New Re-Issue Vinyl: Surface Noise, Ticks, Pops....

I clean everything right out of the sleeve. The mold release stuff they use tends to latch onto little nasties which cause some of the ticks and pops. That being said, I too have found new pressings to be hit or miss. If you have a record cleaner...VPI, Clearaudio, Nitty Gritty, etc...it's sometimes better to buy used and scrub away before you play.

the problems inherent in new vinyl are always going to be there to a degree. i'm not suggesting you like with a faulty pressing.....just saying that everyone's idea of a quiet record is a bit different.

I notice the better cart the less these imperfectioins make it out of the speaker.....still there but less amplified.

I buy very little new vinyl and I'm very careful when I do: ie. I usually wait to hear from other listeners who have taken the plunge before me on reissues with respect to the quality of the vinyl or pressing. I have a few of the Music Matters Blue Notes on order because they seem to have a decent record so far with quality control (even though they're pressed at RTI) and I'll probably buy Speakers Corner (pressed in Europe) again because the few that I've ordered have been very good.

But I'm generally reluctant to buy new vinyl, particularly new North American vinyl, because of the horrendous quality control record it seems to have. I'm also not interested in buying new vinyl that's been digitally sourced or manipulated and that eliminates about 75% of the re-issues from what I can see.

I'd rather just buy old records that need to be cleaned. Generally better sounding and quieter pressings once run through the RCM. My success rate is very high with used vinyl and much of it is at bargain basement prices so if it doesn't work out I can simply toss the record without being upset. I'll also trade some of the used vinyl I buy to dealer(s) to fund purchases of new vinyl so, in the end, the new vinyl is really costing me considerably less.

... if they could make standard $7 records without pops, clicks, scratches, etc. 25-30 years ago there's no reason we shouldn't DEMAND at least the same quality from these "premium audiophile" pressings of today at $30+ each.

It's a damn shame that I can buy a used piece of vinyl, clean it up, and have it wipe the floor with a new audiophile pressing in terms of quietness.

I'm not asking for dead silent wax, but I am asking for playable vinyl which means no loud pops, crackles, etc. The ONLY ones who seem able to do this are the Japanese, the current MOFI stuff, and some European labels like Pure Pleasure (whos wax is dead dead dead silent...)