do record cleaning fluids soften the treble?

You see. No wonder that as much as I like tape I hate vinyl. I just have to deal with it. But it's a big pain in the backside and also very expensive.
Generally speaking, I too try to do as little cleaning as possible - I let the stylus do the work.

Just for the simple fact that your stylus will last longer when tracking cleaned vinyl than uncleaned is cause enough for me to clean every record I play. That and every one I've cleaned has noticeably sounded better without question.

I've yet to hear a negative impact after a cleaning. Perhaps I've just lucked into a effective methodology.

Stanwal and Notec, just to be clear, I am not recommending that anybody play dirty records. If a record is dirty, it needs to be cleaned. Period. My comments are directed to records that are already clean (both visually and in listening) but haven't gone through a cleaning fluid/vacuum process. In my experience, a record that is already clean does not sound as good after the fluid/vacuum cleaning, so I don't do that type of cleaning routinely. I only do it where it is needed.

Also, I use a carbon fiber brush to wipe off the surface of each record before I play it, and I wipe the stylus with a dry brush before I play each record.

My position,experiences,impressions and approach to the issue of record cleaning mirror Salectric's to a tee.

Opus88, You are clearly a man of discriminating good taste.

Dave