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Just wondered what the general consensus on this was.

Rega, in their manual says keep the turntable spinning during a listening session to prolong the life of the turntable and its components and to get best results.

However, i read on 'thevinylengine' that you should always stop the turntable after ever side as you can scratch the record by lifting whilst spinning!

So do i believe the manufacturer or the "knowledgeable" user?

What do you do?

I really don't know what the "best" technique is for the longevity of your table, but I always stop it before taking off the record… the latter just sounds like it would be too chaotic for my crazy person hands! Haha

I always leave mine spinning, startup puts the most stress on the motor, belt and bearing. Can't say I've ever scratched a record doing this apart from that time I was drunk and knocked the tonearm so the stylus fell back on the record. I can still remember which record that was (Saturnalia by the gutter twins).

If you must stop the deck each time it's really best to help the startup with a little manual spin.

Yeah I've always kept it spinning just because that's what it said in the instructions and it is the first turntable I've had. But I wasn't serious about collecting vinyl like I am now do never really thought about damage to the record.

I must say I've not noticed any damage

I have a Rega as well and always keep it spinning. I don't think there's a risk that it will leave any scratches if you just do it quickly. I think both the standard felt slipmats and the rubber Technics style slipmats are "vinyl friendly".

If you have a Rega, I recommend using the rubber slipmat as the felt one will sometimes stick to the record when you lift it.

Also, as lazyben writes, you should always help it along with a manual spin before switching it on. Especially on the Rega you can really hear the audible stress the motor is going through when starting up.

A fantastic record - hope it dropped on The Body though as that's the weakest track on there

I keep my Rega spinning. But seriously guys, it's best not to get too obsessive about this stuff. Your records aren't going to break if you lift them from a spinning table. Just play them and don't worry too much

And Rasmus - a cork turntable mat with a Rega is the dream combo. Trust me. Though I agree felt is the worst!

I agree about enjoying them but I have a few that i definitely err on the side of caution such as L'Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo and A field in England

[quote=19008]I agree about enjoying them but I have a few that i definitely err on the side of caution such as L’Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo and A field in England[/quote]

My copy of the Harold & Maude LP will indeed testify to the wisdom of occasional extra caution (the memory of me accidently dropping the arm as I returned it to rest and watching it bounce across the still moving record is forever seared in my mind - could have been worse though - just one 4 or 5 click scratch resulted. I was and am gutted though).....

I think it was somewhere on side A as that has loads of marks on it (it came new at the time with most of them and I just added one) and the rest looks clean. I'm playing it now but I don't remember it causing problems when I've played it since then. It is a great album.

Yeah as you start to pick up more expensive pieces it becomes a little more obsessive.

Touch wood, I've not damaged anything yet!

Perhaps this a moot point now, but I also leave the table spinning (generally speaking).

I've been collecting since I was 15 and I really don't worry about my records being pristine, hell I DJ with stuff such as the Boogeyman , Libra 6 and April
orchestra (all worth a pretty penny) I don't mind crackles and skips to be honest (and not in a hipster 'they enhance the listening experience ' way) I just wanna play them ...
I DJ'd outside for the BFI / Hammer last year and it was so windy it kept blowing my records of the turntable ! Was pretty funny really and I now have two records worth well over £200 completely knackered ... I guess they are not worth £200 now haha ... I literally had to chase one around the grounds of the British museum ..

I did notice you were pretty relaxed about leaving your records on the turntable when you left the decks to watch the live performance at Umberto gig in London! Respect! I have no problems playing out any of my records - valuable or not..... what's the point of having them otherwise? Best thing about music is sharing it.

^ ^ ^

Couldn't agree more with these chaps!

I agree music is to be enjoyed. Only thing id say is if they get too damaged it sucks when listening through headphones.

Ha yeah, I remember your records blowing away.

I have an acrylic platter and tend not to stop the motor although sometimes with new records the hole in the middle makes them snug fit so hard to lift off easily. Fairly quickly sorted by taking a biro and quickly spinning it a few times in the hole.

Don't think I've ever stopped the SL1200s in 25 years, although I've always had slip mats.

I must be the outlier. I always stop my TT. I can easily buy another 1200 or replace parts but some of my records are going to be hard to replace for a good price. Plus I have really shaky hands and knowing me I would do more damage. I never have noticed any issues with stopping and starting a lot.

1200s were made to start/stop, so you have a better experience than a lot of the belt drive folks would have (never mind the idler drive folks).