1. Home
  2. analog
  3. 197596-2290

Brand new vinyl - what’s acceptable to you?

I just ordered a dozen new albums - this time all 180 g variants. The Norah Jones had a scratch on it coming out of the paper sleeve the first time. (Separate gripe - why do they package ostensibly “audiophile” albums in crappy sleeves which might actually damage a record?).  I’ll return the Norah Jones. But, the Miles Davis album has a noisy spot 1/4 the way through the first track. I’ll try cleaning the record but usually don’t have to for a new album. Or should I as a better practice? (This old dog can learn new habits).

Fortunately, the Pat Metheny is dead quiet - thank you ECM! All my ECM vinyl - even from decades ago are quiet. However, my experience is that ECM is very much an outlier: that most labels will come with some noise.

I’m working my way through all the albums but it made me want to poll the group: How much noise do you accept on a new pressing?  Do you have a rule of thumb for what to reject?

Thanks,

 

mgrif104
mgrif104 OP
564 posts
 

@faustuss 

unfortuantely, yes the scratch is audible - though not for the entire length of it which crosses several tracks. But you’re right - what’s visible isn’t necessarily audible. In this case, it is.

slaw's avatar
slaw
26,497 posts
 

Any (new to me) record goes through my Degritter II. 

mulveling's avatar
mulveling
2,451 posts
 

I’ll accept more than most. Being an imperfect medium with variance is part of its charm. Vinyl LP records today (70+ years later) still deliver on their original promise: "high quality for the masses". Guys who insist on returning records until "perfect" are just driving up costs for the rest of us. This is one of those generational differences I guess (I’m late gen X / millenial). It especially drives me crazy when guys talk about retuning for minor edge warps. It happens on 180g - just buy something else!!

Also, if you’re going to be so picky, at least learn the pressing plant differences. A United pressing is generally going to be filthy compared to a Music on Vinyl. Generational differences!

mgrif104 OP
564 posts
 

@lalitk 

the version of Norah Jones I purchased was the Blue Note 20th anniversary remaster on 180g vinyl. In between the scratch, it’s quiet, but also lacking life. I should have been skeptical about the remaster. It’s often not an improvement. I’ll look for the AP version. Thanks for the tip!

I’m currently only using a stylus brush but a few days ago ordered the zero dust stylus cleaner. Should be here in a day or so. 

oldaudiophile
384 posts
 

Nothing gets played on my now not so new TT without going through my USC first.  I would return any record purchased new that had any objectionable defects or was poorly recorded.  I'm also rather judicious about where and from whom I purchase new records from.  The source and the manufacturing process matters.

More to discover