call anyone a Troll.

isaacrivera's picture

I love it and apparently, it performs as well as most of the motorized machines, except for the ultrasonic ones. Those, according to ALL reviews, take it up a few notches. For an Ultrasonic machine, the V8 is definitely very low-priced. All the competition is upwards of $4K, can only do 1 record at a time, is noisy, etc. I do not think yours is an apples to apples comparison, since ultrasonics do offer an advantage that is not simply convenience and can't be replicated with the Spin Clean.

Toptip's picture

That is true. But "For an Ultrasonic machine, the V8 is definitely very low-priced. All the competition is upwards of $4K" -- I guess it depends how you define the competition... This, http://www.amazon.com/BESTIM-Jewelry-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Transducers/dp/B... looks suspiciously similar and costs $268, delivered. I bought one, will report how it performs.

I feel on anything labeled "audiophile" there is a special "stupid tax" or markup. A professional TASCAM portable digital recorder (which is also a player) does 24 bit/ 96kHz and goes for around $100. Any "audiophile" hi-rez player (only) starts at $400 and goes up.

isaacrivera's picture

In fact, that is it. I mean the bucket ultrasonic cleaner you bought is probably similar to the one the V8 starts with. But that is not how companies that make products, audio or otherwise, work. A company needs to be viable and needs to mark up their products to make a profit. That is true of any company and any product. Scale of production helps bring costs down that can be passed on to the consumer, but the company works for a profit. If you were handy enough you could buy the parts that make up an automobile and build your own for a fraction of what a Ford has to charge. Most consumers, like myself, prefer to pay for someone else take the trouble of putting it all together and figure out the kinks. Niche markets, like audio is, have to charge more proportionally because they will sell less in numbers so there is a steep curve of investment recovery. Still those companies pay rent, utilities, parts, supplies and labor like everyone else. So it is consumers that decide if the value added to the product by the company is worth the price tag. In this case there is the whole assembly and parts and fitting and finishing necessary to make the whole thing work as a record cleaner. Also there are issues of potency (ultrasonics can damage records at too high levels) and timing. There is packaging and warranty. So to say that the raw base part costs only $270 and they are scamming you because the price tag is $1200 is not really good economic thinking.

Considering the value added to a V8 compared to an Audio Desk, I think it is fair to say that it is low-priced and if it wasn't for space, I would not blink forking out the dough and be happy I don't have to tinker with a labware bucket cleaner and someone has provided me with a smooth workflow solution for ultrasonic record cleaning.

I am not saying $1200 is a small amount of money, I am saying that for the market value of these things it is low-priced.

Toptip's picture

"If you were handy enough you could buy the parts that make up an automobile and build your own for a fraction of what a Ford has to charge." But you cannot. In fact I am constantly AMAZED by what great value mainstream cars are. Look at it this way: if you get an old car renovated (meaning chassis off, new paint, wiring harness, etc.) the LABOR alone will run you between $85 and 100K (you will have to take my word for it. But I do know). A car company will sell you an ENTIRE car, that is far superior in EVERY respect, except charm, for 1/5th of that! How? They have superb, advanced technology, robots AND economies of scale.

isaacrivera's picture

I have seen a few videos on it. You start with a VW Beatle chassis and engine, and you build the body and interiors custom. And you end up with something much nicer than a VW but lots cheaper than a fancy sports car. A Frankenstein? Sure, but that it what you are doing as well. You are (as pointed out by someone else) starting with a lower spec part (a VW) and building around it. The point is, if you bough the same parts and put in the time to assemble it and get it to work the same, by the time you account for your time, it would have cost you close to the same, and you will have voided the warranties on the parts.

I hear this argument a lot by audiophiles. "Look, I opened it and there was only $XX worth in parts!" So? Does it perform as advertised? Do you enjoy using it? Was it relatively well-priced in comparison with competitive products? Did you get good service? Someone worked to put it together, is offering service and warranty and wants to make a profit on their work. People are paying for it, they are reviewing it well, and it's very competitively priced. Nobody is robbing nobody. If you don't like the way it looks, that is a matter of aesthetic taste. Nobody forces you to buy it. If you are handy, have the tools and the space and can build your own for half the price, fantastic. If you are like me, time is more valuable than a few hundred dollars and I prefer someone else to spend the time in the workshop while I listen to music on my free time.

