I'm a new owner of some great hi-fi pieces, and have finally started the vinyl collection I've always wanted. A majority of the records I've bought so far are audiophile-remastered reissues, brand new, sealed--which is fantastic. The handful of gems I've recovered from dusty bins and eBay sellers, however, range anywhere from VG+ to... shit. I'm set on the Nitty Gritty 2.5FI record cleaner, but I'm curious:
1) How often does one really need to clean records if they're brand new, or once a dirty record has been cleaned?
2) How effective--and more importantly, NECESSARY--are those protective poly-blend outer sleeves? And are they ugly as hell? They slide over the whole gatefold 'n everything.. I won't negate the aesthetic appeal of a vinyl collection. I'd rather not have them, but if the difference is real, then I certainly want to consider them.
Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!
I'm a new owner of some great hi-fi pieces, and have finally started the vinyl collection I've always wanted. A majority of the records I've bought so far are audiophile-remastered reissues, brand new, sealed--which is fantastic. The handful of gems I've recovered from dusty bins and eBay sellers, however, range anywhere from VG+ to... shit. I'm set on the Nitty Gritty 2.5FI record cleaner, but I'm curious:
1) How often does one really need to clean records if they're brand new, or once a dirty record has been cleaned?
2) How effective--and more importantly, NECESSARY--are those protective poly-blend outer sleeves? And are they ugly as hell? They slide over the whole gatefold 'n everything.. I won't negate the aesthetic appeal of a vinyl collection. I'd rather not have them, but if the difference is real, then I certainly want to consider them.
Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!