Crackle and hiss on some albums

@fuzztone ...+1 on the Sugarcube by Sweet Vinyl.  I have been happily turning sows asses into silk purses with my SC-2 since I got a beta unit when it was crowd funded in 2016. Of course, I still use my vacuum record cleaning machine, the cheep and cheerful KAB record cleaner, as well as an In The Groove cleaner as a finishing tool, and an anti-static gun, but with it's transparent click removal and background noise reduction (a form of digital noise masking), the results I get from beat up garage sale LPs is gobsmackingly good!

A seemingly increasing proportion of vinyl since initial decline in production (1990’s)  has QC issues. Much of the original production machinery is long gone, and much of what’s in use today is purportedly not new. Add to that what’s likely considerably higher cost for ingredients (PVC sourced from overseas) and perhaps integrity of said ingredients (no info available on the chemical or environmental standards of major producers of the precursor pellets), and “180g” isn’t a spec that will save performance of the final new product.

A strong stream of water into grooves is probably the second most effective way to remove noise from troubled vinyl (whether it’s been accrued through time via dust or is a result of poor QC from the get-go) that you can do in-house. There are sandwich-handled-discs that can be screwed onto the center of each LP (over the label) that allow water-blasting under a strong faucet (silicon inner discs protect the album labels from water).

The most effective solution I’ve seen is to apply WD40 to the troubled disc via microfiber cloth (preferably after washing said disc). However, white spirits x vinyl over the years… well, chemically, who knows. Also, a semi-liquid in the grooves x hollow cantilever for me was always a “no.” Amazing solution in performance, but not one I use on my equipment.

I had no idea there was a mail-in disc cleaning service. In a world advocating people consider food miles etc., the concept of re-shipping vinyl that’s already shipped at least twice got a chuckle from me.

@tsbarro 

Congrats on the upgrade!  I moved up to a Planar six (w/exact 2 cart) from an old Dual 1219 a couple of years ago and it was well worth it. 

Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of variability in quality from album to album. Many new albums I have bought have been noisy from the get-go. I tend to stick to the used bins and look for super clean records. I clean them all with a Pro-ject VC-E vacuum machine which does a nice job and won't break the bank. But, there are always some random pops and clicks. You might look into a Zerostat static reduction gun. IMO it actually does work and definitely helps with pops and clicks.

Best of luck!

Some record labels or pressings just used inferior or recycled vinyl. The Noise cannot be removed. However, if dirty, then the record dr is a great economical machine. I use mine with audio intelligent #6 cleaner. There will also be a bit more noise when tubes are introduced, such as in the phono stage. All depends on how well it was designed. Typically a solid state preamp is quieter.