Turntable noobie...what advice do you have?

We can all argue or, rather, debate, 'till the cows come home, whether vinyl LPs, even new ones, benefit from cleaning, ultrasonic or otherwise. Be that as it may, I choose to put my faith & confidence in what the experts on this subject, including scientists, have to say and one other important factor = my own experiences. I hasten to add here that what I'm about to share is in no way scientific or meant to be construed as a fair A/B comparison(s)! Too much water has gone under the bridge in these past many decades. Also, like most mortals, I am just as susceptible to Presbycusis as the next person. However, I haven't had an audiological examination since Christ was a corporal and my friends tell me they're surprised by my hearing acuity when we go to equipment auditions. Since scheduling an audiological examination, just for fun, is not something on my itinerary, I choose to remain blissfully ignorant on this point, for the time being.

I won't go into details here in order to keep this as brief and to the point as I know how. For those of you who may yearn for more detail, check out a post I created 8-24-21 labelled "Record Cleaning Machines". I'm not trying to toot my own horn, here, but merely offering this because Mr. Neil Antin, himself, contributed many, many times in this post and I, for one, learned a great deal in the process. Mr. Antin definitely helped me improve my LP cleaning regimen a great deal! God Bless Him!

In days of yore, I cleaned a good portion of my LP collection (purchased new in the 60s & 70s and only played on my trusty old Phillips 212) manually. Definite sound improvement! More recently, after having purchased and put together my own lash-up US cleaning system employing a 40kHz frequency sweep machine and a Knosti for final rinse, I cleaned several of those same records again and treated them with Last record preservative. Another significant improvement! Admittedly, though, I have a new, and much better TT & cart now. This is, of course, a definite mitigating factor and completely invalidates any fair A/B comparison in this regard. However, much more recently, I took several of those freshly cleaned LPs to a high-end shop and had them cleaned, once again, using a Degirtter. I re-treated those with Last before playing them again on my TT, although I'm not sure that was necessary because my understanding is that Last works on the molecular level. If there was any sonic improvement after a run-through with the Degritter, I can't honestly say. This is why I ultimately decided not to part with three grand (more, now) for the Degirtter. Regardless, I just may change my mind about that, at some point, because the Degirtter is just so darn convenient and much less labor intensive than my US cleaning system.

With regard to dust, I would never dream of spinning my LPs without the dust cover down. Yes, I know some purists fiercely disagree with this. However, I've done this both ways and don't hear any difference in fidelity either way. Plus, there's just dust in any room.

Record brush? I use the Audioquest Anti-Static brush, both before AND after every play. I also use an Onzow ZeroDust before & after every play, regardless of what Mr. Fremer had to say in what I and many others consider to be a hatchet job of reporting on this in Analog Planet. Where's the follow up, Mikey? I communicated with Onzow Corporation on this and got a prompt response? Did you? Did WAMM Engineering? There was promised follow-up. Where is that? I'll probably add a liquid stylus cleaner to my regimen, occasionally, as well. As with most things, there is a right way and a wrong way to use these things. Some purists eschew the notion of using any brush(s) and, instead, use puffs of air, like the kind generated from a small bellows you'd use for camera lenses. These folks don't think anything other than a stylus belongs in those precious record grooves after a proper record cleaning.

Stylus pressure gauge? I still have my old and trusty Shure Precision Stylus Force Gauge SFG-2, which is surprisingly quite accurate when compared to my Audio Additives digital stylus force gauge.

Equipment placing? I'm a firm believer in placing a TT, especially low mass designs, on rock solid foundations and keeping the amplifier as far away from the TT & cart as possible. I also would not place components of any kind on top of one another.

That's just some of the ways I roll. There are many others, as well, to be sure. To each, his own! Live and let live! Vive la difference! Like most things in life, there are trade-offs between how meticulous or compulsive you want to be when spinning your LPs and how much you want to spend just listening to the music. After all, when all is said & done, isn't that what we all really do this for ... for the love of music?

May the music be with you all! Enjoy!

@ddonicht, lots of good guidance here from the vinyl community!

There's lots to know about the proper care & feeding of LPs and vinyl playback, not the least of which is proper storage, good quality anti-static poly sleeves, etc. I hesitated a bit before chiming in with my two cents, which is probably an amalgam of many things already mentioned. However, as a self-described nerd who tends to research things before pulling the trigger, when you have time enough to devote to this, have a read of Neil Antin's "Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records - 2nd edition". Not an easy or quick read, by any stretch of the imagination! However, certainly worth the time and gray cell investment!

Should you clean records before play, even new ones? Absolutely! Does this need to be done before every play? Of course not! However, there are some vinyl afficionados who do. More power to 'em! Is ultrasonic LP cleaning the way to go? I'm convinced, as are many other audiophiles. If the budget can bear it, have a look at the Degritter machine, which is all the rage now. On the other hand, if sticker shock is a factor, you might want to check out "Cleaner Vinyl Ultrasonic Record Cleaning". A bit more labor-intensive and less convenient than Degritter, but a fraction of the cost. Convenience, eloquence and innovation has its price. By all means, though, I strongly encourage you to invest in some sort of record cleaning system or device(s), especially if you are going to get involved with used records! Your ears will be happy you did! Depending upon what the budget will bear, you should have a look at the vacuum cleaning machines or something as relatively inexpensive as a Spin-Clean or Knosti Disco-Antistat. Personally, I would go with the Knosti because of the cleaning brushes, as opposed to the Spin-Clean's pads. In any event, pay particular attention to the types of cleaning fluids employed (you don't need to use what comes with the machine) and, if needed, use only high-quality microfiber cleaning or drying cloths. You can also clean records manually. However, a machine makes this considerably easier. With a properly cleaned record, good TT & cart and good sound system, surface noise is virtually eradicated. You'll be amazed at the deep, dark, black background noise floor the music will be coming from and the dynamic response or, as Messieurs Simon and Garfunkel would put it, "The Sound of Silence".

Another thing I consider indispensable is a good record clamp, like a Michell Reflex. Here, also, you'll be amazed at the sonic improvements this makes. You can also use a record puck or weight. However, I don't see the sense in placing extra weight on the TT bearings or additional mass on the platter, even if the manufacturer says the TT was designed and engineered to accommodate this. If you do go with a clamp, make sure you get one that accommodates the length of the TT spindle.

I'm not sure the Audio Technica - AT6006R Safety Raiser would work with the Pro-ject TT you have in mind. However, if it does, one of these gizmos certainly beats the hell out of having to be ever vigilant so as to prevent your stylus from running into the label at the end of a record. Not a good thing!

Here's another inexpensive gizmo to have a look at: StylusTimer

Helps you keep track of the mileage on the cart & stylus. Not absolutely necessary, of course, but convenient.

Some sort of stylus cleaner is also an absolute must. I would recommend you check in with your cart manufacturer on this to see what they recommend.

Oh! MoFi & Music Direct are an excellent source for new records, There are a few others but you can't go wrong with MoFi & Music Direct.

Welcome back to vinyl and happy spinning!