Another tread about scratched new vinyl records

Hi all,

I already started a thread about scratched new vinyl but this topic is specifically about Loreena McKennit vinyl records.

I previously bought her "Lost Souls" vinyl record which had scratches so I returned it as the scratches were audible pops and bought a new record at a different shop as the previous shop didn't want to sell a new record.

The first track on side A of this record sounds nice, but the next three tracks sound (very) distortive, especially the "s" sound. (voice) In the beginning I thought it was my amplifier clipping as it drives big DIY electrostatic panels which can be a diffucult load. But after buying more Loreena McKennit albums it seems it's just this specific album that has this very unpleasant distortive sound. I compared it to the Spotify version that sounds just ok and doens't have this distortive vocal sound.

Yesterday I was on holiday and decided to buy the very nice "Loreena McKennit live in Paris and Toronto" limited edition three record vinyl album. After arriving home I opened the package and found out two of the three records had undeep but clearly visible scratches. They don't seem to influence sound, but I find it very frustrating as I payed 45 euro's for this album and everything looks very nice - good quality inner sleeves, handwritten? serial number, nice outer sleeve. But it has warpes too although I don't bother too much about warpes anymore as long as it's not too bad. But I hate scratches.

I sended two emails to the record label and hope they can solve the problems. Just a few pics of the scratched record:

 

This should again probably be on the Music forum.

The S's distortion is called sibilance and is common on badly mixed and cut pressings. It could also be because of your stylus being dirty/worn or just not thin enough. What cart do you have?

Can you send pictures of the scratches?

 

Baked in sibilance sucks!
I'll take non audible scratches any day Leon

 

Same, you simply wont find scratch free copies of some pressings anyway, with how some plants treat their records and the cardboard sleeves they are put in. As long as it isnt audible Im fine with it.

 

Hi, thanks for your reply. I would think it is not the stylus / cartridge as the cartridge is not that old (1 year) and I don't play records very often. But I will inspect it soon using a microscope. Ttracking force is ajusted using a milligram digital meter. It is a AT100E. Other records of Loreena McKennit play without distortion or sibiliance...

 

It appears the LP version was pressed at Record Industry, located in the Netherlands.

 

Many plants use large metal spindle racks to place the LPs on while they cool. When the records get pulled off those for packaging, careless handling can cause the record to scrape over the top of the spindle, giving you a nice big scratch. Some plants are more prone to this than others.

 

The quality of new vinyl is so iffy I've almost stopped buying it. If I do buy a new record I get it from Music Direct. They have safe packaging, reasonable shipping rates, and I've never received a damaged record from them.

 

I've bought lots and lots of new records and except for very very few, never had a problem.

I find today's releases much quieter than those from the late 60s and throughout the 70s and that includes many WLPs that I have had since new!

 

Same here. I find new LPs to be very good. There is always a risk with LPs but all in all i am quite happy with new LPs

 

Off-center is what I'd been getting the most till I stopped buying for good 18 months ago. Not scratched, or warped. Excellent-sounding and mostly quiet, but the eccentricity does cause an intermittent noise, audible mainly on quiet passages and dead wax.

 

Then its likely just mixed or cut worse than the others.

 

Think I'm done buying new MFSL records. Bought 2 in the last couple of weeks from different sources in the US, both with scratches on sealed albums. It'd cost half of the price just to return them! Obviously, they don't take great care in making their records so I'm almost certainly done with them. That's $100 worth of LPs, bought sealed, but in VG+ condition in some places which (considering their prices) is wholly unacceptable.

And considering how they've interacted with a bunch of members here, I know they won't make it right so why bother contacting them at all? A lesson learned the hard way.

 

What releases were they?
And you could instead order from a dealer and make it his problem if its damaged.

 

Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd and ABB Live at Fillmore East.

 

My experience has been many new releases are dead quiet, even at a very loud listening level. That said pressing a bad record is certainly not a "lost art" these days. I get really annoyed about modern bad pressings at modern bad prices. I don't mind paying these prices for quality, but not for crap.

