Newbie to Vinyl Seeks Tips


With some trepidation, and quite a bit of skepticism, I have decided to take the leap into vinyl.  The bulk of my listening to date has been streaming Qobuz over Roon to an Ares II DAC and a variety of amplifiers and the Tekton Moabs.  I have been very happy with that system.  Since I just want to tip my toe into the water, I am buying the Fluance RT85 turntable and Schiit Mani preamp.  I know nothing about vinyl and am not looking for tips on equipment at this point but do want input on some fundamentals like:

What is the best, and most cost effective way to clean records, both before each play and more like a deep cleaning?

Why are prices of records on Amazon so different?  Are they cheapest when first released and then fall in price or vice versa?

I know different pressings are supposed to have different qualities.  How do I figure out what to buy without becoming obsessed with that?  And if you don't buy from Amazon where do you buy records?

How bad an idea is it to pick through thrift stores looking for records?

In general, is there any cost effective way to build a collection of records?  I'm not somebody that listens to the same thing 20-30x so the  idea of paying $30-40 for a LP is irritating.

And finally, is this just a fools errand?  I have no intention of spending tons of money on turntables, tonearms, cartridges, phone pre's etc. etc..  I've built what I think is an amazing system out of carefully selected but affordable components.  Is such a thing even possible with vinyl?

What other pragmatic things should I know?

Thanks

Paul


pinwa
IF I had to pick a guru helper, it would be Bill ( whart ).... not prone to silly absolutes...

For bang for buck, the new reissue Blue Notes are fantastic.....

I do agree with Steve, you should have asked for help on the table.

enjoy your journey
pinwa-
one of the things that is driving me to try vinyl is to see if the records are better than the digital versions.
That's from just above.   

This is you, pinwa, after hearing my system last September:
the midrange/vocal presence is huge. Listening to them at your place I thought it might be too much but coming back home and listening to my 1.7's and one subwoofer I found myself missing that big full round sound your system has.

I wonder how much of that is the Melody amp and how much the various tweaks you made. And I think that sound is also characteristic of vinyl and I have no intention of adding a turntable no matter how good it sounds. While I was there I found myself wanting a dryer more clinical presentation but listening to my system just now there seems to be so much missing that was present in your system.

I can tell you right now the Melody amp is at most maybe 10% of what you heard. If that. A drier more clinical presentation is what you will get with digital. SS as well, but some of that can be pretty good. Mostly the problem is digital.
I've really been struggling to figure out how to characterize my experience and I think it is a little bit like the first time you taste a new flavor of food or wine. I don't even know how to evaluate its "goodness" because my palette, or in this case ear, is so uneducated. Your system is so radically different from anything I've heard before, even the other set of Moabs I heard, that I feel like I need to educate myself more about what I might have been hearing.  
That's a good analogy. Your palate is accustomed to processed restaurant food. My system is home cooking. The number and variety of spices are far greater, the flavors more varied and complex, and while some of them may be a little overpowering at times keep in mind it may not be so much an acquired taste kind of thing as this is just my style of cooking. The beauty with vinyl is you are not stuck with take out digital, you can learn to cook yourself. You can, to a much greater extent than is possible with digital, be your own chef.  

After my Moabs come, and I've had a chance to fine tune them in my system, I would be really interested to come back and give your system another listen if that is something you would be open to.  

Always. You've got your Moabs, they are fine tuned. You have even done what you said you had no intention of doing, added a turntable. Not trying to make you look bad or anything but what you said was, "no matter how good it sounds." This is what we call a Freudian Slip. You know it sounds good. You just need a little more guidance and encouragement. Any time. 
millercarbon - First, I want to be clear, I said your system was extraordinary, which I think it is, but I never said I liked it.  I certainly don't aspire to replicate the sound that you have worked so hard to achieve. 

I have no idea what leads you to constantly argue that you have the best system and only path to great sound, but I am confident that I am not the only person on Audiogon that finds it annoying.  But I do want to thank you for your generosity in letting me hear your system.

I am curious about vinyl.  That same curiosity has led me to purchase 10 speakers and nine amplifiers over the past 9 months.  I wouldn't read anything more into it.  My guess is vinyl will be better for older albums because so many older CDs and digital sources seem to be flat and compressed and hopefully the comparable records aren't.  I think you mostly listen to older material which does more to explain your love of vinyl than any inherent deficit in digitally encoded music.  But I am approaching my foray into vinyl with an open mind and the same curiosity that has driven my audiophile journey so far.

And please don't turn this into one of your flame wars.  Have the last word if you must, but I won't be responding to any rants.