Newbie to Vinyl Seeks Tips

The real question is what you ultimately find appealing about vinyl. It is, in general, still the the most cost effective sound quality at a given price... $1,000, $5,000, $25,000, or $100,000 per end. So that could be a reason. Sounds like you have a lot more invested in your digital end. So, it could be for the enjoyment of collecting. I have 2,000 albums collected over 55 years. I have a spectacular system, both analog and digital. I listen to vinyl about 10 or 15% of the time. I buy audiophile pressings usually, from Music Direct, sometimes Amazon. I love jazz, blues, rock, so sometimes dropping buy a used record store is really fun, picking up used albums for $5, $10,or $15. Something finding albums for $1 can be a blast. Late 50’s recordings are the best ever made. Every time I spin one I am shocked, delighted, and disappointed that recording quality went down for so many decades.
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The foundation piece of equipment for a record collection should be a record cleaning machine. There are many good ones. Otherwise it is really going to be a struggle. I use a VPI full sized vacuum record cleaner. I first clean with Last Power cleaner, then VPI solution dispensed in the cleaner, vacuum it off, then treat with Last preservative. I have many pristine recordings I bought for a dollar. Examine carefully before buying and clean when home. After the initial cleaning (new albums also), I only do a quick wipe with Last All purpose cleaner if I see some dust or hair on it. Otherwise nothing for many... many plays.
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If you double the cost of your turntable you will go “wow”... if you double the cost of your cartridge you will go “wow”. If you double the cost of your Phonostage you will get a “wow”, when $1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, 16,000... well you get the point.
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Sound or collecting, or maybe you like fiddling and tweaking equipment (TT, arm, cartridge)?

Ultrasonic cleaning before first play.
Or buy my Nitty Gritty vacuum to get 50% effectiveness, even with "power cleaner" and stupid scrubbing.
Amazon prices are everchanging. Supply and demand.
Discogs is the ONLY place you should buy records. OR pay up for hot stampers, curated great platters. Too bad they cost as much as your TT.
Going through thrift racks is like walking the beach with a metal detector. Pretty much a waste of time but you could win the lottery.

RIGHT!

whart - Thanks for all that advice.  I'll browse through the London Jazz Collector site.  My musical tastes are quite varied and evolving.  I ignored jazz for most of my life but I'm finding myself enjoying some of the more contemporary experimental jazz as well as classics like Miles Davis or Coltrane but it still the case that I dislike more jazz than I like it.

Perhaps I am wrong, but I think well recorded/produced contemporary music sounds awfully good in digital streaming.  On the other hand, a lot of the older stuff from the 1960's-1990's sounds like crap streaming and one of the things that is driving me to try vinyl is to see if the records are better than the digital versions.

What is your blog?

artemus - Thanks. Is that the Milty Zerostat 3 that you are recommending?  Lots of negative reviews for that on Amazon.

millercarbon - Hi Chuck.  Thanks for the recommendation for the Mobile Fidelity brush.  I had been overwhelmed by all the brush choices so I simply went ahead and bought one based on your recommendation.  I would say that I am more curious about records than anything else.  Thanks for the invitation.