As for the OPs problem: Multiple copies of the same record played on the same system still leaves you with multiple choices. It could be a particularly demanding track that your turntable can't play as it is currently set up. Or it could be those three tracks are badly mastered for LP. Have you tried playing this album on another system that is properly set up? Like at your local HiFi dealer. When I read your post I thought "baked in sibilance", but spinning this record on another system may quickly help solve that question. Particularly if it plays well.

 

All, seems from reading every post on this thread some here are somewhat satisfied with their new vinyl purchases, while others are somewhat dissatisfied with their new vinyl purchases. I am totally dissatisfied. In 2018 I returned 6 albums back to sellers for refund. These albums were not snap, crackle, and pop free. Now, some do not expect their LP purchases to be pop free, but I do, since pop free is not an unreasonable expectation. After all, many claim that they have purchased plenty of new vinyl which is indeed pop free. Well, that's my rant for today. As for the OPs concerns, seems it is not a problem related to equipment capability but instead record production. If it were me, I'd get my money back and buy the downloadable version. I'd also seek punitive damages, just kidding.

 

It's not only unreasonable, it's unrealistic. There IS gonna be some noise at some point, a slight tic here and there, at the very least. Last Monday I played 2 brand-new 12¨Eps I'd played just once before. One of them, no noticeable ticks or pops, not even on the dead wax. The other, same thing; I was there thinking ¨wow this is fairing so good, no noise at all, and at the middle of side 1 there came this loud CRACK ! during THE loudest passage.

Now this was THE only parasitic noise on the whole record (both Eps totalled 33') so


Upon visual inspection, the groove was fine. I'n not OCD enough as to replay to see whether the noise will occur again, so I attributed it low humidty (a dry day+AC blowing). Static buildup suddenly using the cantilever as a lightning rod ? Certainly not unheard of. Next time I play it, we'll see.

 

My attitude is as reasonable as it is realistic, if those posting that they have LPs which have no snap, crackle, and pop are believed to be honest in their reporting. Nevertheless, I have some LPs which are PERFECT, so, knowing that snap, crackle, and pop free is possible, why not have expectations for snap, crackle, and pop free LP's.? We should all have that expectation and reject anything less. After all, acceptance of mediocre products just assures mediocre.

 

I hear you man; some of my lps are perfect. Nevertheless, not all lps are created equal. I mean you cannot expect them to be, unless you keep only the perfect ones and toss the rest in the trash. Files and CDs don't have that problem, but they have others. Nothing is perfect.

 

I don't trash, just digitize and apply pop filter.

 

Depends on how it intrudes on the music.
And I expect different things based on the plant and distributor.
Some albums I buy simply dont have quiet pressings.

 

I listened this record of Loreena McKennit on my girlfriends turntable and as this is a cheaper device and as her loudspeakers are rather unresolving bookshelf speakers, the problem is much less audible but I can still hear distortion in the voices in a few tracks. But on my electrostatic loudspeakers this is much more audible. As I never heard this on other records before I guess the problem is in the record itself. As the other 3 record live album has scratches I decided to try to get my money back for both albums. I'm done with the ****ty quality of these records. They are expensive, like exclusive items, but you get in 25 tot 30 % of the cases a bad record that is either warped, scratched or has distortion in it. If record companies were willing to resolve these problems I would have patience and respect, but as I emailed several times record compansies about this problem and never got the idea they were interested I'm done with it. It's just ******** and a straight lie to sell 45 euro 180 gram vinyl that's scratched AND warped on arrival. Why sell 180 gram vinyl - way havier than any of my thin but often unsratched perfectly sounding secondhand vinyl - when it most of the time warps a lot or is off center? It seems these companies want to make money and are not interested in making good quality products.

 

I've never encountered an off-center record. That being said, I only have about 300 LPs, a mix of old and new. I have received many new ones that were warped/dished, and some noisy ones.

 

Try playing them on another turntable with a cartridge that uses refined/exotic stylus. Your AT100E uses an elliptical, which may not necessarily handle sibilance well versus one with a higher-end stylus, provided the latter is properly aligned and whatnot.