Time between playing the same LP


To all vinyl lovers,

I have always believed that an LP should have a 24 hour grace period to cool down before being played again. Reason being that the plastic is still soft from the heat generated by the stylus going along the groove and replaying the LP while it is still "warm" will distort the groove permanently and cause distortion.

Is this an old wives tale or is there truth in it?

I'd be interested to know, as I do discipline myself to give a record a "rest" and I sometimes feel that I would like to hear that particular piece again.

Your comments very welcome.
shiprepair

Showing 1 response by arch7

Lets think about the physics here. The p/a (stress) that the stylus creates is quite high and yes it must generate heat. Each spot the LP gets only a brief visit from the stylus so I think any residual heat is negligible and is very quickly dissipated. Don't forget the LP has a built-in cooling system called the turntable. Spinning at 33.3 rpm will certainly cool the LP very fast.