Question about Vinyl reccords &Turntable

[admin_exported]

Hello

Iam a new user in the vinyl&turntable world so far so good and overall i liked the sound qaulity from vinyl ,but it bother me some times with all these pops&crackles, hissing noise. so i thought maybe iam having all these noises because iam buying used second hand reccords, and than i decided to buy brand new reccords , i have bought about 6 brand new albums one of them is pink floyd the wall, and all 6 reccords has these pops&crackles noises....by the way i have a brand new turntable (pro-ject Genie 3 with 2M Red fited)

My question is that, are these noises are normal and it,s something that born with vinyl? and will it allways be there?

Thanks!

 

[John Duncan]

Hi Marco

Pops and crackles are part of the vinyl experience, but I'd say the fault here lies not totally with the vinyl itself but the turntable. Whilst the genie is great to get you going, it's not the most accurate deck out there - the more expensive a turntable you get, the better it can get the needle in the groove, and the less surface noise you'll get. With a dirty or poorly-pressed record you'll never totally get rid of it, but with a top-notch deck it can become nigh-on unnoticeable.

I will however add my usual recommendation of a Knosti Disco Antistat cleaning system, which is fabulous for bringing the best out of old or second hand records.

JD

 

[Anonymous]

Hi john

Thanks for the replay! However -Do you think upgrading the Cartridge alone to a more expensive one will bring the genie 3 to the next higher level ? and if so which cartridge model would u recommand for me ?

Thanks!

 

[The_Lhc]

marco_1:Thanks for the replay! However -Do you think upgrading the Cartridge alone to a more expensive one will bring the genie 3 to the next higher level ? and if so which cartridge model would u recommand for me ?

Hmm, I'm curious, I've got the Debut II which is a)older and b)lower spec than the Genie 3 (I'd presume), I've recently fitted the 2M Red to that and I've got to say I don't really notice terrible pops and crackles (unless the records is scratched of course). There's some surface noise granted, but it's not that noticable.

I do have an Anti-stat record cleaner though.

 

[margetti]

Another vote here for the Knosti - I think that will sort out a lot of the problem - has worked wonders for me.

 

[5cats35]

I vote for the Knosti as well. I must get it out soon and clean the 5 LP's I got at a collectors fair recently for £1 each, including Blind Faith's album - I couldn't believe my luck!

 

[fatboyslimfast]

And another. Clean vinyl = quiet vinyl. It won't get rid of scratches, but generally makes a really worthwhile difference to used records.

 

[oldleodensian]

fatboyslimfast:And another. Clean vinyl = quiet vinyl. It won't get rid of scratches, but generally makes a really worthwhile difference to used records.

I have many records that were crackly and noisy, some even unlistenable, until cleaning with the Disco Antistat. It's a marvellous bit of kit!

I have a 2M Red on a Project Expression and it has no problems except with dirty or damaged records.

 

[Greenwich_Man]

I join the chorus of votes for the Knosti Antistat - I had this problem on my Debut until I got into taking my LPs to be cleaned in Soho - and then got my own Knosti

Neil Young - comes a time - changed so much - second hand full of crackes - to perfect sound.

Now so few crackles on my LPs - it's amazing

 

[mitch65]

Hate to jump on the bandwagon but the Knosti gets my vote as well after seeing the state of the fluid after cleaning all my old vinyl, definate thumbs-up

 

[John Duncan]

(checks share portfolio)

 

[Anonymous]

Yes me also,

Best value for money cleaner on the market, so good I bought the company

 

[Lost Angeles]

Another vote for the Knosti, but when you've cleaned but them in clean plastic sleeves not paper or card ones.

 

[Anonymous]

I think this is all about perception and nothing about record cleaners.

If you've listened to analogue radio all your life, for example, and you're suddenly exposed to DAB, your first impression is how compressed and digital it sounds in comparison. Similarly if you're used to high-quality viny; you might find CD harsh for the first time.

In this case, the OP says he's new to the world of vinyl. So maybe the most obvious thing to him is what he's not experienced on digital media - vinyl pops etc, which for those of us who go back to the 70s have been filtered out (brain-wise).

My advice - upgrade to a Rega P3 or thereabouts (eventually), and keep listening.

 

[mitch65]

Lost Angeles:
Another vote for the Knosti, but when you've cleaned but them in clean plastic sleeves not paper or card ones.

Agreed, must go in antistatic sleeves be they Nagoaka or MFSL (if you can stretch to them) they've make a massive difference to the background sound (or lack of) compared to my newer, cardboard only, vinyl.

 

[Anonymous]

ChrisMM:I think this is all about perception and nothing about record cleaners.

That's true. We're dealing with mechanical interaction between two surfaces here.

There's no such thing as a perfect vinyl disc, and all discs (as well as styluses) will be worn with use. Dust will make it worse.

What new vinyl fans don't realize, and old ones tends to deny, is that vinyl means massive noise -- from the interaction from the stylus and the record's surface, as well as from the turntable's motor and any vibration from the environment, that will be picked up and amplified.

It also means massive distortion, due to mechanical flaws in even the most expensive equipment, and most of all, because no record is completely flat.

So, to put it short: If you like the 'vinyl sound', take it for what it is and adjust your hearing. If you want undistorted and noise-free music, look for other sources.

 

[mitch65]

Fahnsen:
ChrisMM:I think this is all about perception and nothing about record cleaners.

That's true. We're dealing with mechanical interaction between two surfaces here.

There's no such thing as a perfect vinyl disc, and all discs (as well as styluses) will be worn with use. Dust will make it worse.

