Frustrated with Vinly

I can't tell you how many times I've bought new pressings only to have them sound worse than used records I picked up for a few dollars.  For example, I went through 2 bad (lots of surface noise, cleaning on my VPI didn't help) in  pressings of Norah Jones' Come Away With Me from Analogue Productions before getting one that sounded good.  That was from one of the better sources for high quality vinyl. 

I bought a new Madeleine Peyroux album last night and it came in a plain white sleeve and was covered in paper dust from the sleeve.  It played really nice overall, but had 2 or 3 revolutions of really loud pops.  Buying new is not a guarantee you'll get a nice low noise pressing.  A good cleaning before playing is a good idea.  I always put my records in a poly lined inner sleeve and a vinyl outer sleeve.

To the OP, the better your system - turntable, cartridge, phono pre-amp, etc., the quieter your vinyl will play.  Many of the used records I buy play with virtually no audible noise.  As someone else mentioned, this time of year with the dry air, static electricity can be an issue. 

uberwaltz

... it is simply NOT TRUE that all any NEW record needs is a quick brush with a carbon fiber brush, sorry.

Take a look at any new record under a microscope and I think you would be shocked at the debris you see on a lot of "regular" new records ...

I couldn't agree more, and would only add that with some new records, their dust is easily visible to the naked eye. Records aren't pressed in "clean rooms."

Jay73 et al

If it's a socks on carpet environment then the "end user" is part of the problem.
Consider asking your wife, girlfriend, mistress to wear rubber sandals, when she flips, and changes records for you.

you will be surprised at the improvement.

repeated problem with new records? It would be a shame to give up on LP's.

new: at most, remove paper dust with discwasher anti-static brush, no fluid, should sound fine. 

do you have good light where your tt is, to see how much dust may be remaining?

alignment? are you good at all the alignments needed for the stylus to do a great job? stylus worn, chipped, ????

IOW, what's not right? as you say, frustrating for new lps not to sound great.

I have to wonder if you are getting your stylus very clean. I had an old cartridge, not used in years, even alcohol would not get grub off both stylus and shaft.

magnifying glass. electrical contact cleaner took it all off. then a rinse with alcohol and good to go. spray in direction to avoid getting up into stylus shaft housing. then frequent stylus brushing, and semi-frequent stylus fluid cleaning

new and noisy

I just bought double album, billy joels greatest hits. very old, never played it seems.

discs literally covered with paper dust particles. First, dust off side 2 before putting on platter (don't want all that dust on your mat). then dust off bulk of side one dust, then side one on platter. final dusting with discwasher anti-static brush, NO FLUID. I hold brush in one place and spin the lp via the edge (don't want any force on tt motor), wipe brush clean on my pants, go again. Played quietly.

buying many new lps lately, just a light touch with brush. 

If using fluid, put a thin line of fluid on the leading edge of the brush, twice around with that part of the brush, then rotate the brush to dry area to pick up fluid. Then wait, till fully dry before playing.

you may want to get a Shure Cartridge, i.e. 97xe, (elliptical stylus), which has a damping/anti-static brush, cleans grooves just prior to stylus gets there.

best of luck solving this.

jay73:

 it's frustrating when playing some of my newer records and they have noises that I do not want to hear.

Presented now for your consideration, the answer and solution to your frustration.

The year we transitioned from all CD to more LP was one fascinating enthralling evening after another. I did everything possible to ensure only music came off the groove. But of course there were all the usual noises.

One night my wife exclaims, "Its so quiet!"

I thought she meant this particular record. It was pretty quiet. For a record. I said something like yeah this is one of the better pressings. She said no, that's not what I mean. 

Now her not being an audiophile the words are different and it takes a while asking questions teasing it all out but here's the gist of it. My words now but her idea, which I love because years later the more I think about it the more its clear that its true and correct.

Its not about ticks and pops, or groove noise. Its not comparing one clean new LP to another older one. None of that. Its the noise that comes off a CD compared to the music that comes off a LP.

Got it? The CD only seems quiet because the obvious noise you hear as hiss is so low. But CD noise is not separate from or extraneous to the music. The noise is woven right into the signal. CD turns music into noise. That's why people prefer LP. Not in spite of the noise on a record, but because of the noise that is CD.

The minute you realize this a great weight will be lifted. Really obnoxiously severely bad pressings will still tick you off, sure. But the soft surface noise of your typical LP will not. When I hear that its like "Ahhh, wonderful! Music to my ears!"