The wood finish is optional and it's not like the Audio Desk or the KL look like trophies. They look like industrial bread toasters. These are not pieces of art to show off on your living room. They are functional pieces of equipment you buy if you have a need for their function.

I personally find it very encouraging that the V8 customers are willing to make posts on their defense. If you go to other fori, you will read a lot of rants by owners of Audio Desk. But if you prefer the way Audio Desk or KL or the new Clearaudio ultrasonic look and it feels to you like those are harder to reproduce at home, then fork-out extra $3-4K and be happy. Or have fun with your DIY. But saying that one raw part costs less is a gross oversimplification of the concept of a finished product + warranty and service.

blueskiespbd's picture

(TopTip) The cleaner you cite has a much smaller tank, fewer transducers and lower power. Let's see you get 8 records in there. But wait you said the Spin Clean was all you need to get your records clean....

Montoya's picture

That is by far one of the ugliest record cleaners I have ever seen. I'm sure the visual presentation alone prevents many from purchasing it I will stick to my clearaudio machine. Looks like something from the Sanford and Son collection. YOU BIG DUMMIE!

ravenacustic's picture

The comments here sound like the buzz generally found on most audio forums. What does that mean? Cruel comments made by people who don't own the item in question and perhaps don't own high end audio equipment at all. The comments are meant to hurt someone and nothing more. Rock flingers whom you would expect to find around the guillotine in 18th century Paris. I laugh at the name of the blog commentary site on Audiogon who has chosen the least effective name "Community" for the folks commenting here. While you may not care for the cosmetics, this unit works. The builder has sold MANY worldwide to hobbyists and people in the audio biz with not a single return. If any of these ultrasonic machines have a fault it is in the fact that after the first record cleaned the records that follow are cleaned in dirty water. No one has found the antidote for that except the painstaking and sometimes costly process of dumping the water and refilling after each cleaning cycle. This is a machine that worked from the first sale and continues to do so at a fraction of the price of the competition which in some cases did not work initially or made so much noise that at great expense the maker added noise reduction devices. So throw your rocks but please, go back to Audio Asylum or Audiogon where your kind belong.

Journeyman's picture

Ravenacustic I actually did a constructive critic, it was my opinion and yes I said it was ugly, I also said Dave looks like a nice guy.
I never said it didn't work because even if I don't have one I know it works because I know my electronics. In fact I gave advice to improve the design and maybe that way he sells a bit more.
So go read the comments, it was all in good fun. Its ugly but its not the end of the world. Without hard critics the builder might never understand why he doesn't sell more of his units, a thing I'm sure he wants!

ravenacustic's picture

This is the only thing I can say to what you are saying. Who ever made these kinds of comments to Harry Weisfeld regarding cosmetics of his VPI RCMs? Oh, I know. The VPI RCMs are so beautiful that most owners keep them on a dedicated stand like a work of art next to their turntable. Ridiculous. Did David ask you for your help in getting more sales? Did you say in your original comment that you were trying to "help?" Did you know that David has so many orders he works in his shop most days just trying to meet demand? Did you know that if his orders increase that much and he farms the assembly out to a third party the price will increase and probably reliability will decrease? The comments here, not yours alone, are rock throwing pure and simple. And by th pe way, everyone I know with a Vpi RCM like their Hoover Vacuum keeps it out of sight in a closet or well off to the side.