What new vinyl fans don't realize, and old ones tends to deny, is that vinyl means massive noise -- from the interaction from the stylus and the record's surface, as well as from the turntable's motor and any vibration from the environment, that will be picked up and amplified.

It also means massive distortion, due to mechanical flaws in even the most expensive equipment, and most of all, because no record is completely flat.

So, to put it short: If you like the 'vinyl sound', take it for what it is and adjust your hearing. If you want undistorted and noise-free music, look for other sources.

Oooh! That's a bit harsh. What are you playing vinyl with, an old
gramaphone player?

I've never had 'massive noise' or massive
distortion', If I had then I would know that the my turntable is very
badly set up. Like to know what the 'other source' you are referring to
as I'm yet to come across one that is perfect.

 

[Anonymous]

As well as cleaning the records and the stylus and all that sensible stuff, increasing the tracking weight of the stylus can reduce the surface noise. If you are getting noise on every record, then it might be worth checking that the arm is properly balanced and the stylus is tracking at the correct weight.

A more upmarket cartridge can also reduce the surface noise. Of the cartridges I have used recently, the Ortofon 510 was relatively noisy even on new records. The Goldring 1042 and Linn Adikt were both much quieter (until the stylus on the Adikt got bent), and the Linn Akiva has no noticable surface noise on the vast majority of my records.

 

[oldleodensian]

ChrisMM:

I think this is all about perception and nothing about record cleaners.

I think it's all about clean records, not record cleaners. If a record has got pops, clicks, crackles etc, it's either dirty, damaged (old) or poorly manufactured (new) and only the dirty record can be made to sound better.

I recently bought some records on 180g virgin vinyl that were faulty with loads of noise (crackles and pops etc), so it was duly returned and the replacement copies are perfectly quiet.

ChrisMM: So maybe the most obvious thing to him is what he's not experienced on digital media - vinyl pops etc, which for those of us who go back to the 70s have been filtered out (brain-wise).

Personally I hate listening to vinyl that has this type of noise and generally don't tolerate it. If a record is noisy even after cleaning, it is more likely to get replaced than played as I find it ruins the listening experience.

 

[kusum65]

I have had similar problems with new pressings. really loud pops. I read an article on 180gm virgin vinyl being more prone to static build up compared with older impure vinyl.

Whatever the cause i found record cleaning a good way to reduce both dust and static and there by eliminating pops.

 

[Anonymous]

Fahnsen:

ChrisMM:I think this is all about perception and nothing about record cleaners.

That's true. We're dealing with mechanical interaction between two surfaces here.

That's also true of most digital media - CDs (laser on the pits), hard disk (reader on the disk surface) etc....

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Fahnsen:What new vinyl fans don't realize, and old ones tends to deny, is that vinyl means massive noise

Here we go again Fahnsen, with your sweeping anti-analogue generalisations.

I've enjoyed vinyl all my life, and I've never, NEVER denied that vinyl is noisier than digital mediums - I just don't seem to find it the huge barrier to enjoyment that you seem to.

It also doesn't "mean" (for which I read "must mean") massive distortion, although a well-worn record will indeed exhibit this trait. Again, a sweeping generalisation.

If one cannot get the music one wants on digital (yes - there are albums out there still not on CD or download), or cannot afford it without illegally downloading it, secondhand vinyl is a cost effective and enjoyable way to discover old music. And a record cleaner makes this a far more enjoyable experience.

Furthermore, a secondhand turntable should resell for similar to that which it is bought for if its not to the listener's taste - so it's a low-risk option for dipping one's toe into the vinyl water.

And before I'm called a dinosaur etc. I would like to point out that I also use a Mac Mini as my main digital source of over 400 albums along with Spotify and internet radio.

/rant.

 

[mitch65]

fatboyslimfast:Fahnsen:What new vinyl fans don't realize, and old ones tends to deny, is that vinyl means massive noise Here we go again Fahnsen, with your sweeping anti-analogue generalisations. I've enjoyed vinyl all my life, and I've never, NEVER denied that vinyl is noisier than digital mediums - I just don't seem to find it the huge barrier to enjoyment that you seem to. It also doesn't "mean" (for which I read "must mean") massive distortion, although a well-worn record will indeed exhibit this trait. Again, a sweeping generalisation. If one cannot get the music one wants on digital (yes - there are albums out there still not on CD or download), or cannot afford it without illegally downloading it, secondhand vinyl is a cost effective and enjoyable way to discover old music. And a record cleaner makes this a far more enjoyable experience. Furthermore, a secondhand turntable should resell for similar to that which it is bought for if its not to the listener's taste - so it's a low-risk option for dipping one's toe into the vinyl water. And before I'm called a dinosaur etc. I would like to point out that I also use a Mac Mini as my main digital source of over 400 albums along with Spotify and internet radio. /rant.

Welcome to Jurassic park fatboyslimfast!, could not agree more. In my world there is more than enough room for analogue and digital, just look at what happened whan DAB arrived sounding the death of analogue stating that DAB was clearer, better, etc (sound familiar?). I stream digital and listen to vinyl in equal measure depending on my mood - I should note that none of those moods includes listening to distorted music - I don't believe that I've heard any anti-digital comments being bandied around so why the reverse? "Let yourself go Luke feel the power of the Vinyl"

 

[Andrew Everard]

ChrisMM:That's also true of most digital media - CDs (laser on the pits), hard disk (reader on the disk surface) etc....

Not really, since in neither example you cite is there any (intentional) contact between the reading device and the medium it's reading. Though you should try telling that to one of the WHFSV review team who's got a junked hard drive on his computer after a power cut the other day caused the head to crash on the disc.