The vinyl revival has been much-hyped, but it really is a thing. Many people have started buying new vinyl – either for the first time ever, or once again. Also, many of us never abandoned the format in the first place. When properly cared for and played back on serious turntables, LP records can sound absolutely stunning – better than any hi-res digital front end, at least to many analogue-addicted ears!

Yet there's no denying you have to be on top of your vinyl set-up and care routine to really get the best from it – whether you're a newbie or a long term vinylista. You need to observe certain procedures and routines – from cleaning the stylus to washing the discs themselves. This is because so many small things affect the way vinyl sounds. It's a highly-sensitive medium – a tweaker's paradise, you might say.

Personally speaking, I've kept my extensive record collection and would never part with you. Yet I play an awful lot of CDs and SACDs, and of course, downloads and streaming. I expect my LPs to match digital media for clarity, low distortion, and low background noise. That's regardless of whether I buy new or used. Many folk, like me, buy LPs secondhand – possibly from charity shops, in less than perfect condition. But you can still make the best of them if you try…

GOOD VIBRATIONS

Before we get into caring for your music 'software', let's look at the 'hardware'. Turntables are more susceptible to poor set-up than pretty much any other hi-fi source I can think of. That's why it's essential to get your deck working as well as it can. Also, many turntables don't have any suspension, which is why it's crucial to site them on a good, stable platform that's as free from vibration as possible. The same goes for designs with a sprung subchassis, which also work best with the minimum of ground-borne vibration getting into them.

All hi-fi components are affected by vibration, but because turntables are essentially electro-acoustic measuring instruments, they're especially susceptible. In some cases, with decks that have limited decoupling, the pickup arm might even jump a few grooves as you walk past. Even if things aren't that sensitive, the pickup might be troubled by steady, low-level feedback from the loudspeakers. In extreme cases, this can lead to so-called 'howl round', in much the same way you get microphone squeals with a PA system.

One way to combat this is to mount the turntable on decoupling feet. Rubber works reasonably well, but Sorbothane is more effective. Even more effective is spring decoupling, as provided by The Funk Firm's Boing support-feet ($230 - $320, depending on version). There are three or four feet in each set. The circular alloy housing measures 5.5cm in diameter and is about 4.5cm tall, with two rubber damping rings on the circumference and a rubber ring on the base. You can specify the number of springs from three to nine. Our review sample came with six springs, making it suitable to support components weighing between 16kg to 25kg. The feet come with M6 threaded bolts as standard, but other sizes are available if required.

These support feet proved highly effective at isolating components from structure-transmitted vibration. Using a set with a Thorens TD 124 turntable in place of an old Mission support platform with four Sorbothane feet, the increased isolation was marked. This turntable is mounted in a heavy marine-ply plinth that sits on four rubber support feet. There is some decoupling, but not much, and the Mission platform gives a noticeable increase in isolation. That the Boing supports were even better is a great testimony to their effectiveness. Recommended!

The Pro-Ject Ground-IT E ($266) support platform takes a different approach. It consists of a 2.75mm thick MDF board finished in high-gloss piano-black that sits on four adjustable conical zinc cones. A degree of decoupling is provided, but less than (say) Sorbothane or a sprung foot such as the Boing. Nevertheless, the Ground-IT E works well and should improve the sound of turntables, amplifiers, or CD players placed on it. It offers very good value at $266. There's also a deluxe version with added Granulate to further dampen resonances.

When you've got your deck as isolated from ground-borne vibrations as possible, you absolutely must get it level. There's a multitude of spirit levels on sale to assist in this, but one product I really rate is Ortofon's Hi-Fi Libelle ($18). A circular 'bullseye' design, it's the easiest way to adjust either your turntable support's platform and/or your turntable's own plinth using its levelling feet. This done, you'll have the deck running optimally – making for more secure tracking of your cartridge, theoretically less record wear and the correct operation of your deck's suspension system if it has one. It's an essential purchase for any serious vinylista.

