I finally bought a record cleaning machine $

If the LP's were damaged by playing them dirty, played with a defective stylus or just worn out, there is no record cleaning machine that will resolve the problem.

Same as a scratched (skipping) DVD or CD, once damaged it is difficult or impossible to repair.

What's important is to clean each LP when you purchase it, regardless if it's new or used. The best copies become completely quiet and the poor copies fall where they may.

It is possible for LP playback to be as quiet as CD, but generally requires more work than most people are willing to put forth, including accurate set up which seems to be a dying art.

I own the Zerostat gun you mention but rarely use it. I don't seem to have any problem with static, but this varies by household and climatic conditions.

Some areas of the country are VERY dry and when combined with synthetic floor coverings, this makes a perfect environment for static clicks and pops. Where I live the weather is seldom ideal, so my family and my stereo live in a year round climate controlled environment.

Try setting the LP on a clean piece of paper and let it rest before playing. If that cures the pops and clicks, you have a static problem, If it does not, it's either set up or damaged LP's. Set up can be improved, damaged LP cannot.

That being said, I have LP's that I bought in 1962 that play as quietly and new. I take very good care of my vinyl because I treasure the music and don't have budget to replace things damaged by my negligence.

Let us know if you resolved this issue. My sincere wishes for good luck with your experiment.

Chris, I just read your post again where you say you try not to run the vacuum any more than possible.

That could be part of the problem, leaving wet residue on the LP to dry out and cause noise. I vacuum my LP's six or seven revolutions after each wash (three times total).

First time after Record Research Deep Clean, second time after Record Research Vinyl Wash and third time after Last treatment (and Record Research AGAIN) before play.

Try that and see if it helps. If not, it must be set up. I wish Austin was a bit closer, I would visit and look over the set up. Your welcome to visit here and experience the results for yourself if travel brings you to the D/FW area.

Narrod, no question that for ABSOLUTE 100% of the time quiet, CD is the winner.

That being said, it is possible to have an LP playback system that is as quiet 98% of the time and still have the superior sonics that analog format brings. I guess everyone must decide the importance of that ratio for themselves.

Pat Malone (Lugnut) and others from Audiogon visited me a while back and had this to say.

09-03-05: Lugnut

Just a couple of experiences I've had for you guys to ponder. In my room when I'm doing serious listening the peaks measure 90-93 db. That's where I like to listen. At that volume when I lift the tonearm I first sense the small amount of tube noise that is present. Note that to really hear it I must place my head pretty close to the speaker. It annoys me. Since my dedicated music room is open to the rest of the house through a six foot opening there is ambient noise that masks the tube noise and the surface noise, in plane or out of plane, to some extent. When a number of my audiophile group friends are here and in the sweet spot in control of the volume they almost always listen at a lesser volume, around 85 db. The tube noise and surface noise is imperceptible at this level making me wish that I was satisfied listening alone at this volume setting.

Upon visiting with a friend and listening to his SOTA analog rig with software ranging from very nice generic pressings to the best audiophile pressings AND the uncleaned used record just bought that day the background was so dead silent that I doubt anyone could tell blindfolded between tracks if we were listening to digital or analog. I'm not exaggerating here at all. Sure, there were a few occassions during several days when you could acutally hear a defect but it was exceptionally rare. We also were not generally listening at the volume levels I listen to at home in solitude. This experience was in Dallas at the home of Albert Porter. I'm so glad that I was able to go and experience this. Understand, Albert has about as impressive a collection of viny as I've ever seen and he has been most anal in his approach to system setup, record condition and cleaning. But, once the listening starts he's not anal at all. He's not one to let an uncleaned LP go unplayed if it adds to the enjoyment of the moment.

I respect today's digital players and a lot of the software offerings and I'm glad that many are totally satisfied with it. Sometimes I'm even glad that's the case since it leaves much more software for the rest of us to buy at favorable prices. I embrace buying whatever software is the best be it analog or digital. That's the best of both worlds and I'm really envious of those audiophiles with deep enough pockets that can afford SOTA players of both kinds.

As a follow up on my first paragraph here I just this week had doors installed to isolate the rest of the home from the music room. Big difference for sure with the ambient noise level. Today I'll be installing dedicated circuits for the system. Hopefully these changes will make vinyl surface noise THE issue with my listening. Maybe I'll find happiness with an 85 db level which I think will happen. I'll report my findings.

Enjoy it all my friends!
Lugnut

Plato and others, I am sorry if my choice of words came off sounding wrong.

The following comments are in no way meant to gain sympathy, I don't need sympathy. What I would like is a little understanding.

When I was a young boy, our family was very poor. I vividly remember one Christmas getting a record of Gene Autry (something I had begged for months earlier).

I was so excited that I accidentally pressed against it with my knee while helping my younger sister. The record broke and I never got another copy.

Typical gifts for Christmas were jeans, socks and underwear for school and one good gift, accompanied by a secondary gift of a stocking filled with fresh fruit, pecans and walnuts.

Lots of people struggled back then, my sister and I had a VERY good life with wonderful loving parents, plenty of good food and my dog.

What I never had were the things that most young boys ask for and dream of. A new boy scout knife or flashlight, a camper tent , a BB Gun. Mostly I did with a surplus green Army blanket as a tent and an old knife my granddad gave me.

Deprived? Hardly, there were kids at my school that begged fellow students for change to come up with the 20 cents necessary to buy a hot lunch. Their parents could not afford the cash outlay.

I had it good, compared to many but it did teach me to not be wasteful.

Later as I grew up and graduated from high school, bought my first motor cycle from proceeds of my paper route (stated at 11 years old) and my way into the "toys" I always wanted.

In college I worked full time at LTV Aerospace, paying my own way through school. I got the job at LTV by working at a grain and feed store for spending money and attending night classes in order to qualify to for the job application at LTV.

What does all that have to do with audio? Not a damn thing, except I love music. It's my only passion other than my family. So when I post a comment that my software is too precious for me to destroy due to my negligence, it's my way of saying I respect how hard a buck is to come by. I don't waste any money and every penny in my audio system was a smart buy and paid for by hard work.

I almost feel I should apologize for this explanation. It's difficult reading words on a page to know if someone is angry, sincere or what emotion is being expressed. I am not angry, not upset. Just hopeful you guys understand.