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P.S. - I was just doing a lot of searching over the net regarding all sorts of things about records. I was interested in acquiring one of those "dust bugs", which is a little brush that attaches to the cartridge to keep the dust away from the stylus as a record is playing. I heard all sorts of pros and cons, depending on many different people's experiences.

And there's the stylus. What type is best for 45s? Is it wise to play an LP with a stylus best designed for 45s, and vice versa? What about the weight of the toneram? Etc.. Etc...

Then I was watching YouTube for all sorts of methods for cleaning records... some "experts" used tap water, some used only distilled water, one guy recommended dish washing soap , another guy sprayed glass cleaner on his records.. others guys use special "record cleaning liquids"... other guys ran their vinyl through harsh-looking "record cleaning machines"... others used a special "record brush"... and all of this looked like a royal pain in the ass!

What cracks me up is, everyone seemed to be an "expert", and then when you read responses, everyone says they're doing it the "wrong way"!

What I gleaned from this is that nobody really knows for 100% certain what the "best way" is. Then I thought to myself that since I've sold off nearly all my own original LP records (which I bought BRAND NEW and kept in MINT CONDITION when I had them), the chances are that when I go into a Used Record Store to purchase someone else's old records, how the hell do I know what history they've had? Some previous owners may have used harsh cleaners on them ... maybe others used a very worn stylus which hurt the grooves ... there's no way to tell what kind of life used records really had!

Then I thought of CDs... as long as you hold them by the edges and return them to their jewel cases (as I do), there is NO PROBLEM! CDs seem like a lot less of a headache than old records, when you get right down to it, and require no maintenance!

Count Murco wrote:

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your receiver is a AV type designed for home theater , having looked at the specs it will work with your turntable no problem !

Thanks a lot for checking this out -- and also for your other advice.

I tell ya, today I just had the most wonderful time shopping for records in a USED RECORDS store only 5 minutes from my house (it's the same guy I sold all my records to a few years ago!). The guy remembered me, and I expressed regret and foolishness at having sold my collection, but he understood how I was pressed for cash at the time, and he really is a fair and nice fella, who knows how to work with people. I bought many original 45s today, and he gave me a discount on many of them, which was very cool.

I bought original 45s by Buddy Holly, The Coasters, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, James Brown, Herman Hermits, The Beatles, and others. I was amazed at how relatively clean and in good condition these were, and so far I was able to test them out when I got home, on a (temporary) portable phonograph.

But I have to say how amazed I was to find many, many people shopping for vinyl in this guy's store. I also saw a few very young couples - so it's true what they've been saying that VINYL LIVES!, and also that even today's youngsters who were never around in the oldie days of records are into this hobby! There was a young girl of 19 or 20 buying a stack of LPs. When I commented on how lively the store was today, the owner told me this was actually slow for him as of late.

I just cannot explain the thrill and excitement I got from "record hunting" and going through the bins today! I haven't had this much fun with record shopping since around 1986! THIS is what it's all about - the thrill of the hunt, finding gems here and there, and owning phsycal collectibles, actual antiques of a bygone era to hold and care for, and to "play with". I can't recall the last time I felt such a high like that, really. I used to go record hunting with a couple of my friends in the early to mid-80's, but when I got my CD player in December 1986, that was the end of that, until today.

The others can keep the boring, soul-less, impersonal digital downloads, Itunes, and Ipods.

Well, my turntable arrived today! (FAST service from Amazon), and I hooked it up and I think it sounds pretty damn good so far. (Looks like the turntable's pre-amp ability worked well). One thing that always irks me though - why don't they ever make the power cord and line to the amplifier longer so you can have the turntable a respectable distance apart if you choose?

I'm already having a ball playing various records, but I can see I'm going to have to invest in one of those dust brush/cleaners.. when playing an LP, I noticed the dust building on the stylus after the second track (and this was an LP that was brand new-like, rarely ever played, and safely in its inside record sleeve with paper and an outer plastic covering! How in the world does dust get inside that?

Last night I had a very revealing and spiritual experience. It was about 11:30pm and I decided to play a couple of original Capitol Beatles LPs on my brand new turntable. Although I'd sold 99% of my vinyl collection, I still had a few Capitol originals left.

I played the STEREO version of MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, and it was like I've only just heard this album for the first time even though I've actually heard it a million times. Believe it or not, I heard things I did not recall from the CDs... and amazingly, the sound was actually better.

The thing is, I was sitting on my couch with all the lights out late at night as I listened -- and there was a little light on my turntable that lit up in the dark, where I could slightly glimpse the label spinning and the stylus gently massaging the record while I listened. It was listening to the music as originally intended... and as so many people did in 1967. The album I was playing was an actual "relic" from 1967... and the music as accompanied by such ambiance that I never got in 25 years of playing Compact Discs.

I loved getting up to flip the record over - also as intended, with songs sequenced a certain way by Capitol, to get the full experience. It is the INTERACTION that I also love when playing vinyl records.

After MMT ended I had time ot put on just one side of SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND before retiring to bed. I decided to put on Side Two, and again it was a marvelous experience. Everything sounded so fresh to me, and so different from the CDs I'd grown accustomed to for the past 25 years. But what really excited me was that it turned out that the PEPPER album was the MONO version, with all the different little sounds and changes! (I had no idea my copy was Mono when I put it on the platter).

I was stunned at how "clean" both records sounded, too. I couldn't detect a snap, crackle, or pop in the entire time I listened, honestly.

The bottom line is -- THIS was how I used to listen to all my music back in the older days ... I would make an "event" out of playing a full album, sitting or lying back and drinking in the experience and the interaction with it. With CDs I always just had music on in the background, mainly... I don't think I ever set out to dim the lights and really "feel" the experience.