[jsaliga]

The Degritter is loud no doubt, but it doesn't come close to the average SPL that I listen to music at (95db).  Moreover, it can always be debated just how much of that energy reaches your ears.  Most of the output of the transducers is directed through the tank, some gets airborne I don't doubt.  Ultrasonic frequencies experience considerable attenuation when transmitted through air.  Something like 3db to 5db/meter.  My desk is about 12ft away from the Degritter.  Suffice it to say that I'm not at all concerned.  The drying fans are louder than the ultrasonic transducers.

--Jerome

[S Clark]

OK.  I've read numbers like 125- 140 dB- all sounds that you can't hear, but are hitting your eardrum anyway, so I take precautions.  But it's not clear that they cause damage. 

If this is your first ultra sonic cleaner, you are going to be so amazingly happy with this investment.   

[jsaliga]

125-140db at ultrasonic frequencies??  Do you have a credible link?  I'm genuinely curious.

I have to imagine that a 40KHz to 80KHz ultrasonic cleaner outputting that much energy would really drive dogs and cats up the wall...even causing them a great deal of pain.

The Degritter operates at 120KHz.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Ok, I found a few credible references to support this:

125-140db at ultrasonic frequencies??

But nothing that suggests this is harmful to people.  But to be completely honest I have only been looking for a few minutes.  Most of what I have found were papers written in industrial settings.  One went so far as to associate ultrasonic frequency exposure to everything under the sun, including heart arrhythmia.  Then in the summary the paper pretty much torpedoed all of its premises by noting that audible frequencies were also included since the setting was industrial.  Lol.  Hardly something that would qualify as science in my book.

There might be some real science on this subject available, and I would be interested to see it if it exists.  As far as OSHA is concerned exposure to ultrasonic frequencies is not harmful to human hearing...but I don't consider OSHA to be the last word on the subject.

--Jerome

[S Clark]

Yep, I've seen little of real authority.  But it is loud.  I asked my audiologist a year or two back, and it was outside of her experience.  One industrial paper suggested an increase in tinnitus.  But I dunno. 
It's in the high dB range, and it's not that big a deal to put my muffs on. 

Just found this on ultrasonic descalers used by dentist...   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27957560/

[jsaliga]

I hear ya.    I'm not deaf yet. 

--Jerome

[S Clark]

125-140db at ultrasonic frequencies??  Do you have a credible link?  I'm genuinely curious.

I have to imagine that a 40KHz to 80KHz ultrasonic cleaner outputting that much energy would really drive dogs and cats up the wall...even causing them a great deal of pain.

The Degritter operates at 120KHz.

--Jerome

Yep.  My dog hates my 80k unit.   
I found a Canadian military paper that mentions US cleaners as being under 140dB and another study that measure them at working positions at 109.  I'll see if I can find the stuff I read a couple of years back.  So far, it looks like 109 dB is a measured value.  If I find more, I'll PM you.

[jsaliga]

Thanks.  I'll look too.  But don't spend too much of your time on it.

We have 3 cats in the house.  Haven't noticed any reaction from them to the Degritter...but I haven't really been looking for one.  Will do so the next time I clean a record.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Completed the cat test.  None of them gave any indication whatsoever that they noticed the Degritter was even running.  One of them, a female, did her usual thing whenever I get close to her: she licked me on the nose.

--Jerome

[twitch54]

Another satisfied Degritter owner here, I've had mine for over a year now, Combined with my still working VPI 16.5 my Lp's are the cleanest they have ever been. My dealer was kind enough to give me 15% discount off msrp

[Bioman65]

Any of you folks use a Sugar Cube from Sweet vinyl?  I have the SC-1 Mini and it does an excellent job of removing pops and tics with out removing musical content.

I do, love it for that 60-year-old thrift store finds.  And I can't really hear any change engaged or in bypass, so that is a bonus; I just use it as needed.

[toocool4]

I wear earmuffs when cleaning.

I would hate to have to do that, I’ve had a Loricraft for more than 10 years and one of the main points about it is that it’s whisper quiet. I have a friend with KL Audio cleaner, one of the better ultrasonic cleaners out there. But like the rest of the other machines out there it’s noisy.

[S Clark]

I would hate to have to do that, I’ve had a Loricraft for more than 10 years and one of the main points about it is that it’s whisper quiet. I have a friend with KL Audio cleaner, one of the better ultrasonic cleaners out there. But like the rest of the other machines out there it’s noisy.

You are missing the point.  These cleaners are extremely loud at ultrasonic frequencies.  You can't see ultraviolet light, but it can wreck havoc on your skin. 
Just because it is beyond your senses doesn't mean it's not out there. 

[toocool4]

S Clark I get it, but you are missing what I am talking about. The Loricraft is whisper quiet and does not use ultrasonic, so I have nothing to worry about.

[S Clark]

I stand corrected.  Once again, you make an assumption, and you show your ass. 
I knew the Loricraft was a higher end vacuum, but I wasn't paying attention in an ultra sonic thread. 
Seems I'm getting worse about stuff like that with every year that goes by...

[toocool4]

I stand corrected.  Once again, you make an assumption, and you show your ass.