Vinyl Pops/Cracks/Static - At a bit of a loss here

The cart is the problem; honest

 

Static or dirty tip.

 

I respectfully and totally disagree. I have over 5000 lps and very few have ANY surface noise(s). The ones that do certainly don't click or pop, but more of a light "tick" or two. It all depends on how dedicated one is on selecting, cleaning, and storing recirds.

 

Of course it's possible. I shock people on a regular basis over this topic.

 

I have had intermittent pops/clicks for 35 years, THAT is what music sounds like. just drop the needle and enjoy.

is this throughout the rock parts, or just quieter passages?


anyway, pick yourself u p a 5 gallon, or 10 gallon home industrial vacuum. buys some peel and stick felt pads, cut to size, put all the way around the smallest attachment, the one which will fit the record the best.
and vacuum them after washing, huge difference for me. I have been doing this for several years now. sometimes i can get through an entire side with only a few memorable "ticks"

 

This is why people have unrealistic expectations when getting into the fun of vinyl.

A lot of my records are "relatively quiet", but unless you live next door to a gravel crushing plant, just about every one has some mild noise, and for sure they all have a bit of surface noise, most notable to me during quiet sections, certain albums, certain weather and at times, I completely overlook it, but it is simply part of the experience.

 

I rarely use the term impossible, but in this case, it is a fact. I too have as many Lp's and in various states of condition, but most are VG to VG+ by the Goldmine Record Guide standard. The records are cleaned and are very quiet on my systems. I too "shock people on a regular basis" when demonstrating analog systems at my shop. It is the result of good components, good set-up, good system matching, and of course clean records that are in good condition. I have recently been demonstrating an Lp that is well used with obvious surface scratches and it still sounds very good, despite a few ticks from that damage. It is low in level and not objectionable IMO. With a record that looks more perfect, there is no discernible noise but at very high levels and during silent groove sections. That is not to say that there is no noise or that the record playback is silent at any point, it is just so low that you can't hear it or don't notice it. Even on an unmodulated, "silent" groove section, there is going to be some noise created by the friction of scraping a rock across a piece of plastic. If you don't hear it, it doesn't mean that it isn't there or that it doesn't happen. Just be thankful that you don't notice it or let it bother you.
-Bill

 

I think part of it is the difference between noticing it, and caring about it.
I know in reality, that is just how it works. Like every open reel tape will have "Hiss". Now some tapes the hiss level is fairly low, but it will be there for a fact.

 

You nailed it.

 

Pro-tip MKII: If the LP in the used bin reeks like an ashtray, best to pass. Exposure to smoke is a black background killer.

 

You certainly must be a very blessed man with sunshine always upon your head and of course your albums. My almost 60 years of experience says otherwise and the more revealing the system the more the noise is apparent. While I have some very quiet LPs everyone has surface noise because that is the nature of the medium. I have WLPs and even test pressings that have some noise. Yeah and I have about as many LPs as you and even more although I am winnowing my collection.

 

I like to be realistic about vinyl. If I discuss it with someone thinking about getting into it, I usually almost try to convince them, they many not like it or think its worth the hassle.
But painting an overly rosy picture may attract some to it initially but then have them quickly give up on it.

Had a friend with a lexus car, he went on and on about how it was so quiet you could not even hear the road or tires and it was far quieter than my hyundai Sonata I just got a couple years ago.

So I finally get to take a ride in it, he is grinning and asking me over and over..."Quiet huh?", " "A lot better than your Hyundai I bet"......and so on.

I said, "Wow great ya its fantastic" but I had to lie, as it was really not a lot quieter, but maybe 3-4 decibels or so at most.
I was embarrassed to tell him he was quite wrong.

 

The problem with that "sheen" is that it can be easily faked. Very easy to wipe down records with lighter fluid, among other things, to make them look clean and shiny. I've actually seen shops do this with my own eyes. I have some records that look "dull" on the surface after RCM cleaning but still play reasonably quiet w/r/t pops and ticks. My point is there is more to it than that and nothing is a silver bullet.

 

I've been pretty lucky, as my entire vinyl library consists of used records. I've got a few scratch-fests, but most of my records are in good condition without much in the way of clicks and pops. That said, I have yet to experience a record that is completely noise-free. In fact, I actually expect some clicks and pops, and consider it part of the listening experience. Coming from the digital side of the house, which tends to sound too perfect - clinical and sterile, I actually don't mind the occasional noise on an LP.

 

You got me thinking. When I do a needle drop and have it where I can play it digitally say like in the car, for some reason, a noise will bother me a LOT more!
You would think the opposite as the car makes background noise etc, but I tend to notice it more, in the car as it seems it should not be there....??

 

That is interesting. On the one hand, I can see some of it coming from expecting a digital medium to be noise-free. But still, to hear it more in the car, could be due to the car's unique acoustics.

 

Bill, do you have specific equipment to reduce pop's n clicks or simply well adjusted kit as per your second paragraph?