Journeyman's picture

I'm a maker like him so I can give my honest opinion if I want even if he doesn't ask for it, That how gear gets better, by constructive critics.
I'm glad David has a lot of orders like I said he looks like a nice guy, maybe you didn't read that in the comments.
Anyway I speak for myself. My best wishes for you.

myheroiscoltrane's picture

I own a VPI 16.5, and had a system for cleaning used records bought at stores, shows, and garage sales that took about 30 min per record -- anal yes, but the records play VERY well. A friend bought the V-8 cleaner (albeit before the faux wood finish), and, to my ears, it does just as good of a job with 8 records in one 15 min cycle. Like I said above, being sorta anal about this, I feel the need to run the records through the VPI when they come out of the bath to dry them and get the line of schmutz off that forms on the surface of the bath while cleaning - bottom line is that 8 records are done in 1 hour and they sound AWESOME.

Montoya's picture

Everyone is intitiled to an opinion grow a thicker skin your not the only one who can give his opinion good or bad. Just ignore the comment if you don't like it.

McDonalds or Steak's picture
isaacrivera's picture

My only concern would be getting the right ultrasonic bucket cleaner. When reviewing the KL, MF said that Audio Desk had done testing that showed too much ultrasonic power and you started chipping away the groove vinyl. I supposed someone has figured that out though...

Toptip's picture

Love it, although I do prefer my döner skewer analogy better! If your records get mangled, you also have the option of köfte, falafel and hummus. And, eventually humus, if they are biodegradable.

McDonalds or Steak's picture

Now that I think about it, all you need is a tank and those label-protector gizmos. Stick the record in the tank, rotate it after 5 minutes. What's the big deal?

I suppose you could also put the record on a rod or dowel or chopstick and lay it across the tank as long as the water level is below the label.

In fact, I intend to try this. I will probably dry the records on my VPI, despite the potential drawbacks which I don't think are really that serious. A big part of the cleaning process is getting the particulate matter suspended in solution and then sucking it away, not letting the fluid evaporate and leaving the particles behind.

blueskiespbd's picture

McDonalds
"Stick the record in the tank, rotate it after 5 minutes. What's the big deal?"

The process is to rotate the records at a steady rate of speed for 10 minutes. If you think it is easy to just slide them on your chopstick and hold them while turning all that weight you are overly optimistic.
As to the suspended dirt issue... the big dirt settles on the tank bottom, the suspended dirt is easily brushed off with a carbon fiber brush when dry. The V-8 has a .7 micron medical grade glass filter to remove that suspended dirt. The whole point of ultrasonic cleaning is to get the impacted crud out of the groove bottom. This process works great and if your analogue system is top shelf then you hear so much more music.
The follow up option of using a VPI machine to remove the water drops is certainly an option
some people use. Why eat hamburger when you can have a steak?

vinyl_lady's picture

And it works great. The water is circulated through a filter and the 100th record comes out as clean as the first. The drying cycle dries the record without any smudge or scum left on the record. I have cleaned over 500 records and never had a problem. Previously, I used a VPI 17 and a Loricraft pc-4 and the audio desk gets the records cleaner. Plus, I don't have to monitor the cleaning process. Put the record in the machine, push start and leave the room. Takes about 6 minutes. Sold the VPI, bit kept the Loricraft to pre clean any realy grungy used records I come across. The expense has been well worth it.

I think I saw this unit at the Capital Audio Fest or at least one similar. It seems to work, but I prefer the Audio desk that can clean and dry 10 records in an hour with no fuss.

McDonalds or Steak's picture

>The process is to rotate the records at a steady rate of speed for 10 minutes.<

From what I've read, that's totally unnecessary. But I haven't tried the easy way yet. I'll report back after I have. Shopping for a tank now.

tubeular's picture

The word is "complement". Moar correct English or you're titles loose there intended meaning. And yes, this is a pretty ugly looking record cleaner (and I've had some pretty non-decor friendly stuff I've subjected our living room to). But if you're cleaning 8 records at time day in and day out maybe you're doing something on a more non-domestic scale anyway.

McDonalds or Steak's picture

And here's one more for yous. From people who know a few things about playing records.

http://www.kuzma.si/rd-ultrasonic-record-cleaning-kit.html

Steve Edwards's picture

are those feet on his VPI Classic 3 stock? They don't look like it. I've heard real things about David's machines; wish I could afford one.

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