It really doesn't take a lot of effort to keep records in reasonable condition. I started cleaning mine with a brush while I was in my teens. Always put them back in the jacket when done. Check the stylus under a microscope every once in a while and replace when you see any blemish starting. Check tonearm adjustments a couple times a year. Through most of my years, starting in the late 60's, I used an old Dual 10xx or 12xx turntable. Don't need anything fancy to keep records in good shape as long as the simple maintanence steps are taken. Upgrading equipment through the years always brought an increase in listening quality. If I would have had iPods years ago, I would have long since reached a point where upgrades became a problem as they showed up the flaws in the medium. If everyone had had this senerio happen, true high-fidelity playback would have indeed died off. I'm just glad I had such excellent source material right from the beginning. I feel sorry for kids today who invest heavy in compressed recordings, then in a few years decide they want really good sound from a new system. They won't be able to get it without replacing their whole collection of recordings.

Dave