I’m not the best to support this having changed my whole system after it came out of a 20 year hibernation in the loft and wasn’t as good as it should have been, so I started afresh.
But my aim now is to spend my hard earned cash on music, in vinyl or CD format, I love vinyl so tactile, so involving, it’s what I grew up with so I’ll put up with the odd pop and click. All my LP’s have been cleaned, put in anti static sleeves and inserted in external sleeves to keep them as clean as possible, so far it’s working.
Will I upgrade again, maybe, I might look at a new cartridge in a few years and adding a subwoofer will be considered. But now every spare moment is spent listening to music whilst SWMBO watches the soaps and desperate housewive.
I did something along those lines.
Only updating an an old system (1990-93) budget award winners into the streaming world caused me to start afresh and move the older hifi into another room.
Whilst doing so, demoing and box shifting through the popular choices only to find I prefer something else, I looked primarily at streaming (even covering Bluetooth) and my favourite format for sound the CD.
After finding (the to use an old name) "separates" I liked, I felt something was missing.
I used to djay incessantly for both fun and as a part time income the (proper) and old way with vinyl and missed all the above the tactility, the reading over the sleeves whilst it plays, the collecting and the way I feel when flicking through my records to find something to put on.
I missed what the small amount of newcomer's who've sparked off a small vinyl resurgence have only just been given a taste of and that's the connection formed with the music itself through ownership and physical involvement.
It all sounds very mawkis h but it's a connection I feel with no other format.
I only use streaming as a way to discover new music then purchase the ones I like on CD primarily for quality but also secondary for nearly the same connection.
If I really like something I'll get the record if found reasonable as I did the clash recently.
I had to have a record deck it felt to me like a inherint part of a hifi gone with the new set (other than the empty rack space) and to me the most involving although not the best sounding for the most part.
I can't remember life without one maybe it's also part of the reason I defend them yet prefer CD for audio quality.
Although I'm not after many years of moving and storing them in all kinds of the persuasion that records need cotton mits to handle etc, truth is I threw mine around all the time, rested tea cups on them out of the sleeve and stuck what are now rarities on the wall 😲
But for the most part as long as not scratched and put back in the sleeve or case (I used to separate mine as regular use would destroy the sleeves) they seem to do well.
I mention this as I've heard the negativity over records usually hinges around the inherint pops etc and the bogus speak that they crumble if breathed upon.
I know I'm drifting from the original op question a tad but to me it's more than just the sound that's produced with records.
They almost record what was happening at the time with me.
I have sleeves with old girlfriends scribbles all over and friends names etc.
Certain pops trigger memories of the time I skated the needle over when mixing and my friend pushed past.
My current record collection is a lot different now of course as I only use a system deck iix and humble goldring e3 to play classical and nothing else in which it adds a certain audible body ive come to love.
As for cleaning them I just use warm slightly soaped water.
It got me by for years whilst going from smokey workman's clubs to discos and even then cleaning them for the most part was done automatically by the regular play of the needle.
I'd just grab the ball if fluff that would gather behind and flick it away.
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