I can't speak to how well you have cared for your records, but it is not required that you clean every record merely due to the fact of its age. I've got records from the 1970's and 1980's that sound fine without cleaning. On the other hand, there are records that I have that did need to be cleaned; and there are a few records that I have that I bought when I was in high school (when I *definitely* was not taking care of my records), which definitely needed to be cleaned, and while it improved the sound of the records, the fact still remained that the lack of care did impact the sound quality of those records.
I'll never listen to another record...
...without cleaning it first.
Admittedly I've been very lazy in my pursuit of cleaning LPs - both old and new. Setting with dry brush cleaning only for decades.
Enter my new Loricraft PRC3. I've begun the daunting and arduous process of cleaning "every single LP" (worth cleaning of course - those 30+ year old teen year LPs are now being rounded up and put to the side - usually with deep scratches, beer stained covers and gatefolds with a "leafy" substance caught in the folds) in my collection. Starting with my favorites and what I consider audiophile recorded records first.
It's also starting another long put off task I've been avoiding for the better part of forty years: cataloging my collection. Cleaned records are now put into a spreadsheet and as if starting all over - these are the only records I'll put on the turntable. Forcing me to catalog them all. It's going to take some time tobesure. Periodically I'll save the list as a PDF and upload to my Android phone so that when I'm in the record stores browsing the record bins I'll be able to find out if I have the vinyl already.
Apart from what those with RCMs already know - the sonic benefits of a clean record and a sparkling clean stylus are extraordinary. Better late then never I suppose....
Admittedly I've been very lazy in my pursuit of cleaning LPs - both old and new. Setting with dry brush cleaning only for decades.
Enter my new Loricraft PRC3. I've begun the daunting and arduous process of cleaning "every single LP" (worth cleaning of course - those 30+ year old teen year LPs are now being rounded up and put to the side - usually with deep scratches, beer stained covers and gatefolds with a "leafy" substance caught in the folds) in my collection. Starting with my favorites and what I consider audiophile recorded records first.
It's also starting another long put off task I've been avoiding for the better part of forty years: cataloging my collection. Cleaned records are now put into a spreadsheet and as if starting all over - these are the only records I'll put on the turntable. Forcing me to catalog them all. It's going to take some time tobesure. Periodically I'll save the list as a PDF and upload to my Android phone so that when I'm in the record stores browsing the record bins I'll be able to find out if I have the vinyl already.
Apart from what those with RCMs already know - the sonic benefits of a clean record and a sparkling clean stylus are extraordinary. Better late then never I suppose....