Ryder,
I agree with much of the advice and thoughts of the others, except that tics and pops are a necessary part of listening to vinyl records. My LP collection includes both new and used LPs, many of my best LPs are from the 50s and 60s and have been played hundreds, maybe thousands of times. You can't get rid of the noise resulting from a deep scratch. That is just a damaged record. The same occurs with CDs.
But dirty, old records that have been played a lot and have somewhat dry, lifeless vinyl, can be brought back to sound very quiet and new with a very good record cleaning machine, the right chemical treatments and final wash with distilled water and an application of Last to renew the vinyl condition. This takes time and unfortunately a much better than average RCM. I had a Nitty Gritty that improved things but would not remove enough of the crap in the grooves to eliminate the clicks and pops. I tried a VPI 16.5. It was better but not good enough. I finally sprang for a Loricraft. Now, most of my 50s and 60s records are as quiet as a CD except for the tape hiss inherent on recording of that time.
A vinyl rig that can get you as close to the real thing as technology can get today is more expensive that all but the most expensive digital rigs and a lot more work, but the sonic results are worth it. I like both of my digital players a lot, actually, but when I really want to be moved by the music, my analog rig is the only way to go. It's so much fuller and richer than either digital rig.
Hope this helps.
Ed
I agree with much of the advice and thoughts of the others, except that tics and pops are a necessary part of listening to vinyl records. My LP collection includes both new and used LPs, many of my best LPs are from the 50s and 60s and have been played hundreds, maybe thousands of times. You can't get rid of the noise resulting from a deep scratch. That is just a damaged record. The same occurs with CDs.
But dirty, old records that have been played a lot and have somewhat dry, lifeless vinyl, can be brought back to sound very quiet and new with a very good record cleaning machine, the right chemical treatments and final wash with distilled water and an application of Last to renew the vinyl condition. This takes time and unfortunately a much better than average RCM. I had a Nitty Gritty that improved things but would not remove enough of the crap in the grooves to eliminate the clicks and pops. I tried a VPI 16.5. It was better but not good enough. I finally sprang for a Loricraft. Now, most of my 50s and 60s records are as quiet as a CD except for the tape hiss inherent on recording of that time.
A vinyl rig that can get you as close to the real thing as technology can get today is more expensive that all but the most expensive digital rigs and a lot more work, but the sonic results are worth it. I like both of my digital players a lot, actually, but when I really want to be moved by the music, my analog rig is the only way to go. It's so much fuller and richer than either digital rig.
Hope this helps.
Ed