record zen

This is when you let the run-off groove play with the different sounds it makes, the crackle, pops, and sometimes, if you're lucky, the silence or near-silence. Do you let it play or do you worry about the needle hours you're wasting? Has anyone ever gotten on your case about it? I've been told it's mindless. Is the run-off groove annoying, relaxing, or neutral to you?

i let it play as long as it takes me to get off my 50-year old ass. and i enjoy it.

I worry abt my needle which is past due for a change but hideously expensive.

yes so is mine! i keep putting it off--Goldring 1042 i think it is--about $300 last i checked!

mine's a Goldring too :( starts at $175. I love it though.

I really like it when this sound is incorporated into music.

Am I going to feel guilty only buying an $80 needle when I can finally afford one? Will things track like crap or sound bad, or will my hypothetical $80 needle wear my favorite records down?

The very worst is when your record kind of doesn't have a run off groove, or if the groove is messed up somehow, and the needle just starts dragging on plastic.

Is it obvious when you need to replace your needle? Mine's a Goldring too, dunno which model number, but it's bound to be expensive.

I haven't noticed any degradation in sound but I've had this record player over a year and the needle came with it, so who knows how long the previous owner had it for.

I think things get more trebly and, yeah, there's a drop in fidelity. A super trashed needle sounds like a distant am station.

if your needle starts picking up dust and dirt a lot and you are constantly cleaning stuff off of it, you PROBABLY need a new needle.

if records that never skipped before start skipping, you PROBABLY need a new needle.

both these phenomena are often the result of a worn down dull needle.

i have had the opposite of zen happen. napping, record ends, skids over to paper and the loudest white noise waking me to run over and pull off needle. not cool