Returning to Vinyl


Now planning a return to vinyl listening after a nearly 40-year hiatus and need some basic help. Although I do still own a functional mid-fi system (Goldring GR1.2 TT with preinstalled arm, Goldring Elektra MM cart, Cambridge Duo phono pre), long gone are the battery-powered vibrating stylus cleaning brush, the Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine, the LAST LP treatment solution with the big wide application brush, and even the MHS archive-quality replacement sleeves. I know there are several cleaning machines on the market and am willing to spend something reasonable (<$1k), but beyond that I'm clueless.
Q1. How necessary is a cleaning machine for an occasional (say, 3x/mo.) vinyl listener with irreplaceable LPs?
Q2. If needed, which product delivers most bang for the buck? 
Q3. Same questions re stylus cleaning devices.
Q4. Same questions re record preservation treatments.
Q5. Tracking/alignment/pressure have not been checked or adjusted since acquisition despite two moves. Are there still shops performing these services? 

Advance thanks for all useful advice.
hickamore

Showing 2 responses by ghdprentice

Just as an aside. Streaming these days can be outstanding. It can be completely hassle free and truly audiophile quality. High end streamers produce outstanding bit streams with very reliable easy to use apps to manage them. But as in all things audio it takes carefully choosing equipment that is compatible and synergistic. Sounds like there are lots of opportunities for enjoying an improved system. I’d recommend concentrating on one leg at a time. Enjoy.
Given some investments you are in for a real treat. Unless you treated your disks really badly (as in scratched) they are capable of tremendous sound. Also turntables and associated equipment has gotten orders of magnitude better at all price points. A disk cleaner (I use a VPI) can return disks to like new condition and contemporary cartridges can drop deeper into worn record groove and yield spectacular sound. With contemporary turntables noise simply disappears and the cleaning machine eliminates pops and ticks. I haven’t taken a hiatus from vinyl but I remember steps that took me beyond what I thought was possible… over and over again. 

I still use Last preservative after cleaning.