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Time between playing the same LP

To all vinyl lovers,

I have always believed that an LP should have a 24 hour grace period to cool down before being played again. Reason being that the plastic is still soft from the heat generated by the stylus going along the groove and replaying the LP while it is still "warm" will distort the groove permanently and cause distortion.

Is this an old wives tale or is there truth in it?

I'd be interested to know, as I do discipline myself to give a record a "rest" and I sometimes feel that I would like to hear that particular piece again.

Your comments very welcome.
shiprepair
gaslover
48 posts
 
I used to make these things called LP's at the finest pressing plant in the world, Record Technolgy, Inc. Whoever came up with this notion was on some pretty good smoke. Play it again and again Sam.
arch7
35 posts
 
Lets think about the physics here. The p/a (stress) that the stylus creates is quite high and yes it must generate heat. Each spot the LP gets only a brief visit from the stylus so I think any residual heat is negligible and is very quickly dissipated. Don't forget the LP has a built-in cooling system called the turntable. Spinning at 33.3 rpm will certainly cool the LP very fast.
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t
1,611 posts
 
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I have LP's that I purchased in the early seventies that I used to play over and over because that was the only way that I could listen to a favorite cut again. I still have those lp's and they still sound great.

Your story is probably an old wives tale. At some point audiophiles get too fussy for their own good. We have to remember, this stuff is for our enjoyment, not worship. We bought the stuff to serve up....not the other way around. Use it until its natural lifespan is up....then get some more stuff.
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bhoage
112 posts
 
Thanks Gaslover. That "rule" made no sense to me from a scientific perspective. If it did heat up, (which I highly doubt it does to any appreciable degree), you'd be able to measure it with an infared thermometer. And even if it did get hot how the heck could it store the heat such that a 24 hour cool down period would be required?

Anywho, right or wrong, that's how I rationalized to my self and why I play all my albums as frequently as I want.

Thanks again.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Life is too short. If you want to hear that track again, play it dammit!

Now, if it is truly some rare title . . .
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