PLATTER MATTERS

Replacing your turntable's platter mat is a sure-fire way of changing your LP sound, but the choice is bewildering. Which do you go for? A mat can be made of felt, rubber, cork, glass, acrylic, paper – you name it. Pro-Ject's Cork and Rubber IT is precisely what its name suggests.

Although just 1mm thick, the mat offers good support and damping qualities without being overdamped. The result is cleaner reproduction of the upper-mid and high frequencies on decks with aluminium platters.

But what about MCRU, which says that the best mat is no mat? MCRU Pressure Points (£29.95) support the record at its circumference using 8 decoupled self-adhesive pips. It is claimed that this improves reproduction by isolating the LP from noise and vibration emanating from the turntable while allowing stylus-induced vibrations to migrate to the air. On my Thorens TD-124, the sound was crisp and detailed but at the same time airy and spacious. On John Abercrombie's Current Events on ECM, instruments sounded more 'out of the box' in terms of spatial depth and width.

With the Pro-Ject Cork and Rubber IT, the sound was perhaps tighter and firmer but also a tad drier and more damped. With the Pressure Points, things seemed more relaxed and effortlessly natural. On balance, I definitely preferred the sound with the Pressure Points. It made LPs sound more like LPs rather than surrogate CDs. That's the risk if you damp everything down and try to kill all the resonances; you risk ending up with a sound that's precise but constrained and lacking in breadth and space.

HEAD LINES

Then, of course, there's the tonearm and cartridge to think of. Many audiophiles tighten-up their pickup cartridge fixing bolts in the belief that it helps the pickup maximise the retrieval of information from LP grooves. But actually, a little controlled decoupling between cartridge and headshell can be hugely beneficial. Origin Live's Cartridge Enabler (Reviewed here at $49.50) is brilliant value. Essentially a decoupling/damping shim that fits between cartridge and headshell, it really improves the sound.

The Funk Firm's Houdini (Reviewed here at $550) is a lot more sophisticated. A two-part device weighing about 1.8g, it features a decoupled platform for the cartridge. The degree of decoupling changes according to how tight the cartridge fixing bolts are with the OL Enhancer.

However, the Houdini's decoupling is independent of fixing-bolt tightness. Two versions are available – one for cartridges with threaded bolt holes and another for cartridges with straight-through unthreaded fixing holes. Fitting is a wee bit fiddly but straightforward. Being about 6mm thick, the Houdini requires the arm pillar to be raised by a similar amount.

You feed less vibrational energy into the arm tube and bearings by decoupling the cartridge from the headshell. The result is a more relaxed presentation that sounds cleaner, smoother, and more effortless with a firmer placement of instruments in the stereo soundstage. It's like the arm disappears as if by magic. Playing Rainbow Seeker from Joe Sample's album of the same name, the percussion had a brilliant quality that impressed with its immediacy and holographic 'out of the box' quality. Clarity was excellent, no matter how busy the music got.

I noticed a fairly significant reduction in 'needle talk' – the acoustic noise you hear coming from the cartridge with your ear close by as the LP plays. This is a good sign, indicating that all the information from the groove is being transferred without loss. So Houdini certainly works and comes strongly recommended. At $550, it's expensive compared to Origin Live's Cartridge Enabler, but the Houdini is a more complex device in terms of construction and is also beautifully made and finished.

CLEAN LIVING

When you've got your turntable suitably sited, positioned, levelled and tweaked, it's finally time to think about the records you're going to play on it. Surely the first port of call for all vinyl spinners has to be some sort of record brush for dust removal. Everyone has their favourite, but I do like Simply Analog's Wooden Brush ($29.95). This is a very nice design using 80% natural goat's hair from Greece, mixed with 20% synthetic fibres to reduce static.

The hairs are around 2.5cm long and feel very soft and springy. This brush is great for wiping off dust, but a bit 'soft' for wet cleaning LPs. I sometimes use Tonar's goat's hair brush with hairs around 1cm long, which creates a stiffer brush that gives the grooves more of a work-out – but it's a bit too 'stiff' when used dry.

