What Vinyl quality should I be using?

Hi-
I also am fairly new to this audiophile thing-although it has pretty much consumed my life for the past year or so. I recently got back into vinyl after not playing since my teenage years (70's). There are many threads with loads on info on entry level tt (turntables). I recently purchased a modded Technics 1210 M5G from Kevin at KABUSA that has all the bells and whistles with the performance of a hi end table at a reasonable price, around $1k for mine table and cart. I am very happy with the performance so far. There are volumes of threads on these tt along with those by Rega, MM, Perfection and many other fine tables that will grab you by the ear and drag you into this fine hobby. Good luck and welcome.
zen

I have found great quality music on most vinyl formats. Some hold up better, won't warp as easy, etc.
As far as cleaning your records, I have recently found the steaming method to be beyond reproach, although labor intensive. I don't believe an automatic machine/vacuum can match steaming with hand vacuuming done properly. There is a thread about steaming and if you haven't tried it check it out. Steaming will remove stuff deep in the micro grooves that a passive machine just doesn't effect. It is completely safe to the records with proper care to cover the labels, if that is important to you. I could care less about the labels, jackets either for that matter. It's all about the grooves for me and steaming will reveal things that you haven't heard since your records were new.