Vinyl clicks and pops

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ZloyeZlo, Jul 27, 2014.

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  1. vinylman

    vinylman Senior Member

    Location:
    Leeds, U.K.

    If the TT mat is felt, try a cork one; most of my static problems disappeared when I got a cork mat.
     
    Coricama likes this.
  2. MrRom92

    MrRom92 Forum Supermodel

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Soul Sounds Records just opened up a couple months back, definitely has a good stock of new vinyl (not as large as Looney Tunes in west babylon but I don't think anyone has a new vinyl selection like they do) and it's in Sayville which I would certainly consider eastern suffolk, at least from a Nassau-dweller's perspective, although it's not as far out as westhampton or anything. Anyway if you've yet to check it out you should definitely try to give it a visit, may just be what you're looking for. I hear the used selection is decent-ish although they practically have only just opened so I wouldn't take that as any indicator of how the store will be stocked over time.
     
    Ntotrar likes this.
  3. Vinylsoul 1965

    Vinylsoul 1965 Senior Member

    In terms of cleaning records I use this:

    https://www.kabusa.com/ev1.htm

    The advantage to this model over the spin clean is that it gets more of the dirt that is deep in the grooves out of your records. All you need is a good vacuum - I use a Sears shop vac that works great, good cleaning fluid (Disc Doctor works for me), some good brushes (like the black MOFI ones) and that will help get rid of all the pops and clicks IF the record is in good shape. Here is a video fyi (I use a different approach for cleaning but this works):



    Do your research before buying new vinyl. This forum is a great place to start when making purchasing decisions. Make sure it is from a well respected pressing plant (IF you can find that information) that makes quiet, high quality records. We can all say this forum has zapped thousands from our bank accounts, but I can also say it has SAVED me thousands as well. :)
     
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  4. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    To those of us who live East of County Rd 83, Sayville is still Western Suffolk. Minimum forty five minute drive without traffic! I will check them out, thanks for the info.
     
    MrRom92 likes this.
  5. Spirit Crusher

    Spirit Crusher Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mad Town, WI
    I have a AT-440mla, it picks up every little dang thing - must be because of its treble response?
     
    2xUeL and c-eling like this.
  6. ROLO46

    ROLO46 Forum Resident

    Mr Fremner says pops, clicks, rumble noises are just like distracting noises at a concert,forget them.
    I cant
    I would want my money back at that concert Mikey.....
     
    gingerly and kevintomb like this.
  7. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    More than likely Morbo, my AT120 was the same way
     
  8. Antares

    Antares Forum Resident

    Location:
    Flanders
    Yep, but if you can run it with very low load capacitance (like zero in the phono stage), it becomes a very quiet tracker. One or two dB in frequency response in the presence area makes all the difference. That's the OP's problem as well, cartridge and phono stage matching.
     
    Shak Cohen and c-eling like this.
  9. kevintomb

    kevintomb Forum Resident


    That was after he asked the host, what was his reaction was to his "Dead quiet" vinyl that he sent a file of.

    I get the distinct feeling that "Dead quiet" is a recent term. And it does not have the same meaning to some people.

    To me, it means literally "No noise at all", at any volume.
     
  10. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Probably why I had issues also with my 120, did not mate well with my non adjustable vlps-ii, makes sense, thanks for the info, my Denon DL-110 solved my problem
     
    Antares likes this.
  11. Deuce66

    Deuce66 Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    It comes with the territory, there will always be noise of some sort even lp's that are 99% pop/tick noise free will have what sounds like tape hiss between tracks, that's as quiet as it gets.
     
    2xUeL likes this.
  12. Antares

    Antares Forum Resident

    Location:
    Flanders
    Correct, (HO) MC's like the Denon are largely unaffected in the presence area by loading. It can be a bit like walking a thin line between quiet tracking and exciting sound this game, but with some care it's not too bad, even on a budget. :thumbsup:
     
  13. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    I think I found the Bouce sheet tip on the SH forum and thought why not try it? I wasa really loathe to spend $100 for the Zero Stat. Likewise for the Zero Dust stylus cleaner for $70. I found it on Ebay, brand new in the package for $35 from Japan with free shipping!
     
    Bolero likes this.
  14. dconsmack

    dconsmack Senior Member

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV USA
    Yes. Regarding the suggestion to apply little or no load capacitance (measured in pF), that will be a best case scenario, but it will still be >3dB over 10,000 Hz. It's also possible to tame the treble using load resistance (measured in ohms), but I've found that deviating from the AT440's 47k ohm spec somehow kills the sound of the cartridge at all frequencies, even though the response might measure near flat. I've done a lot of experimenting with this, including the AT440 and the AT150MLX. I've found that it's best, without exception, to load any cartridge EXACTLY as the manufacturer suggests in their manual and accept the sound as-is. If you like the sound of the AT440 but switch to a cart with a flatter treble response, the ticks/clicks will be softer, but you might percieve the music as being dull (although it's technically more correct) so that's the trade off. The great thing about the AT440 is that it compensates for records cut with a rolled off upper treble (which is not uncommon), and it has a great stylus.
     
