Vinyl Moving up and down

OliverBen5672

Well-known member
Feb 27, 2021
34
4
45
Visit site
Hi,
Maybe this is normal, maybe it isn't but I want to check. I'm pretty new to vinyl, I don't even have 10 records yet.
Today a record arrived and naturally I've ran to stick it on my turntable but as I did I noticed it seemed to move up and down as it rotated. The platter seemed perfectly flat, the turntable is relatively new and in really good condition. There is no sound distortion or skipping, 0 audible problems but I want to check if this is supposed to happen, if the records arrived 'broken' or if something wrong with my set up and if this would cause any damage to equipment or LPs. I took a video but it wont let me attach it here as it says "The uploaded file does not have an allowed extension. ".
Thanks in advance,
Oliver
 

jordanfx

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2008
48
6
18,545
Visit site
unfortunatly modern vinyl is very hit and miss it seems very rare to get a perfectley flat vinyl nowadays.i have vinyl 50 years old and flat .but the new vinyl seems not so but it still sounds good warped or flat.
 

OliverBen5672

Well-known member
Feb 27, 2021
34
4
45
Visit site
Yeah, a lot of what I saw on the internet just said modern vinyl is worse quality and is often warped so that's what I was assuming it was, but its still quite annoying.
 

Gray

Well-known member
Love the thread title :)
Welcome to the world of vinyl Oliver.
Nothing new about warped records, they've been around as long as vinyl itself.
Depends how bad yours is. If it's terrible, you could try exchanging it.
Warps can cause your mid / bass cones to travel a bit far for comfort (have a look while playing) Not a problem with all cartridges and subsonic filters help - but it doesn't look or feel right.
(All my 78s are as flat as a pancake, but then they ain't vinyl ;)).
 

Oxfordian

Well-known member
You think that your new vinyl is warped, you should see some of the LP’s that I rescued from my loft after 20+ years of poor storage, talk about a up and down, my tone arm looks as though it is riding the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach of some LP’s, amazingly the arm sticks to the groove and music plays.

Don’t be shocked just sit back and enjoy that lovely vinyl warmth, it’s great.
 

Gray

Well-known member
glad its not too big of a problem, probably just being over paranoid/protective as it's the first record I've had that's done it. Shame its so common apparently, but as its not too bad and sound is fine I can live with it, thanks to everyone who responded.
I've since seen your video on the other forum.
Most of us will have seen worse warps than that (there's a cartridge comparison one with worse on YT).
Your whole cart / arm is riding the wave. More of a problem (with other carts) is where the cantilever moves to absorb the energy, leaving the arm virtually still.
 
I think the main issue is storage by the companies selling it - some of these records could be sitting in storage for months before they’re bought, in between hundreds of other records, with potential stress issues. You only have to walk into a HMV and look under the main racks to see how they store their vinyl - they’re usually lying at a 45 degree angle more often than not - who knows how these online companies store it.
 

sktn77a

Active member
Dec 8, 2020
6
4
25
Visit site
Badly warped records can cause mistracking, skipping and "warp wow". Unless you experience any of these, then it's just cosmetic - annoying, but cosmetic
 

Clarkey_71

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2007
245
120
18,970
Visit site
Not sure where you're getting your records from, but just take/send it back if it's new. Most shops and websites accept returns reasonably hassle free.
Second hand replacements are a little more tricky, but even then I'd try for a return.
 

The End

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2021
27
2
1,545
Visit site
Hi,
Maybe this is normal, maybe it isn't but I want to check. I'm pretty new to vinyl, I don't even have 10 records yet.
Today a record arrived and naturally I've ran to stick it on my turntable but as I did I noticed it seemed to move up and down as it rotated. The platter seemed perfectly flat, the turntable is relatively new and in really good condition. There is no sound distortion or skipping, 0 audible problems but I want to check if this is supposed to happen, if the records arrived 'broken' or if something wrong with my set up and if this would cause any damage to equipment or LPs. I took a video but it wont let me attach it here as it says "The uploaded file does not have an allowed extension. ".
Thanks in advance,
Oliver
Always use a center weight/puck on the LP. There are lots of different weights to choose from, you can even find those that have a spirit-level in the middle. Easy to adjust the feet on the player for perfect balance.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts