Knosti Disco-Antistat Ultrasonic Review

Simplicity triumphs - even in a technically sophisticated and excellently crafted record washing machine like this one: With the Ultrasonic, Knosti reinvents itself to some extent and still remains true to its 40-year-old basic principles. A successful balancing act and the ticket to the upper class.

The Previous Standard - Knosti Disco-Antistat V2

Knosti's Disco-Antistat - now available in second generation - once heralded a small revolution in German record rooms. With this device, as simple as it is ingenious, it's possible to clean vinyl literally in a flash, much more thoroughly than with the conventional carbon brush or a combination of spray and cloth - and yet hardly more complicated.

The record to be cleaned is held on both sides by two label covers, with which it is inserted into a washing enclosure with brushes, barely covered halfway with the cleaning liquid contained therein.

By turning a crank, the record can now be rotated along the brushes through the liquid. After cleaning, it is placed in the supplied drip stand, which can hold up to 15 LPs and singles.

They air dry and can literally be heard thereafter. It's hardly possible to make it simpler and more affordable for technically less savvy vinyl fans - the current model is available from the Bavarian manufacturer for under 120 euros, called the Disco-Antistat Generation II Plus Ultraclean. A people's washing machine, so to speak.

The People Want More

At the same time, Knosti also faces a market evolution that implies that with old faithfuls like the Disco-Antistat, the last word has not yet been spoken. The much-cited "convenience," the desire for comfort, is increasingly coming into focus in the purchasing decision - even in dealing with a medium like the record, which compared to digital formats and streaming is deliberately "inconvenient": large, delicate, demanding.

To conclude from this, however, that vinyl cleaning should also be as complicated as possible would be wrong. Rather, on the contrary:
Semi- and fully automatic record washing machines have long been available in abundance - and the fact that several thousand euros are called for the more elaborate representatives among them is evidently in relation to the technology incorporated therein and the growing tendency to see vinyl as something one desires (and can afford).

In other words: if thirty or forty euros or even more are already being asked for a brand-new double LP, washing machines that cost fifty or even a hundred times more suddenly don't seem so disproportionate.

The Ultrasonic Overview

Knosti's new achievement, the Disco-Antistat Ultrasonic, presents itself as the affordable among the expensive.

With a list price of around 1,200 euros - that is, the equivalent of about 30 to 40 new double LPs - the ultrasonic washing machine enters the market.

Unlike the classic Knosti, it can no longer claim to be a device for everyone. Anyone investing four figures in such a machine probably has, first of all, an above-average number of records, secondly, high expectations regarding their cleanliness and thus sound quality - or thirdly, directly operates a record store.

If you then add a certain nostalgia to the name Knosti, especially after 40 years of company history, it becomes interesting:

Already externally, the Ultrasonic clearly seeks to be close to its manually operated ancestors:

The appearance in black, red, and white - or silver, arouses Knosti associations as does the design of the - here however elegantly rounded and yet very massive — washing enclosure.

Inside, the record to be cleaned floats, held by the reliable label covers and partially immersed in the cleaning liquid. This can be mixed with the included, antistatic Ultraclean concentrate, also from Knosti - but other vinyl cleaning agents can also be used.

What happens next, however, is fundamentally different.

Operation in Detail

Through the buttons on the front of the machine, you select the start and duration of the washing cycle.

The default setting of three minutes is quite suitable for moderately to moderately dirty records. But even brand new vinyl, which you want to clean from any manufacturing residues before the first play, even just as a precautionary measure, shouldn't be washed for a shorter period, according to our experience.

For hard cases, a slightly longer cleaning duration is recommended. Progress can be monitored through the clear digital display between the buttons. While the Knosti now automatically rotates the record, initially the principle of ultrasound comes into play:

A powerful transducer generates cavitation bubbles, which initially gently and deeply dissolve dust, dirt, and residues.

Later in the cycle, at the opposite end of the machine, the goat hair brushes come into action. Here, the dissolved dirt particles are stripped away. The ultrasound itself switches on at intervals - with no significant noise development.

Quiet Operator with a Downside

The fact that the Disco-Antistat Ultrasonic is among the quietest machines of its kind is not coincidental.

For structural reasons, it was decided not to include a suction function, which is often present in other devices of this price range and higher - especially since many machines with such a function tend to blow rather than actually suction, when viewed from a technical standpoint.

This might be a potential sticking point for many with this machine:

The Knosti aims to clean vinyl as thoroughly as possible and for this purpose has a filtration system that keeps the cleaning fluid permanently clean during the washing cycle - an original and above all effective approach, which in our test has consistently yielded excellent results.

However, for air drying, the records must then be placed in the typical Knosti stand - in this, the ultrasound machine does not differ from its "analog" budget predecessor.

This could be seen as a lack of convenience - or as an opportunity to purchase one of the affordable pure suction devices like the Record Doctor VI Washer (under 300 euros) and thus combine the best of both worlds.

Two devices for two essential functions: not exactly space-saving, but hardly beatable in results. And still cheaper than many all-in-one solutions.