I finally bought a record cleaning machine $

Rushton and Albert: If you will refer back to my post (the forth one down) you'll notice I said the same thing as regards RCF residue (not that it doesn't bear repeating, of course.) I strongly urge all of you, if you haven't done so already, to read Justin_time's two (rather lengthy but really good) posts on the subject. You can find them by typing RCF in the search field.

It's been my experience that the 16.5 is very critical about the angle of the pick up brush. It seems to leave a lot of gunk behind if not adjusted just so. The gunk ends up on the stylus which is definitely not good. I'd rather run the vacuum too long and then deal with the possibility of static rather than run the risk of having the record half-vacuumed.

Plato and others, I am sorry if my choice of words came off sounding wrong.

The following comments are in no way meant to gain sympathy, I don't need sympathy. What I would like is a little understanding.

When I was a young boy, our family was very poor. I vividly remember one Christmas getting a record of Gene Autry (something I had begged for months earlier).

I was so excited that I accidentally pressed against it with my knee while helping my younger sister. The record broke and I never got another copy.

Typical gifts for Christmas were jeans, socks and underwear for school and one good gift, accompanied by a secondary gift of a stocking filled with fresh fruit, pecans and walnuts.

Lots of people struggled back then, my sister and I had a VERY good life with wonderful loving parents, plenty of good food and my dog.

What I never had were the things that most young boys ask for and dream of. A new boy scout knife or flashlight, a camper tent , a BB Gun. Mostly I did with a surplus green Army blanket as a tent and an old knife my granddad gave me.

Deprived? Hardly, there were kids at my school that begged fellow students for change to come up with the 20 cents necessary to buy a hot lunch. Their parents could not afford the cash outlay.

I had it good, compared to many but it did teach me to not be wasteful.

Later as I grew up and graduated from high school, bought my first motor cycle from proceeds of my paper route (stated at 11 years old) and my way into the "toys" I always wanted.

In college I worked full time at LTV Aerospace, paying my own way through school. I got the job at LTV by working at a grain and feed store for spending money and attending night classes in order to qualify to for the job application at LTV.

What does all that have to do with audio? Not a damn thing, except I love music. It's my only passion other than my family. So when I post a comment that my software is too precious for me to destroy due to my negligence, it's my way of saying I respect how hard a buck is to come by. I don't waste any money and every penny in my audio system was a smart buy and paid for by hard work.

I almost feel I should apologize for this explanation. It's difficult reading words on a page to know if someone is angry, sincere or what emotion is being expressed. I am not angry, not upset. Just hopeful you guys understand.

The fact is, if you are a serious practicing audiophile with a reference level system, you have to have large amounts of disposable income. Additionally, if your software collection is commensurate with your equipment, then you have a small fortune invested vinyl, CDs, etc. There's no getting around it, it cost serious money to play this game at a high level. I truly hope that the people involved in this hobby can really afford some of the equipment that appears in many of the virtual systems listed. By that I mean, they are not stretching to afford a $30,000+ piece of equipment. People who buy new Rolls Royces write checks for the purchase amount. If you have to finance it, haggle over the price, shop dealers for the best deal, then maybe you really can't afford it. Now if you can't afford the best, there's no reason to criticize those who can. As long as someone got their money in a legal and ethical fashion, then more power to them.

Fortunately, for the other 99% of use, it doesn't take that much money to put together a good quality system. If you own a house, can take a family vacation, can lease a new car and aren't over extended on your credit cards, then you can afford a $3,000 to 7,500 system. For that kind of money plus some skill and diligence you should be able to assemble an excellent quality system. But suppose you can't even afford that? Well, my advice would be to get an iPod, a Bose Wave, a Cambridge combo player, a Denon or JVC mini system and spend whatever money you can on building up your music collection. One day you'll be able to afford better equipment, but the music is what's really important and that's why Albertporter takes such good care of his records. When you work hard for something it shouldn't be surprising that you appreciate it and care for it that much more.

Nsgarch, sorry not to give appropriate credit for first mention. I knew I'd seen that comment already, but when I went back looking for it I only spotted it the second time in Albert's post.

I have been reading Justin-time's posts and the ensuing conversation. Very worthwhile thread.
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