    Shak Cohen likes this.
  15. 2trackmind

    2trackmind Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    I've found that using the wood glue method for vinyl cleaning has dramatically decreased the clicks and pops on a lot of my vinyl.

    I've heard that the pros (mastering engineers) play vinyl back wet to further reduce clicks/pops and other surface noise. I haven't attempted that yet.
     
  16. Hellenic_Vanagon

    Hellenic_Vanagon New Member

    Location:
    Greece
    "Next tweak - for your vinyl.

    I have found that WD40 can make a dramatic improvement to the sound quality of a record. My theory is this: friction is bad right? if you drag something against something else it will skitter across the surface - the rougher either surface is, the worse the skitter is. If you add oil, the skittering is much reduced.

    Further, WD40 contains a small amount of white spirit, which is an excellent cleaning fluid. Of course, there is potential for damage, but according to the tech guy at WD40 this will do its job then evaporate away before any damage is done. certainly I was surprised how much white fluff was removed from records that I thought were clean.

    Anyway, after the white spirit has done its job, there should be some residual oil in the grooves of the record. The needle, tracking in the grooves, passes smoothly along and follows the track as it should, except that it does not skitter about as a result of friction. The result is a much smoother playback.

    A couple of cautionary notes here. The oil will change the appearance of the label - it will not lift it off, but the colour will deepen as a result of the oil. If you use too much oil and keep your records in anti-static sleeves you will get ugly blotches on the surface of the vinyl.
    These can be cleaned off later, but it involves much aggro and of course you remove the oil from the grooves in the process. I would recommend that you get hold of WD40 in a non-propellent bottle, apply to a cloth and then to the record surface - you will have a much more controlled application.

    Why not try it on an old record you don't care much about and see. Re-visit it in a month or two to check it is still alright, if you are dubious about this idea.
    Hope these ideas appeal to you, keep up the good work.

    Andrew Gladwell - E-mail: [email protected] "


    For me works perfectly.

    Almost no clicks and pops, no high frequency reduction, no label damage, no vinyl damage.

    Vinyl record/stylus lube and dampening.

    Two years of use.
     
    2trackmind likes this.
  17. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    WD40? Yikes. Im not sure there isnt stuff in that, that would break down the vinyl over time?
     
  18. Hellenic_Vanagon

    Hellenic_Vanagon New Member

    Location:
    Greece
    After two years of use, there is not even the slightest sign of damage.

    You see, wd40 has no silicon which attacks vinyl.
     
  19. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    Ok, Just never read of this in all the thousands of posts I have read on cleaning vinyl. Interesting! Any gunk left on your stylus afterwards?
     
  20. Hellenic_Vanagon

    Hellenic_Vanagon New Member

    Location:
    Greece
    Actually always playing liquid, there is no way for gunk accumulations on stylus or on vinyl.

    WD40 poses a very tiny wax residue, but it is liquefied again with the new liquid playing.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2014
  21. fab4

    fab4 Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    No dust getting stuck into the oil? And when the oil will dry (at some point even if it is in 10 years)? A bit scary fot the long term conservation, no ?
     
  22. Spirit Crusher

    Spirit Crusher Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mad Town, WI
    When I had the 120, it was a little bit better in that regard and a bit more neutral sounding. Not as good in the inner grooves, though.

    Interesting - I have some in-line resistors, I forget the load now, and it tamed the high end a little bit. It did introduce a tiny bit of electronic noise. I like your idea of loading as is. Also, I've only used one phono stage, my NAD 1130, so I have no idea if that is compounding the issue.
     
    dconsmack likes this.
  23. Hellenic_Vanagon

    Hellenic_Vanagon New Member

    Location:
    Greece
    I am using the wd40 instead of d4 liquid, with discwasher brush.

    So, with the three cleaning phases, there is no chance for dust accumulation.

    For two years of use I can swear, only. And for no static electricity on record...
     
  24. George Blair

    George Blair Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Oil attracts dirt, so it would seem there's potential for a gritty bath in the groove, which would not be good for the stylus. Also, oil could travel up the cantilever and into the coils of the cartridge, which can't be good.
     
  25. Groovy

    Groovy Forum Resident

    I didn't want to fork out for a Zerostat gun either so went with Gruv Glide spray instead which comes with its own 2 cleaning pads. It's usually pretty dry where I live and I've found that it does a good job of reducing static. It costs about $35.00.
     
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