A Newbie's First Week Impressions -- Vinyl Rules

Hi Maineiac, I suppose for used records, you will have to clean them before playing. I never did get into used stuff, bought all my records new.

I suppose technology and the purchasing power of audiophiles have moved on since the 80s. In those days, you had to go to a shop to get your records "cleaned" by a Keith Monks machine and not actually own a cleaning machine yourself. For what it's worth, the records I purchased new in the late 80s still play like new today and I've never used a cleaning machine and, for many of them, not even a carbon brush.

However I do have a stack of termite eaten records and those have dirt trails all over them. Would a 16.5 be able to bring them back to a functional state providing there isn't any damage to the vinyl itself?

Flkin,

Most of the used records I purchase may not be in such a stressed situation as a "termite eaten LP" but I have had some tougher ones that cleaned up amazingly well. I have also had new records that had a lot of ticks, pops, and crackles both cleaned and straight from the jacket.

Jwglista

Cleaning a record of mold release is very important, you will increase the over all sound quality of the record and reduce needle wear. Your records will have more impact on the bottom end and better highs. When you do clean some records you will hear more surface noise and ticks but most of that will go away as the needle polishes the vinyl. When I got into this hobby in the 70's we only had the Disk Washer brush and cleaning fluid or pay to have it cleaned on the MONK as mentioned earlier.

If you can purchase a VPI 16.5, it is great record cleaner for the money. Also get the Disk Washer to do a preliminary cleaning of used records so you do not contaminate your VPI. Others here will say buy a bigger better record cleaner especially if you plan on collecting a lot of vinyl… WRONG, the 16.5 will be fine. I clean about 5 to 10 records at a time when I listen and it handles that fine. My record collection is at 6000+ and I use the original VPI 16. They do get quieter as they get larger and more expensive though but it will also take up more space you could use to store records. LOL. If you do use a home brew cleaning solution make sure you do a clean water rinse after to get any residue off. Why bother cleaning them if you leave a film on them when done. Your records could also get brittle, especially you use alcohol in the mix, so always rinse.

Enjoy the music

I think the myth of mold release needs to go away. This has been discussed a number of times on different forums, but someone involved with the production of LP's have stated that they have never seen anything sprayed or applied to the the press before the vinyl is injected. I'm not saying that there could not be additives in the vinyl formula that come to the surface and are best cleaned before use, but this notion of a Pam like substance being applied is not true, as least as it was explained in that way.

As far as LP vs CD playback, I find that with top notch analog playback, as ide from sound quality benefits, I simply find I am more emotionally involved with the music. In an interview with a mastering engineer in last year's TAS analog issue, he stated that there was an octave more information in an LP release of a digital master than the CD release of the same material.

Now with 96K and 192K downloads I think the gap will come much closer or perhaps be erased in all but the best analog based systems.

I have read that these high res downloads can sound better than SACD.

But to me an important aspect of reproduction (and recording) is the use of tubes (and I don't mean tube buffers in some CD players)

People who hate CD have no problem with digital in my system. And as I tweek things out, (clean tube sockets, apply tube dampers) Digital playback gets better and better. Of course LP playback is on another level, but most people can't take it to the level that some of us have.

Bottom line is that there has never been a better time to be an audiophile.

Lo end - high end, LP, digital - there is a ton of enjoyment to be had if one is armed with knowledge.

Agree with the "mold release" myth previously mentioned. I used make LP's. Take it from someone who knows, it is a fallacy. Please - just drop it once and for all.