Pro-ject's Brush IT ($16) is a very nice carbon-fibre brush with a thick bunch of ultra-fine hairs in two groups. Being very thin, the hairs can get right to the bottom of even the finest grooves, and are very good for surface dust removal. This is a great everyday design and is ideal if your records aren't in bad condition to begin with, just a bit dusty.

You could also consider Pro-ject's Sweep-IT E, which is a modern take on the old Watts Dust Bug – a device that brushes your records as they play. It has a nice soft bushy brush and a heavy free-standing base. It's an easy way to keep your LPs dust-free during play with minimal effort – although some vinyl purists regard it as a bit too much as it does present a very slight extra drag to the motor.

If your record cleaning brush doesn't do its job properly, you will need a stylus cleaner. Again, Pro-ject has a good one with its Clean-IT stylus brush ($14). This is my favourite type of stylus cleaner – lots of soft fine hairs tightly packed together that cleans the tip gently but firmly. Compared to some other brushes, the hairs on this one are a wee bit softer and more flexible, but they do the job well.

Very different is MCRU's Stylus Cleaning Putty (£5). Rather than using a brush, you simply drop your stylus on to the putty, and anything clinging to the tip is removed. It's a really great, relatively safe and non-invasive way of removing dust and other light gunk from the tip of your stylus, but more stubborn deposits benefit from a brush and liquid.

By the way, don't underestimate the cleaning effect the stylus has on the groove. Simple regular playing will help keep surface noise down, the stylus scavenging out dust from deep down. Of course, this is more pronounced with higher downforces, with 2g being about the minimum pressure required in my experience.

WATER WORKS

When the going gets tough, the tough get going – or something like that! Dry cleaning simply can't get really shonky record surfaces back to normal, so you need to get wet – or rather, your record does. Wet cleaning LPs is the most effective way to clean off decades of dust, dirt, and greasy fingermarks. Really keen vinyl enthusiasts all eventually seem to invest in a record cleaning machine using a suction system to vacuum off the liquid to leave LP surfaces clean and dry.

These are expensive, but there are some halfway houses that work surprisingly well. As a starter kit, Simply Analog's Vinyl Record Cleaning Boxset De Luxe Edition ($99.95) is a good place to begin. It consists of a stylus cleaner (soft brush in a clear liquid), a record brush made of goat's hair, a velvet record cleaning pad, a soft cleaning cloth, and spray-on cleaning fluid. It lets you wipe dust off LP surfaces and do a bit of light 'wet' cleaning using the spray fluid.

I tried the spray fluid on a clean dust-free LP that was about forty years old. The sound improved, becoming cleaner, more focused, firmer and more solid. Sometimes with spray fluids, you risk an increase in surface noise, but this did not happen with the LP in question. However, on LPs that are dusty and dirty, there's a chance that spraying the surface with fluid might create a sludge that results in surface noise – so be careful.

Lightly spraying a record does not clean it as deeply or effectively as a proper wet-cleaning system. For that, you need the Knosti Disco-Antistat Generation II ($139) or Spin-Clean's Record Washer System MkII ($169). Both feature a trough filled with cleaning fluid. The former is slightly more elaborate and sophisticated than the latter, but broadly speaking they're quite similar.

The Disco-Antistat puts the LP in a clamp that protects the label from getting wet, and there's a crank handle to turn the disc. It works well, but the clamp is a bit fiddly to assemble or take apart. So take care not to drop the record and damage it. The cleaning fluid is used neat. When you've finished – you can pour any remaining fluid back into the bottle using a funnel with a filter. Goat's hair brushes are used in the trough, and you spin the disc clockwise/anticlockwise back and forth a few times.

After washing, the wet LP is removed from the centre clamp and placed upright in a rack so it can dry naturally. This takes five to ten minutes or thereabouts. After cleaning, you should notice reduced surface noise, plus a smoother, cleaner, more relaxed quality of reproduction. It's very effective for records that are dirty, but not absolute basket cases – so it represents very good value for money.

