[geezer]

I don't know how "hard" my data is, but my personal experience (40 years of spinning the black discs) is that if you set up your cartridges correctly, clean your records and stylus scrupulously, and use a quality tonearm, record wear is a non-issue. By the mid seventies, I'd invested in fairly high quality hardware and developed good record hygiene. When I play my old records bought after that period, they still sound quiet and display no discernible loss of audio quality compared to new or low play recent purchases. Heck, I even occasionally pull out played to death and abused records that my wife had played on a cheap RCA fold-up record player and they sound remarkably good when played with a line contact stylus that gets down into the groove area that the original cheap conical stylus couldn't reach.

Do you ever detect any effects in the higher frequencies, especially near the center?

[Photon46]

No loss of high frequency info noticed. However, I'm categorically uninterested in the sort of highly detailed and bright "hi-fi" sound that some listeners seem to prefer. Perhaps someone who has a different type of system that's tilted up in the upper treble might hear the record wear issue differently. In any event, to my ears and brain, what makes vinyl worth the trouble is the extremely palpable imaging and harmonic "wholeness" that even a good sacd doesn't equal. Plus, the bass reproduction evident in excellent vinyl playback beats any digital I've heard. (Admitting I've never heard DCS top line digital systems or the equivalent.) Record wear just doesn't seem like it should be much of an issue to someone with hundreds or thousands of lps in their collection. I listen a couple hours every day and I still don't listen to my favorites more than 12-15 times a year.

[neobop]

A point of curiosity: Are there any hard data on the sound degradation of LPs vs. number of plays?

Years ago I saw a studie(s) of wear. They played a few discs about a million times and concluded that most records could be played hundreds possibly thousands of times virtually without wear, if certain conditions were met. Those conditions were the expected clean record and needle. The needle had to be in good shape as well.

Most groove damage seems to be from playing dirty records. Particles of dust and dirt get ground into the grooves. The temperature increases as the tip traces the groove, and because the contact area is so small the VTF has the equivalent force of hundreds of PSI. Nothing new here for veteran record enthusiasts, but I was reminded recently that there are many people new to this medium and might not know this stuff.
neo

[TimArruda]

Mapleshade has quality record racks made from oak or maple http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/Unfinished-Oak-Record-Shelf-System/productinfo/RR-OAK-UN/

Laura

Thanks Laura!

[rab1234]

I hope someone appreciates my records when I'm dead and gone. My first good system was a nice Luxman (PD172? or something like that) turntable and the 150 watt luxman receiver (still have receiver, well my son has it and the TT is gone). home made speakers plus a pair of Ohms. This was back in the early 80's and my wife can attest that I can pretty much tell you have many plays each of my records have on it (she was mad at me once and played I think it was Pink Floyd over and over again). I also bought every Mobile Labs and 1/2 speed masters I could get my hands on. I was extra careful with all my albums and to this day they sound great. I dont know what they are worth but for example I have MJ Thiller with maybe 10 plays on it. None have 20. So take care of those records, its well worth it. I found it pretty hard to get high quality used albums, they may look just fine but some have been played so many times they sound washed out. I'll pay up to $20 on a used album and have gotten a few jems.