 

Something I think we are ALL overlooking related to vinyl noise -

yes it exists but the noticeability of it has also to do with the type of music you listen to. Most of mine is at least energetic and kind of "busy".
Of course we have had the "quiet passage" conversation but it is like this -

I know some enjoy quiet ambient type stuff and yeah, the surface noise is gonna be apparent. But if it is rock, pop, or something energetic, you ain't gonna notice the noise.
I knew that the first time i spun my Go gos album "beauty and the beat". Oh trust me, during the outer tracks that guide the needle to the music, there is hella noise (the album is not in good shape) but as soon as "we got the beat" kicks in, I notice no pops or cracks.

So yeah, i would almost bet that those who seem to have more surface noise problems are the "ambient music" listeners while those who do not notice it probably are more into music that is itself "noisy" like my Berlin or Irene Cara LPs.

AND - if you have LPs like Slayer, you will not hear ONE SINGLE pop or crackle. Just screams, yelling, banging, distorted guitars, crashing drums...
Any distortion you hear in that case is just the speakers begging for mercy.

 

I don't use any sort of noise reduction units. I have heard some old "de-clickers" in use but they also have some noise of their own and some odd effects on realism. Sort of like how Dolby NR was to tape back in the day. It would reduce one issue and create another. I did give the OP some specific advice pertaining to his system in the second paragraph there. As I stated in another post about minimizing surface noise," It is the result of good components, good set-up, good system matching, and of course clean records that are in good condition."
-Bill

 

Perhaps since I am not in the process of actually playing a record, I do not "hear" it as a record, unless I see the record spinning on a turntable.
I had the same effect years ago when recording FM radio, a couple parts where the signal momentarily faded in and out, were unbearable on tape!

 

I'll go along with that.

Years ago when I decided to give the Shure M97Xe cart (with stock stylus) a try, listening to vinyl was a real pain to be honest. Lots of vinyl noise, inner groove distortion and right channel crackle.

Then I went back to Audio Technica with the 440 MLa then later on to the 150 MLX. Problems solved.

 

Man I caught all kinds of hell for making a similar statement a while back. No matter what anyone thinks, friction is never silent.

 

Just looking over the steps of the OP. The things that caught my eye is the alignment of a Rega Cart on a Rega Arm. Seems pointless with the 3 point attachment. And I'm not sure what the canned air is for, but, this seems like a bad idea, especially if it used in one of the later steps. Rather than canned air, I would use bulb blower that photographers use over a propellants in a canister.

That being said, I'm still not sure what to say because I'm not really sure of OPs expectations. I've collected record for about 40 years and I don't really have the expectation that a record will ever be as silent as a CD. If that is the expectation, I think it's unreasonable. I go through most of the listed steps and I will hear still hear an occasional pop and click. I clean my records and stylus and use a Zerostat. I have 2 decks a Rega P3 with a LO Grado Platinum and a Rega P5 with a Benz-Micro Gold. The P3 will have more noticeable pops and ticks over the P5. I will state that these aren't very often annoying. On the P5, if there is a pop and a tick, they are unnoticed by me unless the record actually requires a recleaning because something nasty got in the groove. The P5 is on the better system, but I tend to think, the cart is more responsible for the smoothing out the unwanted noises. I would state that I would try out the settings KT88 has suggested. They sounds reasonable to me to try out. I have no experience with Rega carts, but, on my 2 Regas, neither of them, even with records that have infrequent pops and clicks, the unwanted noises don't really disrupt the music. So, I'm thinking the Rega cart might be the difference if the noises are disruptive. So maybe trying out a different cart might help. I don't think you can get rid of all pops and clicks, but, they shouldn't be so disruptive that it removes your immersion from the music. I've spent thousands of dollars on RCMs, sleeves, cleaning fluids and other devices. KT88's comment of the horn tweeters seems reasonable as well. I also tend to think, Headphones listening, outside of a binaural recording would be more conducive to noticing pops and clicks with sound stage between your ears as opposed to a sonic projection in front of you from speakers.

 

For what it's worth, two things I've done that seem to have reduced (but certainly not eliminated) the noise from my vinyl:
1. Stopped using my Spin-Clean. Some people seem to get really good results from it. I finally had to admit that it wasn't doing me much good, and that some of my cleaned records actually had more noise than before. I started hand-washing old and used records with cheap 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner instead, and I'm getting much less surface noise.
2. I replaced the felt mat on my Rega RP1 with a thin cork mat. Static problems have pretty much disappeared.

I know some of you would never recommend the shampoo/conditioner cleaning, and I understand your concerns. I'm just saying I've had some pretty good experiences with it. I don't think it beats a good vacuum cleaning machine, but as an inexpensive option I've had much better results with it than with the Spin Clean.

However, if you're going to listen to vinyl, you have to have some tolerance for surface noise or you'll drive yourself crazy.

 

you give me hope. Thought I was doomed