Record-playing Rituals?


I'm curious what everybody's riuals are when listening to albums. How often do you clean the records? Every Time? How often do you clean and lubricate the stylus? Every time?

David
deshapiro
Well, I've been busy experimenting and my new findings are still not carved in stone but here goes: The RR treatment seems excellent for large orchestral works such as RCA shaded dogs with Reiner and the Chicago Philharmonics. There is not only a noticeable difference in width and depth of soundstage between treated and untreated sides of the same LP, but the overall sound seems richer and more lush. Strings and horns especially just seem to have more bloom. A contrary experience was with an old Verve Stereo with Ella Fitzgerald, "Clap hands here comes Charlie", which I had newly bought and where my findings were quite similar to the old Satchmo LP I had written about before. The one side, which I had treated, sounded fine, but there was no real definition of the soundspace of the accompanying instruments. Ella's voice and the rest of the band seemed to be on just one horizontal plane. There was no depth to write home about. The untreated side, though generally more dry in its rendering, showed definite layering of the different instruments, with Ella firmly placed in her own soundspace. The rendering was less lush, but in a sense more realistic with the various instruments playing around her. Also her voice was better definied, much like Armstrongs'voice seemed better to me untreated. So I am still puzzled and will keep on trying to find out if its all in the mind or if there is a reasonable basis to my findings.
Cheers to all,
Detlof: What cleaning fluids have you tried other than the Nitty Gritty that you mentioned ? I am curious as to how the VPI and Disc Doctor record cleaning fluids stack up against the NG and and Record Research Labs. Any comments ? Obviously, others are more than welcome to chime in with their experiences. Sean
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Sean, I just cannot give you a definite answer. I've tried a lot, incl. homebrew and I am more than confused. They all do something to the sound, but according to my ears, the results are anything but uniform. Some lps seem to improve, some not, even seem to get get worse. I like the RRL with classical music, but sometimes only after a retreatment with my concotion of trifluor-trichlorethane and molybden-liquid,(ex sctratch fixer) but then again, sometimes it seems to screw up the soundstage. I don't know NG, never tried Disc Doctor, but VPI is waiting on the shelve and next on my list. Sorry to be of no help.
Never came across this thread before, but now that I have, I am sure as I never have been that I am NOT truly an audiophile. Free at last, free at last, thanks to all of you, I'm free at last!

(FLASH! Just as I finished typing the above, my girlfriend walked in the room and asked, "Don't all of you little audio-nerds get worried about each other sometimes?" I love her, I do...)
Zaike, old mate, not a chance. You've been hooked long ago and you know it....
Postscriptum: Does your lady perchance have an elder sister?