$800 Cartridge Shootout and Upgrade Path

No, say, "you're right they really don't sound all that good. Load up all of your old junk in my car and I'll haul it away for you."

Hmmm, you're in Tracy? I'm in the South Bay. When/if Doug wanders out this way, don't forget to look me up, too!

FWIW, I am humbled that you found anything I posted about record cleaning to be of value. One caveat. I have since learned a great deal about the leaching of plasticizers in vinyl and no longer recommend the use of dishwashing detergent (including the fragrence ingredients in Dawn) or various other household cleansers when doing the sink washing. Others still swear by their use, but I don't want to be responsible for someone using the "wrong" product. Some quite distressing reading regarding the use of enzyme-based fluids and their effect on certain plasticizers (including dioctyl phthalate, dibasic fatty acid, and the most common plasticizer in vinyl). Others will argue, too, that you shouldn't use tap water for an initial rinse before moving to the RCM and RRL fluids. Unless your water is extremely hard or in an area that has an abundance of chemicals, I don't think there is much of a risk unless you air dry. I've done the sink and tap water route and the distilled water route and don't tell a difference. Of course I always use the RRL regimen immediately afterwards.

OK, now this thread can move to a discussion of the best pressing of Beethoven’s

Shop around for the Illustrious. It can be had much cheaper than $2400.

The moral being, don't always accept the price that you read on a website as gospel without proferring a personal call.