Which LP defect annoys you the most?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Strat-Mangler, Jun 16, 2021.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto
    In mild quantity/intensity, that is.

    I didn't include skips only because that'd certainly win the poll hands-down, thereby making it less interesting.

    For me, it's a record being off-center. When the pitch of a song rocks back & forth like a boat on the ocean, to me, that's game over immediately. I'm sensitive to it so that's my pick.

    What is yours?
     
  2. Davey

    Davey NP: Hania Rani/Dobrawa Czocher ~ Inner Symphonies

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    There are ways to fix off-center records so I'd have to say no-fill, that is the most intrusive for me since I buy a lot of new records by newer artists, like the really nice one playing right now shown below, Cosmorama by Beautify Junkyards, and it's a bigger problem nowadays, and can't be fixed other than getting another copy. That said, I haven't gotten any bad ones lately, most of the records I've gotten in the last couple years have been pretty good, or more likely I'm just not as picky as many around here. There does sound like a tiny bit of no-fill on the new Jane Weaver Flock pink vinyl, but it's hardly noticeable, and just in one song.



    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2021
  3. Pavol Stromcek

    Pavol Stromcek Senior Member

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I chose "ticks/pops," though I would phrase my most hated defect as any persistent or repetitive surface noise that can be heard through the music and which can't be eliminated via cleaning. And non-fill would fall under that category, as would "low-level crackling," but there are other forms of surface noise that aren't non-fill (and which I encounter more often than non-fill), so I needed something broader. Maybe I should have gone with "low-level crackling"?

    Anyway, prior to a few years ago, I would have chosen "off-center" records because I have found that to be the most widespread defect of all (and by a fairly significant degree), and the resulting fluctuating pitch annoys the hell out of me to the point where it renders the music unlistenable. But since I learned how to fix off-center pressings by taking a file to the spindle hole, it's no longer the bane of my existence. It still annoys me greatly, but at least I can deal with it. Surface noise that's the result of a pressing defect or abuse by a former owner, however, can't be dealt with, so that's the worst for me.
     
  4. bhazen

    bhazen ANNOYING BEATLES FAN

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    The correct answer? ... all of them.

    1985 (the year I bought my first CD deck) and 1996 (the year I sold most of my vinyl collection) are still commemorated in this house.
     
    Giobacco, LeBud, richbdd01 and 10 others like this.
  5. frimleygreener

    frimleygreener "It 'a'int why...it just is"

    Location:
    united kingdom
    Not sure if it counts as a "defect"...but I am convinced that "new" records seem to be a lot harder to prise from their sleeves than they used to be...
     
  6. Curiosity

    Curiosity Just A Boy

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Non fill followed by seriously off centre. I can overlook slight marks so longs as they're not audible as every rekkid I buy is for playing
     
    tin ears and thewonders like this.
  7. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Off-center simply because it seems to be the most common. Sure, it’s kind of correctable (though we’re surely not getting them exactly centered with our widen-the-hole-one-direction technique, right?), but that’s a hassle I don’t think I should have to undertake.

    Warps can be just as irritating, if they’re bad, but I’d rather have a minor, gentle warp than any amount of off-center.

    Ticks/pops and crackling are just not something I experience often, and cleaning typically resolves them.

    I think I’ve had two LPs ever with non-fill. It’s bad when it’s there, of course, but it’s just not been a common enough problem for me to rise to the level of other defects.

    Marks that truly don’t affect play, are a little irritating but not really that big a deal to me.
     
  8. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    non fill sucks....it sounds irritating ruins the mood.
     
    Satrus and Porkpie like this.
  9. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I would say non-fill as the only time I returned a new record was for that defect.
    Ticks/pops and low crackling noise are annoying too but I can't remember returning records with those issues but the reason could be that they developed after a while or that return was not an option.
    Off-centre holes are rare in my experience fortunately. What does annoy, akthough it's fixable, is holes having a veey snug fit on the spindle which I've noticed on an inordinate number of new records.
    Non-hearable warps and marks don't bother me at all.
    One thing that does bug me, although it's rare, is a physical bump in the vinyl that you can feel with your hand.
    I find new vinyl varies pretty wildly in quality although I feel it may be improving on the whole.
     
  10. Django

    Django Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Pops & clicks really annoy me. Especially on new records.
     
    Porkpie likes this.
  11. Madison Mike

    Madison Mike Forum Resident

    Location:
    Madison
    I voted non-fill, which I've only experienced on newer pressings. Never had a skip, although my collection is only about 300 LP's. I do own several CD's that skip; only mentioning for bhazen's benefit :laugh:
     
    Porkpie likes this.
  12. George Blair

    George Blair Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Skips, pops & clicks are often just debris in the groove and can be eliminated. Warps and non-fill are by far the worst defects.
     
  13. audiolistener

    audiolistener i like vinyl and cds

    Location:
    Jacksonville FL
    what does non fill actually sound like?
     
    Pretorius likes this.
  14. Hardcore

    Hardcore Quartz Controlled

    Location:
    UK
    Off centre by a mile for me, it’s like fingernails down a chalkboard I’ve replaced a lot of records because of it.
     
  15. WDeranged

    WDeranged Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I'd class non-fill as entirely defective so my big issue is the snap, crackle and pop.
     
    Porkpie and Alan2 like this.
  16. Jimi Floyd

    Jimi Floyd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pisa, Italy
    The rare scratches I know I did myself
     
  17. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Off centre by a landslide. Just not a fan of feeling seasick when I listen to music.
     
  18. Hardcore

    Hardcore Quartz Controlled

    Location:
    UK
    I think it’s a continuous crackle, usually through one channel.

    Ive never heard it on 90s record, but I’ve got a couple from the last 10 years with it. It’s pretty horrible on a 12” single so must be even worse on an LP.
     
  19. DickyV

    DickyV Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ashburn, VA
    Off center drives me up the wall. Especially with new records, my experience has been that replacing the record makes no difference and that the entire batch/release is hosed.
     
  20. Hardcore

    Hardcore Quartz Controlled

    Location:
    UK
    Yeah it’s often the case. I remember buying a record that I really liked but it was annoyingly off centre. A few months later I was in HMV and they had a bunch of copies so I went through copy after copy and they were all the same but eventually found one that was ok.
     
  21. nolazep

    nolazep Burrito Enthusiast

    I'm sensitive to pitch so off-center every time.
     
  22. harby

    harby Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR, USA
    You forgot the most important defect, when a record..forgot the most important defect, when a record..forgot the most important defect, when a record..forgot the most important defect, when a record..forgot the most important defect, when a record
     
  23. Lenny99

    Lenny99 The truth sets you free.

    Location:
    Clarksburg WV
    I never knew the name for that issue. No fill.
     
  24. April Snow

    April Snow Forum Resident

    Warped records ..............but I will keep them if they play OK.
    Spindle Holes too tight - annoying but fixable.
    Scuffs from paper sleeves (and yes, I have noticed that those sleeves are tighter now too - so maybe best to rip or cut them off them to avoid scuffing when taking the record out as most of us resleeve I think anyway?)
    Visible marks on the new records that are so obvious they should not have been sent out.

    but that "whooshing" noise you can get when playing a record even after a wet clean (you know that whooosh you hear on each revolution?) - so annoying. Have returned those for better copies. Thankfully not had too many of those.

    They are all annoying ............and hard to vote for just one !!
     
    timind likes this.
  25. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Spindle Holes: The Record meets NAB standards for spindle hole size.
     
    OldMusicOnVinyl1 and The FRiNgE like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine