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Why is some vinyl noisy?

I'm listening to a copy of "This Is The Moody Blues", a very fine record store find, and I'm amazed at how noisy the vinyl sounds compared to it's physical condition.

The record is nice and flat, looks great in bright light, heavyweight. It's very clean as it's just been through my VPI 16.5 cleaner with two fluid baths. The rig it's playing on is plenty good enough to get the best from this record: VPI Scoutmaster, Sumiko Blackbird, McCormack & Krell downstream.

Yet, this is a noisy, clicky, poppy ride. I don't get it. Is some vinyl just plain noisy, or is some surface damage too hard to detect? By the same token, an ancient, clearly scuffed RCA Living Stereo recording of Van Cliburn just sounds terrific.
forddonald
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
Not all copies of a particular title on vinyl are the same. Despite their mystique, records can have quality control issues in their production just like any other consumer item.

Also not all surface defects are necessarily visible to the human eye. A good bit of the time they are though with careful inspection by trained eyes.

By the way, you did score a good find with that particular album. It is the only album that has the very fine and rare Moodies tune "Simple Game" on it. They even left it off the Time Traveler CD box set for some reason.
les_creative_edge
174 posts
 
The quality of vinyl use will compound the noise. Not all labels bought stock from the better or best vinyl suppliers. K-Tel (you know their HOT HITS type discs as kids) put all sorts of cheap ingredients into their vinyl so as to cut costs and as such were LOUSY sounding vinyl. Back in the day (when LP's ruled) I often found A&M and MCA to have the better quality control.
oilmanmojo
472 posts
 
I have a jefferson airplane album (Bark)that exhibits similar noisy background sound. It is on the grunt label and i have cleaned it multiple times. I finally found a very clean, unused pressing and aargh, it sounded just like the other slightly worn copy. On the other hand,
krusty2k
40 posts
 
Every now and then one runs into a "pre-owned" LP that looks pristine and plays horribly. My best guess it that it was handled well but played with a bad (chipped? too heavy?) stylus back in the day. Better luck next time.
theo's avatar
theo
2,659 posts
 
So remind me again, why is it we love vinyl?
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