The vagaries of vinyl

[alphaGT]

Three words, mate: record cleaning machine. No serious 'vinylista' should be without one!

And yes, even brand new LPs aren't (deep) clean. There's always some gunk/residue left over from the pressing plant, invisible to the naked eye, but not to that wee lump of diamond, tracing the grooves!

I put *every* LP I buy, new or used, through the RCM before it gets near my T/T, consequently the vast majority of my collection is silent, in terms of clicks and pops, as aside from stuff that's brand new, I only ever buy used vinyl in near mint condition.

Therefore, I suspect that the noise you're hearing on the GP album would be resolved with a good run through an RCM

Marco.

I’ll second that! Word for word, exactly my own experience. Having a RCM adds a whole new dimension to playing vinyl, on average I hear very little to no surface noise. I’ve got Records I’ve had for 40 years, and after a thorough cleaning they have dead black backgrounds.

Russell

[harmonica98]

Three words, mate: record cleaning machine.

Therefore, I suspect that the noise you're hearing on the GP album would be resolved with a good run through an RCM

The noise described sounds more like non-fill to me therefore wouldn't be improved by a clean.

However, in general I agree and a RCM is essential.

[da2222]

I've just received a copy of Nina Simone 'Little Girl Blue' 200g Analogue Productions LP and Aretha Franklin's 'Aretha Gold' 180g 2 x 45rpm lps. Very expensive but the quality of the recordings are absolutely outstanding in every sense. It just shows how wonderful vinyl can be and, in consequence, how flawed it often is. Equipment/component concerns are most probably given far too much focus, sound quality largely depends on the input, ie the quality of the recording. My money's heading in that direction from now on...

[Pigmy Pony]

Three words, mate: record cleaning machine. No serious 'vinylista' should be without one!

And yes, even brand new LPs aren't (deep) clean. There's always some gunk/residue left over from the pressing plant, invisible to the naked eye, but not to that wee lump of diamond, tracing the grooves!

I put *every* LP I buy, new or used, through the RCM before it gets near my T/T, consequently the vast majority of my collection is silent, in terms of clicks and pops, as aside from stuff that's brand new, I only ever buy used vinyl in near mint condition.

Therefore, I suspect that the noise you're hearing on the GP album would be resolved with a good run through an RCM

Marco.

You're absolutely right, I'd love an RCM. But I'll just have to add it to the ever-growing list of "things I can't afford" I suppose it should jump to the front of queue, hi fi upgrades-wise.

[alphaGT]

You're absolutely right, I'd love an RCM. But I'll just have to add it to the ever-growing list of "things I can't afford" I suppose it should jump to the front of queue, hi fi upgrades-wise.

I was like that, I went for many, many years thinking it was just something I couldn’t afford. They are way overpriced! I mean really! But, I justified that if I want my record collection to last the rest of my life, I needed one. And it hurt to drop that $500! But, once I started using it, the money was long forgotten, and the joy of owning it is worth way more! And, it did renew my records, Records I thought were through suddenly were very listenable! No regrets, I could kick myself for not buying it 15 years sooner. If you calculate the value of your record collection, it becomes apparent that the cost of the RCM is worth it.

Russell

[Marco]

The noise described sounds more like non-fill to me therefore wouldn't be improved by a clean.

However, in general I agree and a RCM is essential.

Yes it could be, but I there'd be no harm in running the LP trough an RCM to see if it cured the problem.

Marco.

[Marco]

I've just received a copy of Nina Simone 'Little Girl Blue' 200g Analogue Productions LP and Aretha Franklin's 'Aretha Gold' 180g 2 x 45rpm lps. Very expensive but the quality of the recordings are absolutely outstanding in every sense. It just shows how wonderful vinyl can be and, in consequence, how flawed it often is. Equipment/component concerns are most probably give far too much focus, sound quality largely depends on the input, ie the quality of the recording. My money's heading in that direction from now on...

That's an undoubted truism, and one of the reasons why some folks give up on vinyl, because they can't get it to sound how they want.

So you're right, no matter how good the turntable is, or any of the supporting equipment, if the process doesn't start with a well-recorded piece of vinyl in pristine condition, you've got ZERO chance of ever hearing vinyl at its best, which is why an RCM is vital for anyone serious about the latter - *and* like you say, owning some high-quality audiophile pressings of good music!

It's no use simply playing your old worn out records from the 70s and 80s, which you used to swap with your mates at school, and have been played to death, or 2nd hand buys from shops or car boot sales, as those will never allow your T/T to truly shine, so diverting more cash towards the software, in the way you describe with genuinely high-quality pressings, once you've got your T/T and system at a point you're happy with, is definitely the way to go

Marco.

[Marco]

I was like that, I went for many, many years thinking it was just something I couldn’t afford. They are way overpriced! I mean really! But, I justified that if I want my record collection to last the rest of my life, I needed one. And it hurt to drop that $500! But, once I started using it, the money was long forgotten, and the joy of owning it is worth way more! And, it did renew my records, Records I thought were through suddenly were very listenable! No regrets, I could kick myself for not buying it 15 years sooner. If you calculate the value of your record collection, it becomes apparent that the cost of the RCM is worth it.

Spot on, Russell! Aside from the ridiculous high price, which I agree with, too many folks see RCMs merely as an 'accessory', like a record brush, when in reality it's far more than that. It's a vital tool in the armoury of any serious vinylista, and in the long run its cost is far outweighed by its effectiveness, and most importantly, how it protects your precious records.

Marco.

[Marco]

You're absolutely right, I'd love an RCM. But I'll just have to add it to the ever-growing list of "things I can't afford" I suppose it should jump to the front of queue, hi fi upgrades-wise.

Hi Steve,

If you can send me some stuff you'd like cleaned, I'll gladly do it for you, for the cost of postage. The process I use is meticulous and will transform the sound of your favourite LPs. At least it would give you a taster of what an RCM is capable of, so that Anita can get you one for Christmas!

Anyway, if you're interested, let me know

Marco.

[Manicatel]

Just read an interview with a guy from abbey road, talking about his job pressing vinyl. Ok so it’s only in What HiFi, so yea, I know I know.
Anyway, when asked about what masters did he press from, he said he uses CD Masters, as no one wants to pay for remastering cd’s & then pay again for remastering vinyl copies of the same album from analogue sources!
They’re trying to make him out to be some kind of remastering guru, but it seems he’s not bothered about what source he uses to remaster from. Just de-ess the cd, turn the gain down a bit & hey presto, here’s your vinyl master copy. Definitely not impressed & highly unlikely to be hunting out any of his work.