A couple of good cheap tweaks

(1) I've found that cable risers on carpeted floors is a must but have balked at paying the high prices demanded from some of the vendors. Here's a cheap and easy solution. Drop into your local plumbing supply store and buy some pipe insulation. I don't know how many different types are available but I found a black, closed cell foam type that works well. This stuff doesn't become statically charged and if you don't believe me then try rubbing the length vigorously against your trousers and see if you can get a feather to stick to it. Anyway, cut pieces to about a 4" length with scissors and space them as needed to keep your speaker cables off the floor. Some of the insulation has an adhesive strip for sealing but the one I chose instead has a partial cut through. I didn't see any advantage to glueing the gap in my situation. Total cost less than $2.

(2) For those that own a basic Nitty Gritty or Disk Doctor record cleaning machine you probably agree that a bearing for rotating the record would be beneficial. A good hardware store will have a selection of lazy susan bearings. Buy the smallest size which is 3" square. Remove the bottom of the machine and take out the vacuum canister. Remove the rubber pad and o ring that the record sits on. Take care to align the bearing with the spindle. It's not difficult. Mark the holes for drilling. Take the bearing and file the outside corners to the exact record label size and bolt it in the holes you have drilled. Note that you cannot fix a soft surface to the bearing because it's the perfect height right out of the bag. It makes the cleaning process much easier. I've had no marks on any of my record labels from the metal to paper contact because the record turns so easy by hand. Total cost is less than $4.

These tweaks work very, very well. Being the cheapskate that I am I love outsmarting usually expensive purchases. If anyone wants a photo of the finished projects just drop me a line and I'll forward them.