Matrix, I've got to chime in on this one. I have been collecting lp's for over 35 years and only recently purchased a Nitty Gritty machine. What I have found is that records that originally came with a paper sleeve almost always have surface noise and the audiophile lp's were markedly quieter. With the vacuum machine the surface noise is gone. Interesting though, it does take time and perhaps repeat "washings" to really get them clean and quiet. I wish I would have purchased a similiar unit years ago. My suggestion is get a vac machine now, save money for a really good table/arm/cartridge, and buy the vinyl last. I don't have experience with many tt's but can honestly state that my Linn/Ittok is stunningly quiet, revealing, and offers qualities not found with compact disc.
Going back in time, my first "real" table was a Thorens with a Shure cartridge purchased in the very early 70's. I purchased a B&O years later for the convenience and bought my first Linn about 1980. Having kept the above mentioned tables and being able to compare their performance it became clear to me that much of the noise is table induced. Why else would the Linn, playing the same recordings, be so silent compared to the others? The lack of background noise is but one benefit. After all this time I can still rediscover hidden nuances in my collection as veil upon veil has been lifted through upgrades. This is coming from a guy that rarely upgrades but wishes he would have done these things early on.
Regards,
Patrick
Going back in time, my first "real" table was a Thorens with a Shure cartridge purchased in the very early 70's. I purchased a B&O years later for the convenience and bought my first Linn about 1980. Having kept the above mentioned tables and being able to compare their performance it became clear to me that much of the noise is table induced. Why else would the Linn, playing the same recordings, be so silent compared to the others? The lack of background noise is but one benefit. After all this time I can still rediscover hidden nuances in my collection as veil upon veil has been lifted through upgrades. This is coming from a guy that rarely upgrades but wishes he would have done these things early on.
Regards,
Patrick