Is it possible to have vinyl nearly noise free?

Yes, you can listen to vinyl that is nearly noise-free.

Playback system influences and record condition aside, some vinyl does play black quiet. I clean and play 2-30 records a week before listing, mostly classical and jazz and I have noticed some patterns with regard to certain labels and unwanted noise. A lot of DGG/DG pressings from the 60-s-70’s play black quiet. Most Japanese pressings I have listened to are also CD quiet. Some UK pressings. It’s mostly the quality of the vinyl. I can spot a record that will play quiet- it has a certain type of shine- like a sheet of silky black glass.

There are a lot of factors that go into making a quiet vinyl surface. Vinyl pellet quality, processing variables, cleanliness of the vinyl (dirt and regrind) and the amount and type of plasticizer used to keep the vinyl soft. I believe, in general, that the Germans and the Japanese are better at formulating a quiet vinyl compound than most. Plasticizer has a half-life and some formulations age poorly. I have opened many sealed RCA Living Stereos and a large proportion play with surface noise- even after a good cleaning. I am convinced it is the way the vinyl compound ages with RCA pressings. DGG pressings of the same age and quality generally play CD quiet.

I also believe that cleaning is a worthwhile pursuit. I have tried many methods, chemistries, and machines over the years and removing unwanted noise and cleaning up the original signal is possible through a good cleaning. I don’t believe that a very expensive RCM is necessary. Most I have tried are not addressing the real issue- they only provide more convenience.

I am getting impressive results cleaning with just a mild surfactant/detergent and very pure water. No vacuums and no ultrasonics. I do it by hand with a material I found that provides the right amount of agitation without harming the vinyl surface. Enough said.

I can’t make damaged, deformed or worn groove walls magically come back to their original shape, but if there is something hiding in the groove, I can get it out. And it’s worth it to me. I am sometimes shocked that 50-60-year-old records that look hopeless and would only get a Fair to Good visual grade can be cleaned to play quietly. I’ve had friends ask me if I used an ultrasonic cleaning machine.

So, if unwanted noise bothers you, I would say, yes- quiet is possible.

i bought my turntable back in the early 70's. i've experience a noise free vinyl on the first play. after that it was'nt the same. any comments on this?

@g_nakamoto, I found that with optimum cartridge set up and tracking there was no increase in surface noise or clicks and pops after numerous plays. I think its very hard to damage a record with just wear and tear if your  turntable/arm and cartridge are set up as intended.

With used records I would be surprised with the amount of fluff that the cartridge was sometimes picking up on the first or second playing. In fact playback got quieter after the first or second play.

My main gripe with vinyl was the poor pressing quality sometimes found here in the UK. EMI (Beatles) didn't seem to be too careful with quality control. By the 1990s some records were almost like flexi-discs. 

As there is much more awareness of consumer rights nowadays then there should be less reason to put up with poor pressings now. Record companies will always put up with a percentage of returns but after that they will be forced to improve their product. 

With the price of vinyl today, and I daresay for its continuing success, first rate pressings are a must.

Yes.  I just listened to a 35 year old LP with virtually no noise, and all I did was brush the dust off first.  I have other LPs that are pretty hopeless, and are noisy the entire way through.  But I will tell you this: your playback equipment matters tons in this regard.  Over the years, I upgraded both turntables and cartridges independently of each other, and each time I moved up the food chain, I got less noise.  The current setup is a Dynavector 20X2L cartridge on a Well Tempered Versalex, and it has been a revalation in terms of how low the noise floor on vinyl can get.  Comparing the same records to my previous setup (Clearaudio Aurum Beta on a Sota Comet) is simply night and day in terms of surface noise.  I suspect it’s a combination of stylus geometry and tonearm damping at play.

I heard the Sugar Cube device on a very fine audio system and disagree with the unfavorable impressions noted about. To my ears, it got rid of 90% of pops and click with no degradation to the music quality.  I think this is the only device that does what you are looking for.

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/sweet-vinyls-sugarcube-sc-1-real-time-pop-and-click-remover-any...

I saw the Kirmuss demo at Axpona last week and also saw the video Dr. K did with Mike Fremer and I laughed like hell.  I recall it takes something like 15 minutes to clean the LP with the system in a very manual process.  I dumped my SOTA vacuum TT a year ago and my anxiety level has dropped dramatically and I have never heard a pop or click with any of my digitally sourced music since the SOTA left.  Good bless you vinyl lovers.   Me, I am upgrading to Qobuz this week from Tidal Hifi.