Hey pal, glad you are here, pull up a chair!

Other people will answer and help you out more than I, but here is a short response.

If you clean the record, clean your stylus, and get your tracking pressure right, you can enjoy the record A LOT! They certainly wear, and some folks believe that there is some highest frequency info that does not survive the first play (not sure I am with them on that one) but you can enjoy them for decades. I have!

Another thing that happens, as you upgrade over the decades, the higher priced cartridges many times use a diamond stylus profile that rides deeper in the groove, so you can get beneath some of the wear.

About digitizing, I am a digitizing fool with my vinyl! It is so my family can listen to the music as they are a bit afriad of breaking the turntable. I digitize at 24 bits and 96Khz, and the files sound really great. They are certainly not better than the vinyl, and close back and forth shows the highs in my set up are not as smooth and round sounding as the vinyl, but they are really close and so very easy to play.

But I have records that are 39 years old and I still enjoy them. Another thing, you will buy more records and have more to listen to!

Glad you are here, and enjoy your setup.

Trey

I too enjoy vinyl and have LPs going back into the 50's. I constantly amazed with the quality and weight of the old vinyl when I play them. I record to digital alot and I have discovered a method that will reduce static and give you a cleaner play and record. I'm not too crazy about hearing eggs and bacon when I play an LP. I of course make sure my LP and stylus are clean. I use an old CD size piece of plastic that you get when you buy CDRs and cover the center section of the LP -- protecting the label. I also use an old, large nut to weigh down the center of the lP to help keep it flat. Then I spray an anti-static spray (Endust for Electronics) over the lp, lightly coating it. I then play or record my lp. It really helps a lot when recording.

Sorry--new to site.