NOVA FROM HUMMINGURU: AN ULTRASONIC REVIEW

Ultrasonic vinyl cleaning outfit HummingGuru has a new bespoke machine out and about, Paul Rigby dons his Marigolds 

Owned by 37 year-old Hong Kong toy company Happy Well International Enterprise Limited, the HumminGuru Nova is anything but… The first HumminGuru ultrasonic vinyl cleaner emerged, via a Kickstarter campaign, in 2021.

This, the HumminGuru Nova Advanced Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner, to give the machine its full name, is the company’s second such machine. 

The Nova – or HG05 to also give this product its model name – apparently adds and upgrades a range of features from the first model such as an upgraded power drive, quieter operation, increased drying fan speeds from 7300rpm to 9000rpm, built-in 7” and 10” record adaptors, built-in 2-tier filtration system to catch larger particles in the water and small airborne dust particles, a new countdown timer, a new draining mode and a lid for those who prefer to air dry their records. This lid also serves as a record display stand.

I mentioned increased fan speeds and I’ll say it now, to even have a drying cycle and a draining cycle within an ultrasonic vinyl cleaner at this price point is quite amazing. The more expensive Knosti Ultrasonic cleaner doesn’t have that option. 

TECH ROUND UP

Principally made from ABS and stainless steel, the Nova chassis itself is relatively slim with a small footprint for an ultrasonic vinyl cleaner. In general terms, it has a roughly similar size to the Knosti ultrasonic cleaner but it is also much smaller than the Degritter. Spanning 34 x 15 x 26.1 cm and weighing in at 3.4kg, I do like the clean lines of the Nova and the fact that it’s not too heavy or cumbersome if you have to move the thing.

Just inside the slot, near the top, are two little wheels, one either side of the record being cleaned. In use, these wheels grasp the disc. The right wheel is a drive wheel (see image below, the wheel is inside this housing) and so that moves the vinyl disc, the left wheel is passive and free-wheels, as it where. The housings for the wheels are the things that move when you adjust the record size.

Inside the chassis are two ultrasonic transducers facing inwards at either side of the vinyl record, running at a basic 40 kHz.

And I’m guessing, unlike expensive specialist transducers of the sort used by Degritter that run at 120kHz with complimentary tech that runs alongside as a domino effect, this is one way that HumminGuru has been able to reduce costs to keep the overall price down, by utilising off-the-shelf transducers. 

I have to say, though, during our conversations and I did talk to the company during the review process, HumminGuru disagreed with me. It stated the low costs were down to, “…factors such as the materials used, the design of the product and its market acceptance. While different frequencies can lead to some cost variation, this is not a significant contributor.”

CONTROL CLUSTER

The basic control options are found within the cluster on the bottom right on the front of the chassis.

Buttons here control the starting and stopping of the cleaning itself and the selection of two auto modes that feature a pre-programmed wash, water drain and drying cycle. You can also drain the bath water and start drying independently of the cycles themselves. 

The drying time itself is controlled by an additional switch on the right, selectable from three to six minutes and back again. This side panel is also where you will find the barrel switch-mode power socket and power button. 

Just underneath these is a pull down door containing the micro-foam air filter which is washable and replaceable. 

A small 400ml water tank is positioned over on the left-hand side. Removable, it features varying water levels to suit how close to the label you want to clean. There are also water levels for 7” cleaning and 12”.

As for possible overheating? I didn’t experience that although, at the time of recording, I’m here in the UK coming off the winter months so my listening room is cool. The machine does feature a thermal sensor that will trigger a cool down sequence if overheating does occur and that spans a six minute period. As it is though, HumminGuru does not recommend continuous record cleaning of over 30 minutes. If you do, you are recommended to give the machine a 15 minute break. If you use my own vinyl cleaning system, and I’ll talk more about that later on, that will include natural cool down breaks as you run through the vinyl preparation giving you longer cleaning sessions. 

SOUND QUALITY

First impressions during use? The wash process does produce a whiny screech sound which might not be appreciated by some although I found it ok and by no means egregious. As for the drying process? That was relatively quiet. Quieter than the Degritter, for example. 

DRYING ISSUES

On the subject of drying, in my tests, the three minute drying period is not effective. I found that the LP’s groove guard was still wet after the cycle was over. Using both 12” and 7” discs. 

Using the six minute period of drying, the situation improved but was dependent on the vinyl disc itself. Some were more efficiently dried than others but none were perfectly dry.

