Where do classical vinyl records get their rumble from?


Recently converted back to vinyl from silver disks, I am struck by how much rumble seems to be inherent in the new and used vinyl I am buying.

A case in point, is a recent Deutsche Grammophon (DG) recording (487 7484) of Mahler’s Second Symphony made at a live performance at the Sydney Opera House (I was there).  The first set I bought was amongst the dirtiest pressings I have ever had, but the second set was much improved.  However, there is a persistent rumble whether played on my Holbo Mk2 air bearing system or my venerable Garrard 301 (new bearing from Classic Turntable Company).

Mahler typically has huge dynamic range, from muted off-stage performers to hundreds of musicians going hell-for-leather.

The rumble could be partly caused by the venue’s air conditioning system, but I hear similar background on a Telarc recording (Stereo 10051) of Saint Saens Organ Symphony made in Philadelphia.  Telarc even arranged to have local roads shut down for the recording sessions.

Similar efforts were made by DG when recording the organ at Notre Dame in Paris, where recording was done late at night to reduce traffic noise.  My copy includes Dolby Atmos on Pure-Audio Bly-ray (DG 486 1466).

I was beginning to think the rumble was inherent in my tables, but then I played a German Direct Metal Mastered (DMM) set from In-Akustik for Clearaudio’s 40th anniversary (INAK 78051 2LP).  It includes some Telarc tracks.  This set has the quietest background I’ve never heard.  There is virtually no rumble, exonerating my tables.

So apart from the recoding venue’s air conditioning and traffic noise, why do so many classical records seem to have built-in rumble?  Could it be from the mastering lathe?

I am really only thinking about classical recordings where the dynamic range approximates the signal to noise ratio of vinyl, meaning that very low-level signals are musically important, while simultaneously bumping against the noise floor.

richardbrand

@kennyc 

I use a HRS RXR rack with RXR vibration reduction isolation platforms. Seeking another stand alone platform for my 61kg (135lb) integrated. HRS seems best but a tough budget reach

In another thread, you posted:

in high end audio, we are chasing better sound within our budgets

I suspect your rack and isolation platforms alone cost rather more than an entire Holbo air bearing system!

@audphile1 

following indicates that in some cases where it should have been used it either wasn’t or it broke 

Gough Whitlam, then Australia’s Prime Minister, was being heckled at a public meeting by a young protester "What about abortion?".

He replied "I only wish it could be made retrospective"

Say no more smiley

@lewm 

RB was questioning the frequency at which compliance is ’measured for one of his cartridges.  The correct answer cannot be "1kHz, 5cm/sec".  Raul answered RB’s question

Thanks for coming to the rescue!

Raul gave 65% as the relative difference between 100-Hz and 10-Hz, but the only compliance number I have found so far for DS Audio is at 125-Hz.

This is all rather academic because of recommendations from other users and manufacturers about what works well.  Calculations only go so far.

In other threads, I have argued about what the effective horizontal mass of the Holbo tangential arm is, concluding it must be the entire mass of the tonearm assembly that moves sideways.  For me, that works with static compliance.

But most of the tonearm's 31.6 gram mass is probably concentrated in its bearing, 6" away from the cartridge and connected to it via a rigid 1/4" tube of aluminium/carbon construction.  When dynamic side loadings are applied at say 10-Hz or 100-Hz, I would expect the arm itself to flex slightly, absorbing some of the side motion and making the effective mass less than 31.6.

What do you think?  This is for my academic interest only ...

I got my second hand RXR rack with shelves in 2019 for 5.5k. Nowadays prices much higher.

HRS and CMS seem to have the best isolation, but is pricey. Wood is a good positive alternative, maple being a favorite amongst some. Otherwise, it’s difficult to sort through the myriad of footers to find an ideal option. 

Your Holbo is a great high-value sonic buy. I picked up a used VPI Avenger rim drive with 2 VPI arms for 8k. I picked a multi arm to run a variety of cartridges including mono and SPUs. I’ve since upgraded the tonearms.

@stievus

If these recordings give you rumble as you describe, then it must be your deck. (My humble opinion...) I am still using a Pink Triangle Export Gti

I have a number of exceptionally quiet records, some listed above, which in my opinion exonerates my decks.

I have thought about it some more, and two of the records I mentioned as noisy were not recorded in purpose-built studios. For one recording, local streets were shut down to reduce traffic noise, but obviously there is a limit to restricting noise in a big city.  Another contributor mentioned hearing London tube trains on records.

Big cities are inherently noisy, though usually quieter at night.  I was camped south of Sydney, and in the middle of the night became aware of very faint, periodic subterranean rumblings, each lasting about a minute.  Turned out it was the sound of underground coal mining machines, being transmitted through kilometers of solid rock.  The machines are so-called "continuous miners" but they stop to unload when they have chewed about 100-tons, in order to unload.  Hence the minute duration!

That and the London underground got me thinking about the Sydney Opera House where the live recording of Mahler 2 was made.  It has to contend with trains and traffic on the Harbour Bridge, plus constant ferry movements, the occasional cruise liner being moored, a double-helix underground carpark, freeways, helicopters, etc.

Around the time the recording was made, massive Tunnel Boring Machines were boring under the harbour.  Against this backdrop, the venue is amazingly quiet but to very sensitive microphone?

By the way, the Achromat platter mats I use are directly descended from Pink Triangle which is one of the reasons I got them!