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Returning to Vinyl

Now planning a return to vinyl listening after a nearly 40-year hiatus and need some basic help. Although I do still own a functional mid-fi system (Goldring GR1.2 TT with preinstalled arm, Goldring Elektra MM cart, Cambridge Duo phono pre), long gone are the battery-powered vibrating stylus cleaning brush, the Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine, the LAST LP treatment solution with the big wide application brush, and even the MHS archive-quality replacement sleeves. I know there are several cleaning machines on the market and am willing to spend something reasonable (<$1k), but beyond that I'm clueless.
Q1. How necessary is a cleaning machine for an occasional (say, 3x/mo.) vinyl listener with irreplaceable LPs?
Q2. If needed, which product delivers most bang for the buck? 
Q3. Same questions re stylus cleaning devices.
Q4. Same questions re record preservation treatments.
Q5. Tracking/alignment/pressure have not been checked or adjusted since acquisition despite two moves. Are there still shops performing these services? 

Advance thanks for all useful advice.
hickamore
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Q1. How necessary is a cleaning machine for an occasional (say, 3x/mo.) vinyl listener with irreplaceable LPs?
Not at all. Convenient. Not necessary.   
Q2. If needed, which product delivers most bang for the buck?

That said, a vacuum like VPI 16 will speed things up and do a better job compared to by hand.
Q3. Same questions re stylus cleaning devices.
What device? I use a brush. Same exact one since the 1970's. Good enough for Stanton, good enough for Koetsu. Good enough for me.  
Q4. Same questions re record preservation treatments.

Clean em, play em, carefully blow or brush off the occasional speck of dust.
Q5. Tracking/alignment/pressure have not been checked or adjusted since acquisition despite two moves. Are there still shops performing these services?

Never take your deck to a shop except as a last resort. DIY all the way. Use MoFi Geo-Disk for alignment, your choice of stylus force gauge for VTF. Learn to fine tune VTA. It is just not that hard.  

I can just about guarantee this is the least stuff/simplest advice you will get. I can totally guarantee if you hear the results you will be floored. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367  This is just nowhere near as hard as people make it out to be. 

One thing you didn't ask, cleaning solution. Matters far more than the machine. Whole bunch of things will give excellent results so long as you wind up with distilled water rinse and vacuum off. Walker Enzyme 4 Step is preferred, but seriously a lot of stuff will work just fine.  
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hickamore OP
735 posts
 
Just what I needed, thanks! 
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,182 posts
 
Look into Perfect Vinyl Forever, Joe Harley of Blue Note / Tone Poet recommends it, as does my audio mentor - he has a $4k Ultrasonic machine… I have a trial pack of 16 discs headed that way.

For a smaller record collection this may be much more economical, especially as you ease back in. PM w questions. The website is great. Should you want a wet vacuum cleaning system, the VPI, Nitty Gritty and recently released Keith Monks are all excellent.

Posters like @antinn and @whart have a wealth of info and experience and neither are full of themselves, best i can tell..

Last makes great stylus cleaner.

Where you are located may inform on ability to get great carrry in TT setup. Lots of great TT setup experts make house calls, with much better tools than the high value but imprecise Geodisc. Yes of course, I still have one.

For example @drsuttlife a poster here does TT setup in Florida.

Have fun. Enjoy the music.

Jim


tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,182 posts
 
oh, if you like I can lend you the geodisc….
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