Like the Degritter, I would have preferred the Nova’s dry cycle to have been user extendable to allow longer dry periods, if required. My recommendation for now? Have the six minute dry period as your default then add a further three minutes, using the separate dry cycle, if you still see wet spots. Hence, most of the time, you’re looking at minimum of nine minutes for a full dry cycle.

THE PROCESS

As I’m used to using the Degritter, I did feel that the HummingGuru cleaning process was a bit of a faff because, for every wash, you need to pull out the bath and manually refill the Nova slot via the bath’s useful little spout and via the supplied funnel before each and every wash. Then again, it’s something you get used to doing, after a few washes.

Of course, by not including a convenient water pump to fill the bath for you, this is another way that HummingGuru reduces costs. 

Also, filling the Nova while using the funnel can be a little messy (the above image is an idealised action, real life is messier with drips everywhere) so take that process slowly and carefully and keep a container or paper towels or tea towel next to the Nova to place the funnel on, after filling to prevent your work surface becoming wet with excess liquid from that funnel. Because of dripping, I did find the top of the Nova was wet after each refill. Although that’s probably typically messy me, in this case. 

So how does the Nova perform? Let’s do a few tests. First up, let’s look at the supplied liquid known as The Small Bottle. Do I want to use this liquid going forward in this test?

THE SMALL BOTTLE

To follow the HummingGuru method, before cleaning your records, you insert two to three drops of this liquid into the Nova’s water bath. It is non-alcoholic, neither is it an enzyme substance, according to the company, “The Small Bottle contains surfactants that reduce surface tension on records, along with a small amount of anti-static agent.” 

I have to say I much prefer surfactants to be applied directly to the vinyl surface and not in the bath. In my own tests, over the years, using varying vinyl cleaning tech, the efficiency of any surfactant is reduced when added to a cleaner’s bath water. That said, I still wanted to see how the HummingGuru liquid performed. 

To compare the supplied liquid, I brought in my own system which means adding 7% isopropyl alcohol to distilled water and adding that combo to the bath, then applying a Tergitol surfactant and – because we’re using a vertical cleaner here, Glycol – diluted in distilled water and then applied directly to the vinyl surface with a Kabuki brush in a spiral manner. Click here to learn more about my system. This link will take you to a manual cleaning version of my process but the vinyl prep is still valid for ultrasonic cleaning.

In the past, when testing manual, vacuum-based or ultrasonic cleaners, I have found that sonic improvements continue beyond a single cleaning cycle. In fact, I tend to hear diminishing returns only around the fifth or sixth cleaning cycles, at least during my own testing. So I applied that philosophy to the Nova test.  

Hence, I grabbed a mucky original pressing of the self-titled Level 42 LP and the track Turn it On. I cleaned that with six of the Nova’s Deep Clean cycles (i.e. wash, drain and dry being one cycle) in the Nova using nothing but the HumminGuru cleaning liquid.

Then I did some listening tests. Exchanged the bath water for my own system. Then I cleaned the same record using just a single cycle via my own cleaning regime and wondered if I could hear any differences. 

Comparing the supplied liquid with my own surfactant-based system, I much preferred my own system to the HummingGuru liquid. With the HumminGuru system, I felt that I was listening to the record from the next room. Using my own system, there was much more air and space around the soundstage, vocals were richer and more complex, synths had body, bass was tight yet characterful and more. 

In short? The HumminGuru liquid is fine, it does a job but also has limitations. From this point on, all tests used my own vinyl preparation system. Also, take as read that each cleaning process below includes a final rinse before sound testing.

VS DISCO ANTISTAT

I wanted to test the HummingGuru next to the best manual vinyl cleaner I know, the Knosti Disco Antistat. For perparation, I cleaned the test vinyl in the Disco by rotating the record six times in both left and right directions, then air dried in the supplied rack. That was one cycle. I cleaned for six cycles, listened to the results, cleaned in the HummingGuru for one Deep Clean cycle and listened again.  

My test record was Marillion’s LP Clutching at Straws and the track, Incommunicado.

Compared to the Disco Antistat, the HummingGuru opened up the soundstage tremendously. The Disco sounded claustrophobic by comparison with a small-scaled soundstage that seemed to begin way off in the distance. The HummingGuru brought the music to the fore, providing far more midrange detail and, via cymbal hits, a real physicality in the treble, while bass was better integrated into the mix as a whole. 

