Do you listen to crackly records ?

On the odd occasion (when the mood takes) that I decide to play a record, if it crackles away I go and get the CD version and play it instead. Normally I just cut out the middle man and play the CD from the word go.

I think back to all the old 78's of original Bessie Smith and the music from the 30's. People would listen passed the crackles, just wondered if people did that today ?

I think it depends on the type of crackles and the music. It is possible to get into the music and "filter' out the extra noises, other times I fail and resort to the CD if I have a copy(obviously).

As someone once said "life has background noise" so yes of course I do.



Dean..

I listen through the pops & crackles, the only time they spoil my enjoyment is when listening to the quieter passages on Classical music & of course I don't have a Moth!

The Moth won't fix inherent crackles.

All of my used records are washed on the VPI 16.5 ... the crackles come from poor storage and play on crappy needles I've been told ...

I think vinyl from the 80s was really poor quality and very soft. Tho TB is from 70s. I think, it all depends on how irritated I get, now that I have a new DV XX-2 I don't listen to second side, I put the record by the VPI for a group wash. I've only had my VPI since last December.

I also think vinyl and pressing quality varied by record company - it seemed like every MCA record I had back in the day was crappy in terms of noise and physical quality...don't know if it was just bad luck for me with their stuff, but it used to really piss me off to get a brand new record and it didn't sound great, and it seemed to happen repeatedly with MCA product..

All the time.

Crackles are an issue sometimes, but I have had good luck with the VPI cleaning system with VPI fluid using the factory instructions. The turntable might make a difference, but start with a clean, static-free record.

quote:

Originally posted by Whizzkid:
As someone once said "life has background noise" so yes of course I do.

Dean..

My records have been collected over 35 years from the age of 11. The crackly ones are those that survived the onslaught of teenage and student years.

Like the music, the crackles too have become part of the proverbial 'soundtrack of my life'.

Also, I have found the curious phenomenon that the better the replay equipment the less audible the crackles.

quote:

Also, I have found the curious phenomenon that the better the replay equipment the less audible the crackles.

This is true, I assume the different stylus profiles are finding undamaged/worn parts of the groove. Also I think it ws Lontano who said the Superline replacing his existing(Stageline?) also reduced the SC@P, or kellogs effect.

I have copied all mine via Audacity onto CD using the pop reduction feature - worked very well.

Often the crackles are no more than static discharge - does the felt mat stick to your LP's?
Knosti is very good at illiminating this static - provided the cleaned LP is put into an anti-static sleeve after cleaning.

HTH,

Chris N

quote:

Originally posted by Analogue Rules OK:
Often the crackles are no more than static discharge - does the felt mat stick to your LP's?
Knosti is very good at illiminating this static - provided the cleaned LP is put into an anti-static sleeve after cleaning.

HTH,

Chris N

Yeah, once I wash them with the MoFi Super Record Cleaner they go into a newer anti-static sleeve.

I do notice though, many records are hard to wet, while others do so quite happily.

I assume this is to do with the vinyl composition and any coatings that were applied years ago.

quote:

Yeah, once I wash them with the MoFi Super Record Cleaner they go into a newer anti-static sleeve.

I do notice though, many records are hard to wet, while others do so quite happily.

Does the MoFi solution have a "wetting" agent added,?

I don't listen to crackly records, mainly because my records are completely unplayable; misunderstand me not however. Their inability to be played is not due to their condition through either use or mis-use but because I have no TT to play them on.

Many moons ago, I did observe that a better cart/arm/phono stage reduced if not eliminated the crackles on all but the worst of culprits.

I also think it's because the cartridge is finding cleaner areas in the groove. I have friends over who can't believe vinyl is so quiet and it's 40-50 years old.

I've had 2 DV carts now, But then I don't the dust and dirt I had as a teen in the basement, and never heard of a brush or idea of changing a needle. Oh my gosh, maybe it was a good thing mom gave my records away when I went to college.

Crackly records are such unpredictable things. I've just bought Joni Mitchell "Hejira" S/H & it's supposed to be unplayed. Certainly it's got that lovely shiny, slightly sticky-looking appearance that says it's not even been out of the cover. Noisy as frying eggs, although much improved by a couple of passes on my Moth.

I also got a rather battered copy of Joe Jackson "Night and Day" that looks like someone's eaten their breakfast off it - covered in fingermarks and fine scratches, yet it's completely silent and sounds wonderful. All very odd!

I do agree the cartridge can make a quite startling difference to surface noise.

I agree that some albums purchased in the early 80s started out poor quality. I used to hate getting home with a new album, then to be so bitterly disappointed when I found that typical, cringing 'noisy' vinyl.

Some of this may have been caused by record plants using recycled vinyl (I think this was just after the first oil crisis). But I wonder if this was part of the record industry's plan to force us all to buy CD players and the much higher priced silver discs.

I also love conspiracy theories!

Regards, CB

Strangely enough I am much more tolerant of crackly records than I am of Cd's skipping and jumping. Although the latter doesn't happen very often I find my CDX2 is not very happy with those CD's that have the smallest of blemishes, especially when these occur on the outside edge of the disks.

By the way, some of the stupid CD packages you get nowadays where you have to grip the CD to get it out of its tight cardboard sleeve, honestly what happened to the good old jewel cases?

Oh dear I seem have turned into a grumpy old man...

Tim

quote:

Originally posted by Timbo:

By the way, some of the stupid CD packages you get nowadays where you have to grip the CD to get it out of its tight cardboard sleeve, honestly what happened to the good old jewel cases?

Oh dear I seem have turned into a grumpy old man...

Tim

I'll join your rant on that one.

Regards, CB

quote:

Originally posted by Timbo:

By the way, some of the stupid CD packages you get nowadays where you have to grip the CD to get it out of its tight cardboard sleeve, honestly what happened to the good old jewel cases?

Oh dear I seem have turned into a grumpy old man...

Tim

I was already thinking the last sentence above as soon as I'd read the first bit. Ha ha.

I had to raid C's make-up bag the first time I removed the cds from Kraftwerk's Der Katalog. I appreciated the Kraftwerkian precision, to be honest, and the tweezers somehow seemed appropriate!

As for crackly records, I recently heard Wish You Were Here on cd for the first time. Something of a revelation sound-wise, as I'd always known it from my brother's murky original vinyl. Somehow though, it almost sounded wrong without all the cracks and pops, especially at the (newly silent) start and end of "Shine On... ".

quote:

Originally posted by Chief Chirpa:
the first time I removed the cds from Kraftwerk's Der Katalog. I appreciated the Kraftwerkian precision, to be honest, and the tweezers somehow seemed appropriate!

It was a bit of a struggle to get them out of their sleeves I have to say.

Its just as difficult getting the album out of play.com! Been waiting for going on 3 weeks and the delivery status remains "order taken".