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An Epiphany

So, having had a bit too much to drink last week I stumbled up to bed expecting the wife to shut things down appropriately. She turned everything off except the turntable which she left running in the run out groove which I did not catch until the next day. I wondered how much damage this might actually do so I took another record and recorded it's run out groove with Pure Vinyl in 192/24 then played it overnight. In comparing the two I could not make out even a shred of difference. Now obviously a run out groove is not near as complex as music but it is a bit hard to play the same groove of music over and over again for 12 hours. What about 50k PSI turning vinyl into liquid? Why doesn't the stylus eat it's way to the other side? I played that same groove approximately 24,000 times and it sounded exactly the same.
Go figure.
128x128mijostyn
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn OP
8,570 posts
 
Thank you rwortman. No only that but I never have any "black stuff" on my stylus. Millercarbon you got to stop smoking those cigars or start using a dust cover. Vinyl is very amorphous stuff. It adheres to itself very strongly. So strongly that when cool thousands of PSI can not displace it. 
There is only one other substance, a polysomethingorother that would make better records but it is cost prohibitive. I have records that are 60 years old and still quite listenable although my record hygiene was not the best back then. 
amg56's avatar
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amg56
887 posts
 
One way of ensuring that everything is gently run in....... sorry ;)
wesheadley's avatar
wesheadley
162 posts
 
Clean records are a MUST if you want to avoid wear. Clean records can be played back thousands of times without degradation-- this HAS been studies-- so long as your turntable is setup right and your stylus is kept scrupulously clean.

New vinyl IS NOT NATURALLY CLEAN-- it must be cleaned to set a baseline as you have NO IDEA whether or not is actually clean-- even if it appears to when you examine it.

I've never seen this "black dust" and I use a USB microscope to examine my stylus. It's just more audiophile booshwa.

Practice good vinyl hygiene and your records will last many generations.
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