Newbie to Vinyl Seeks Tips


With some trepidation, and quite a bit of skepticism, I have decided to take the leap into vinyl.  The bulk of my listening to date has been streaming Qobuz over Roon to an Ares II DAC and a variety of amplifiers and the Tekton Moabs.  I have been very happy with that system.  Since I just want to tip my toe into the water, I am buying the Fluance RT85 turntable and Schiit Mani preamp.  I know nothing about vinyl and am not looking for tips on equipment at this point but do want input on some fundamentals like:

What is the best, and most cost effective way to clean records, both before each play and more like a deep cleaning?

Why are prices of records on Amazon so different?  Are they cheapest when first released and then fall in price or vice versa?

I know different pressings are supposed to have different qualities.  How do I figure out what to buy without becoming obsessed with that?  And if you don't buy from Amazon where do you buy records?

How bad an idea is it to pick through thrift stores looking for records?

In general, is there any cost effective way to build a collection of records?  I'm not somebody that listens to the same thing 20-30x so the  idea of paying $30-40 for a LP is irritating.

And finally, is this just a fools errand?  I have no intention of spending tons of money on turntables, tonearms, cartridges, phone pre's etc. etc..  I've built what I think is an amazing system out of carefully selected but affordable components.  Is such a thing even possible with vinyl?

What other pragmatic things should I know?

Thanks

Paul


pinwa

Showing 1 response by ghdprentice

The real question is what you ultimately find appealing about vinyl. It is, in general, still the the most cost effective sound quality at a given price... $1,000, $5,000, $25,000, or $100,000 per end. So that could be a reason. Sounds like you have a lot more invested in your digital end. So, it could be for the enjoyment of collecting. I have 2,000 albums collected over 55 years. I have a spectacular system, both analog and digital. I listen to vinyl about 10 or 15% of the time. I buy audiophile pressings usually, from Music Direct, sometimes Amazon. I love jazz, blues, rock, so sometimes dropping buy a used record store is really fun, picking up used albums for $5, $10,or $15. Something finding albums for $1 can be a blast. Late 50’s recordings are the best ever made. Every time I spin one I am shocked, delighted, and disappointed that recording quality went down for so many decades.
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The foundation piece of equipment for a record collection should be a record cleaning machine. There are many good ones. Otherwise it is really going to be a struggle. I use a VPI full sized vacuum record cleaner. I first clean with Last Power cleaner, then VPI solution dispensed in the cleaner, vacuum it off, then treat with Last preservative. I have many pristine recordings I bought for a dollar. Examine carefully before buying and clean when home. After the initial cleaning (new albums also), I only do a quick wipe with Last All purpose cleaner if I see some dust or hair on it. Otherwise nothing for many... many plays.
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If you double the cost of your turntable you will go “wow”... if you double the cost of your cartridge you will go “wow”. If you double the cost of your Phonostage you will get a “wow”, when $1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, 16,000... well you get the point.
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Sound or collecting, or maybe you like fiddling and tweaking equipment (TT, arm, cartridge)?