Stylus and record wear (again)

You don't need to even play a record in order for it to deteriorate. Thats just the laws of this cosmos.

If you do play a record - and its truly deteriorating a little after every play - can you actually hear this? If not....whats the problem?

Are you trying to save your favorite record so that someone in the future can put it in a box in a garage -- or throw it out as old fashioned music no one listens to anymore? Whats the obsession here?

Why not replace your records like you do your stylus if it helps keep the OCD down to a managable level. Just buy 2 or 3 of the same record at the same time and replace as they audibly degrade.

Best practice based on my 4+ decades of record listening: take care of your vinyl, keep it relatively clean, use a decent TT and cartridge, and replace your stylus after every 1000 hours or so of use. Enjoy rather than fret / become anxious.

FWIW I have several records I've played many hundreds of times over the years and hear no audible difference when I compare them to the exact same pressing with very little play.

 

There are LPs Ive played many many times with use of Elliptical and Conical styli. They tracked well, were installed properly and sound just the same as they used to from what I remember. Except for the parts where they simply couldnt track perfectly, so inner grooves with intense passages mostly. I now have a very nice profile in shape of a Paratrace and most any passage is flawless as long as its not endured worse gear that distorted before, even from just a few plays.

So in short, its the distortion you hear that is damaging, not the clean playing grooves.

 

Exactly. Maintain your equipment, handle and ply your records properly and leave it at that. While wear and degradation will almost certainly be measurable, it probably won't be discernible and definitely not objectionable.

 

One time I left a needledrop in process running and completely forgot about it. The raw capture file had about two hours of lock groove recorded.

Interestingly, the noise floor of that lock groove did not change in any way. That's about 4000 plays.

 

I needle-drop good records, and probably listen to those files on my iPod more than play the record. The record sounds slightly better.

 

I have an excellent cart & TT, just not worried about it. At all.

 

But surely you understand the re-badged Pro-Jects are not what most people are thinking of when you say the word Crosley?

Where I fall on this is that Crosley (meaning the suitacase and all-in-one music system products) is not even worth “bashing” any more than a plastic HTIB speaker is worth bashing. It’s just not serious audio equipment, and not of interest to me. I hope people who have them enjoy them, and I hope they really don’t unduly wear records. I’m not going to test that out myself.