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New Re-Issue Vinyl: Surface Noise, Ticks, Pops....

It seems that paying an average of 30.00 to get new 180-200 gram pressings is a lot of money. And I don't mind paying it for a good clean pressing. But is seems as though I usually end up with surface noise , crackling, pops etc.. It is so frustrating to wait for records to come and when I play them I hear a record that sounds like I bought it in a used record store. Has anyone ever mentally kept track of what interent distributor seems to have the noisiest or cleanest vinyl? Or perhaps the pressing company/label? Do you clean them before you play to clean the releasing agent or play them right out of the jacket? I love the sound of the grooves and I believe the sound is better but, I just would like to have a good clean copy. Am I wrong to expect a tick and pop free copy?
Back in the early days I usually didn't get the surface noise till I played them a few times. That was cheaper vinyl and about 4-5 bucks.
128x128theo

Showing 2 responses by pbb

pbb
1,140 posts
 
Vinyl is and as always been a crap shoot. Of the three brand new LPs I bought yesterday the one with the best music has lousy surfaces (Cleanhead Vinson on Muse), the one I had the most hope for is a lousy recording and the pressing dismal, the hole is undersize and the surfaces are atrocious (Otis Rush on Delmark)and the one I paid $7.99 for, for which I had the lowest expectations, turns out to be quite good musically, the recording is all right and the pressing quality good (Lucky Peterson on Alligator).

So one out of three ain't good.

Unfortunately it's par for the course.

And if you think that expensive heavy vinyl means all that much better, think again.

Just happy the most expensive album of the three only cost me $14.99 + taxes
pbb
1,140 posts
 
There have always been quality problems with pressings. I am soon to be 57 and remember very well the days when vinyl was all there was and having to bring back something like every third or fourth album because of bad surfaces or warps or a combination of both. Do you remember when LPs were shrink wrapped whuile still warm and the plastic wrap would twist the vinyl as it shrank and the record cooles? European and Japanese pressings were normally the exception, everything pressed in North America was prone to all manner of defects.
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