VS LORICRAFT PRC PR3 SE

Next, I tested the HummingGuru with a legendary vacuum-based cleaner, the Loricraft. The best vacuum cleaner on the market. 

For the test, I prepared each vinyl side with my own surfactant-based system and vacuumed the liquid away using the Loricraft. That was a single cycle and I cleaned the record for six cycles. And that record was Echo & The Bunnymen’s 1980 LP, Crocodiles. I played the track, Rescue. 

And I have to say how superior the HummingGuru was in cleaning terms. The first few seconds said it all with a far twangier electric guitar and an absolutely cavernous drum sound that impressed. That was the obvious but the subtle was equally informative. Both the cymbals and tambourine had a rich presentation from way back in the rear of the mix. Such was the transparent from the Nova. 

VS KNOSTI ULTRASONIC CLEANER

My test record was related to Echo & The Bunnymen because I chose Ian McCulloch’s Candleland to clean. Playing the track Horse’s Head. This time I applied six cycles to the HummingGuru and then compared the result to the more expensive Ultrasonic cleaner from Knosti.  

As the Knosti is more expensive, it should be the better machine but there are with pros and cons for both. I would say that the Knosti wins in overall sonic terms. The Knosti provides greater focus and precision across the soundstage with better structure across the same. There’s more midrange insight from the Knosti too. The HumminGuru does provide more space and air across the soundstage and appears to produce a larger and more epic soundstage to boot. 

More than that though, the HumminGuru provides more features such as built-in drying, a lid, an easier method of draining the bath liquid, easier filter cleaning, you don’t need a label protector with the HummingGuru and more. 

So there’s things to consider when weighing up which to buy. 

VS DEGRITTER

My Degritter Mk.II was off site so I drafted in the original Mk.I Degritter to compare with the HumminGuru. This time, I cleaned Camel’s Stationary Traveller from 1984 on Decca and played the track, Pressure Points.

The Degritter is a much more expensive cleaner than the HumminGuru and so should be far superior to the wee box. And it was, to a greater extent. The upper mids were extended further, bass was better structured and characterful, treble featured more detail and the extra information provided a richer soundstage but the Nova made a good fist of it.

Sure, hardcore audiophiles will only want the very best and will be desperate to grab any new information they can find and, for those fans, the Degritter delivers but for many others out there? The Nova will be all they need. The Nova gives you a solid foundation and provides much of the basic work supplied by the Degritter. 

The Nova ticks many of those the boxes and offers a very attractive price/performance ratio that may be the deciding factor when the time comes to make a purchase decision. 

CONCLUSION

The HumminGuru Nova is a fascinating product that tries it’s best to force down the price of ultrasonic vinyl cleaning while keeping as many quality of life features in place as possible. I would like to thank and praise the company for doing both of those. We need an ultrasonic cleaner at this price and HumminGuru has certainly taken up the challenge. 

Yes, there are wrinkles within the Nova’s design which betray that cost cutting such as the drying concerns I mentioned earlier and, on a more minor level, the lack of power down when not in use. You have to switch off the machine when not in use, there is not auto switch off feature here.

Then there’s  the constant bath emptying chore before every clean and the fact that liquid seems to drip everywhere from the task and the included funnel that gives the HumminGuru a rather messy cleaning operation. 

That said, you cannot ignore the neat and tidy design of the Nova, the excellent built-in 7” and 10” cleaning adaptors, the drain cycle, having built-in drying is a god send at this price point, the filtering is easy to maintain, I didn’t mention that this machine can be easily cleaned, I didn’t really talk about the extra long 10 minute clean if required but it’s there, the relatively quiet operation, the included lid which is often an expensive optional extra with other competing products like the German Audio Desk vinyl cleaner, air dry as a option if required, the record stand and more!

This ultrasonic cleaning machine is packed with features and, more than any of that, what counts most of all, it does a fine job cleaning your vinyl. I’m very happy with that side of things. 

Frankly? At this particular price point? Nothing can touch the HumminGuru Nova. It is an absolute steal at the price. 

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HUMMINGURU NOVA ADVANCED ULTRASONIC VINYL RECORD CLEANER

Price: £550 (US$699/€649/HK$5460). The price on the official website doesn’t include shipping/tax. ) 

Website: humminguru.com

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GOOD: design, built-in drying, built-in drain, 7” and 10” operation, cleaning quality, price 

BAD: drying issues, record ‘lean’, no power down

RATING: 8

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