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higher end jazz vinyl: where to turn?

I'm a lifelong jazz listener but only new to entry-level hifi, as presently marketed--by which I mean Rega p3-24 turntable, Linn Classik amp, Vienna Acoutics Mozart Grand Speakers, and a lot of heart.

Anyway I have a choice set of old ECM records, Miles Davis records, and so forth, that I bought in the early 1980s. Most of them have some noise and crackle now and again--which I largely discount as the distinguished marks of age and memory. Nonetheless a clean sweet classic jazz LP played at substantial volume, even through a low midfi system like mine, is a beautiful thing. Beauty is a rare thing, I read somewhere. And it makes me wonder about upgrading the vinyl.

So here are questions:
1. Are these $50 classic content and such rereleases of Blue Notes really so good? Including worth the effort of getting up and turning the 45 over in middle of a strong Coltrane solo-a double indignity, to a genius and to the lazy.

2. What to say of all these 180g and 200g re-releases at higher prices versus the $10-20 unopened recent copy meant for mass market (or as massy as the jazz list allowed/allows)?

3. I'm using Disc Doctor record cleaners on my old and newer vinyl, but wonder how great the different is to move to a machine, say vpi 165?

4. I'm just a poor righteous teacher so I'm a bargain hunter: an Inexpensive Audiophile down with the feel of the Expensive Winos aestheticist mentality.

5. Thanks!
paanders
salectric
748 posts
 
Paanders,

If you read some other threads on Audiogon and AudioAsylum, you will see that there are different views about the necessity and value of record cleaning. A certain minority (including myself) believe that record cleaning is not nearly as important as others claim. And I have a Loricraft with a lot of different cleaning fluids to choose from, so it's not as if I haven't given RCMs a fair shot.

In my opinion, if you are buying new and good condition used records, a RCM is useful but not essential to your enjoyment of records. Just think about this. Virtually no one cleaned records back before 1980 or so. Did people back then enjoy playing their LPs? Absolutely. Now, if you get heavily into the used record scene, you will quickly find that a lot of people did not take proper care of their records, and for those records a RCM can be very useful. But for new or good condition used records, having a RCM at your disposal is more a luxury than a necessity. Just my opinion.
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,306 posts
 
Paanders - Check out KAB Electroacoustic for a very affordable record cleaning machine. Basically Nitty Gritty in the essentials but manual spin and you provide the vacuum. High Value:$ ratio in my opinion. Also, check out threads here on Steam Cleaning and consider use of Audio Intelligent products (enzymatic cleaner and neutralizer). Buying used can be great. Old pressings that came from large production runs back in the day can sound better/cleaner than modern day limited run audiophile pressings.
jyprez's avatar
jyprez
241 posts
 
Salectric is correct. If you limit yourself to new LP's, an RCM will not necessarily be essential. I disagree with the comment that because people accepted uncleaned records in the past, that means they were just fine. We all grew up with noisy records but accepted it because we didn't know any better. I have thousands of records from the 50's and 60's and I assure you, nobody from those decades heard them like I am hearing them today.
If you limit yourself to new reissues you will be paying premium price and face the warpage / quality issues you have heard mentioned here. If you search for good quality original used LP's you can find many for far less that are far better in sound quality and repay the cost of your RCM many times over - up to you!
paanders OP
43 posts
 
Following up on Ghosthouse's suggestion above, does anyone have experience with KAB Electro Acoustic's EV-1.

Their website says the product is Nitty Gritty type (Lexan top plate) with manual record turning attached to your own external home vacuum cleaner hose. I like the $160 price tag a lot.
hevac1
812 posts
 
Music Matters is putting out some great stuff as well as Analog Productions. I would also look at the Japanese market. Some of the older Blue Notes are more affordable, as well as some newer releases. They sound pretty nice also.

I think all records should be cleaned. Just because it is new does not mean it will be clean of all debris from being pressed. I just opened a couple of Friday Music and some other albums that looked like thay were handled by someone with gloves that had traces of talc powered on them or dusty hands. You could see the hand outline across the album. They looked like crap. Once cleaned all was well.

Get a VPI 16.5 to clean your records it is a nice machine for the money. I have no problems with mine. IMHO.
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