Question Should I get into vinyl?

If people treat their vinyl in the same way describe CDs then they wont play either (CD would need to be pretty gouged for it not to play at all). The difference is I can buff my CDs with rubbing compound and scratch remover (which i use with huge success on lightly scratched charity shop CDs) and if I cant, £3 gets me a re-surfaced CD which is, 99.99% of the time as good as new. That said you can do nothing for CD Rot. Once that has set in, the CD is toast.

As for jewel cases, yes mis-handling can break jewel cases, but I have also seen and had plenty of dog eared Vinyl sleeves which look just as shabby. Again its easier to buy a new jewel case for 99p than it is to get a new album sleeve.

One thing that I do miss is sleeve art. I used to love spending time looking and admiring the work that went into album sleeves. CDs are crap for that, but they are even worse on my sony NW-A55 DAP :D

I resort to the water-and-gentle dish soap method for cleaning vinyl -- which works for me -- but with CDs, I usually spray some flat-panel cleaner on it (a method I read about) and wipe from the inner ring outwards (the opposite of vinyl)...if CDs are somewhat scratched, I try some toothpaste but to be honest this never got many scratches out...there still seem to be some, though perhaps they're under the surface layer?
 
I think there is unfortunately not much alternative to a good record cleaning machine but it's difficult to justify if vinyl is only an occasional indulgence.

I tried most other weird and wonderful ways but nothing truly worked well despite enthusiastic forum recommendations.

If I remember correctly the dish cleaner, brush and distilled water gave acceptable results but was still far from perfect. I also had a manual rotation machine and bought some specialist solution for it. That did not work great.

I kinda came to the conclusion that the needle is probably the best cleaner and pretty much didnt bother anymore other than the standard carbon brush. I understand that may not be the best option with a $3k MC cartridge or super rare records.

In the end I just had enough of all the clutter, cleaning etc and sold up.

Do I miss it? Sometimes but probably more because I like the look of a nice turntable spinning some plastic, not everything else that goes with it.
 
Got back into vinyl and bought lots of discs from Charity Shops. Not a good idea, just frustrating clicks and pops + continuous attempts at cleaning the crap off the stylus. Don't go into vinyl if you're not prepared to spend loads of money. Cheap turntables, sound cheap! Pristine vinyl costs lots! Then you get to the cost of a decent cartridge and preamp. If all you can afford is a few hundred pounds or dollars? Spend it on another format! Buying a turtable with a built in ADC and then listen to poor digital sound, is a real waste of money.
My best move was buying a used Technics SL1210 MkII. A bit of TLC, Isonoe isolation feet, moved the transformer/power supply into a separate ABS box and changed the standard interconnects for better ones. Cost about £500 and replaced a string of expensive European and British turntables. Slam by the bucket load and no loss of detail or subtlety. Using it with an Hana SL cartridge, audio heaven.
How some turntable makers, justify what they charge is a real rip off. Well over a thousand for a piece of chipboard, a small AC synchronous motor and a switch mode power supply.
 
Only ever clean my records once when purchased. (Only buy 2nd hand vinyl usually mint condition)
Isopropyl alcohol distilled water and a touch of washing liquid. I use one of those wall paint pads followed by final dry with a micro cloths.
 
Yep, it's much easier to handle cleaning process of vinyl than with CDs.

The technique for cleaning CD's is to wipe in a straight line from the centre hole to the edge whereas for vinyl, surely, a circular motion is required.

On the very rare occasions on which I need to clean a CD, I use a drop or two of washing up liquid and a wet cloth.
 
Yep, it's much easier to handle cleaning process of vinyl than with CDs.
I might be unusual, but I've never cleaned a CD - I've never bought a dirty one, and I've never dirtied my own. (But I have bought, and do buy, 2nd hand records that need cleaning),
 
I might be unusual, but I've never cleaned a CD - I've never bought a dirty one, and I've never dirtied my own. (But I have bought, and do buy, 2nd hand records that need cleaning),
What never bought one which warned of explicit lyrics?.
The dirty secret about CDs is that the information is in the aluminium. ..not the Perspex . If the aluminium foil is scratched, they are fully destroyed. See my entry on Digital formats .The function of the perspex is a a physical holder. Its thickness does not matter, just that it cannot be allowed scatter the reflected light out of the beam.which scratches might do. The cleaning or descratching involves using any fine abrasive. Silvo and Brasso, well known to generations of soldiers..and housewives and rubbing away at the perspex.
Recordable CD RW use a different method.
 
The technique for cleaning CD's is to wipe in a straight line from the centre hole to the edge whereas for vinyl, surely, a circular motion is required.

On the very rare occasions on which I need to clean a CD, I use a drop or two of washing up liquid and a wet cloth.
Yup -- vinyl should be cleaned in the direction of the grooves (the soaping stage should have you scrubbing well into those grooves, but with a gentle sponge or other similar material, while when drying, you should try to go in one direction, not back and forth, with a soft lint-free cloth); CDs should be cleaned, as you mentioned, from the center hole to the edge.

I must admit I never used the soap and water method for cleaning CDs...
 
The best system upgrade I ever made was in going from a solid state amplifier to a valve amplifier. There are some great valve amplifiers on the market giving you the warm sound only valves can provide. I have two Chinese manufactured valve amplifiers, one costing less than £300 with my second costing considerably more. You don't have to spend a fortune either. £1000 or less will buy you a superb Chinese manufactured valve amplifier. Try the Nobsound MS10D Mk2 for under £150, it's a great introduction to valves. Valves provide me with a sound that in my opinion is far more agreeable to my ears than any solid state amplifier I have ever heard. A worthy upgrade for me.
I bought a Douk Audio ST-01 (which is Nobsound's for the English speaking market :) for £99
 

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