With Spin-Clean, you place the disc in the trough – there's no centre clamp – and turn the record by hand from the edge of the LP. Two velvet cleaning pads grip it quite firmly. It's recommended you turn the disc three times clockwise, three times anticlockwise, to clean it thoroughly. Then remove the disc and dry it using the supplied cleaning cloths. A bottle of concentrated cleaning fluid is provided; just add two or three capfuls, having filled the trough with distilled water. The makers suggest tap water can also be used, but I would strongly recommend against this.

The results from the two systems are close in terms of sound quality. The Spin-Clean LPs were perhaps a shade smoother sounding, but there wasn't much in it. After drying, you may see slight surface streaking with Disco-Antistat. Because you wipe the surface of the discs to dry them after cleaning with Spin-Clean, you don't tend to get streaking. Of course, it would also be possible to dry wet LPs using a cloth with the Disco-Antistat system if this were preferred. The supplied Spin-Clean cleaning cloths are very good.

I tried cleaning a three-LP set of Mozart symphonies on the L'Oiseau-Lyre (Decca) label using both systems. The discs themselves were pressed in Holland by Philips and were superficially clean and free from dust and fingermarks – almost 'as new' in terms of visible condition. However, the vinyl must be about forty years old and, despite being relatively little played and kept in clean condition, washing noticeably improved the clarity and separation of the sound, with cleaner string tone and less congestion.

One of the LPs had a mark that caused a few loud cyclic clicks. It looked like a spot of mould, though it's hard to be sure about that. Washing it removed the mark completely, and eliminated the cyclic-clicks – a big improvement. Only immersive wet cleaning can do this...

Actually, washing LPs is the easy bit. The tricky part is drying them. Play a record with noisy surfaces while it's wet, and you'll nearly always find that clicks and pops are eliminated. However, once the liquid dries, the noise may return. Having had experience of wet-cleaning records over about fifty years, I've found the most reliable and effective way to dry the wetted surfaces is to use some kind of vacuum suction system. This lifts the liquid out of the grooves and with it any dust and debris that might cause surface noise.

To finish off, I gave Carly Simon's No Secrets a spin. I wet-cleaned the album using the Disco-Antistat, then played it on the TD-124 with the Pressure Points and Houdini in-situ. The sense of unforced clarity and naturalness was remarkable. The sound was smooth, clear, and realistic. This LP isn't exactly an audiophile special, just a good early nineteen seventies pop recording – and mine is a regular Alsdorf German pressing – yet it sounded effortlessly detailed and musically communicative. It was just like listening to the original mastertape. I could hardly believe the improvement.

AUSSIE SOLUTION

Closer to home there is also the Aussie designed and manufactured Vinyl Record Cleaning System (VRC) with a base kit that sells for $169.95. The base kit includes a VRC Platter with 3 Record Support Pucks (caters for 7", 10" & 12"), and a VRC Stack Rack (record drying apparatus for up to 10 records). The kit provide an easy and efficient means of applying VRC's Restore! vinyl record cleaning film to any size vinyl record and a convenient means of drying treated records. Though the kit is just a bonus to make life easier, at very least you'll need the VRC Restore! which is available from $29.95 for a 100ml bottle, which is enough to clean around ten LPs.

VRC Restore! is a proprietary formulation designed to dissolve the mixture of dust and dirt commonly found in a vinyl record groove. This mix will include all manner of oils and fats, finger grease, mould and mould spores, particulate matter such as stylus dust (ie diamond dust) and airborne dust. VRC Restore emulsifies and breaks down the binders which hold this soiling to the record. Once the binders are broken down the soiling is dissolved into solution. This solution - or slurry - dries sealing the trapped impurities into a removable skin which can then be peeled off for a 100% clean.

THE VERDICT

Of course, because not everyone uses the same turntable, tonearm and cartridge combination, the results you get from these various products will vary. There are probably more vinyl tweaks on sale now than there ever were in the so-called golden age of analogue back in the nineteen seventies when we were all listening to Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and burning josticks! Yet, if you choose any of the above products, you will noticeably improve your analogue sound, and carefully combining them will yield impressive results.

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