Vacuum Record Cleaner Rreplacement

@richardbrand 

I recently purchased two LP albums from the store at Sade's website. Both sides of both LPs have a very loud swooshing sound that is in sync with the table rotation. I could even hear it when she was singing!

I sent both of them back, asking them to listen.  I received a full refund. 

I just don't understand how companies can sell products with these defects. Don't they listen to their own LPs? Do they think the listener won't notice or is too naive to hear it for what it is?

@antinn 

Thanks Neil

I for one find this level of discussion very helpful indeed when sorting through the weeds!

May I just add that, according to the paper I referenced earlier, the size of the bubbles produced is also affected by temperature

@kevemaher 

Don't they listen to their own LPs?

That's a fascinating idea!

Frankly, I am horrified when a record store offers to play my new record to check for defects .  Doing so would immediately turn it into a second hand item in my view!

Most likely they would use a DJ-style deck with an unknown amount of stylus wear.  If played through loudspeakers, they would risk emptying the store of customers (Mahler is not for everyone, after all).  The noise floor of the store may exceed the defect level and most headphones are not that revealing.

I have no objection to manufacturers sampling their output, provided the samples are not sold as new.  Sampling can show overall trends - like the wear on masters - but obviously cannot detect every faulty record.

In reality, I think manufacturers expect a return rate and factor that into the cost of doing business.  What they don't seem to factor in is reputational damage.  But apparently most records are bought by people who have no means of playing them anyway.  Of the six sets (12 disks) of Mahler 2 sold by my record store, only one set has been returned so far.

Deutsche Grammophon (DG) in Europe seem to have a new tactic to reducing returns.  They don't supply in the first place.

I am still waiting for Rachmaninov Piano Concertos ordered in January, and recently released Paganini ordered a month ago, all from Presto Classical.

Presto are particularly responsive and helpful.  The have refunded my money on defective records from DG's sister company Decca after asking for photographs of the damage.  In one case, it was obvious from a line of detritus caused by abrasion from Decca's new, glossy, thick, carboard inner sleeves.  In another case, it would probably have needed an electron microscope, which requires destruction of the record.  Presto asked me to destroy the record after getting my refund which seems reasonable especially as I bought the CD in the same purchase.  Never had to return a CD ...

@richardbrand 

I may be misunderstanding your post. Implied in what I said is testing. Don't they sample LPs to see if the pressing processes are creating audible problems?. This is a simple QA process. I was not suggesting that they should have played the LPs I bought.

I believe that the wooshing is not a single item issue. Their test pressing should have caught the problem. I might be mistaken in thinking this was a process problem rather than a one off problem.

I don't know what can cause this sound. Does anyone know? 

I have several re-issue LPs on reputable labels, like Classic Records for one example, that exhibit major distortions.  Unfortunately for me, I waited too long after purchase to discover the problems and so cannot realistically expect any help from the manufacturer.