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

It seems that paying an average of 30.00 to get new 180-200 gram pressings is a lot of money. And I don't mind paying it for a good clean pressing. But is seems as though I usually end up with surface noise , crackling, pops etc.. It is so frustrating to wait for records to come and when I play them I hear a record that sounds like I bought it in a used record store. Has anyone ever mentally kept track of what interent distributor seems to have the noisiest or cleanest vinyl? Or perhaps the pressing company/label? Do you clean them before you play to clean the releasing agent or play them right out of the jacket? I love the sound of the grooves and I believe the sound is better but, I just would like to have a good clean copy. Am I wrong to expect a tick and pop free copy?
Back in the early days I usually didn't get the surface noise till I played them a few times. That was cheaper vinyl and about 4-5 bucks.
128x128theo
elinor's avatar
elinor
275 posts
 
I was in the retail record biz 30 years ago in what was one of the largest and most successful record/audio chains of the era. Trust me when I say that a large percentage of records were defective. Anyone who remembers otherwise is not remembering correctly. The never ending stream of returned records to the distributors and record companies along with uncontrollable pricing in the oil industry in the 1970s eventually led us to the digital age. By the way, those $7.00 records in the mid-70s were viewed as expensive and the same remarks regarding price/quality were voiced then as well.

If you are not cleaning your records before your initial first play, the ticks and pops cannot be improved upon. You must clean them.
thomasheisig
568 posts
 
After buying loads of records/reissues the last years, I nearly stopped it. It's too frustrating to spend so much money and getting such results.
EVERY 2. hand record with 80gr before Y2K is light years ahead from surface noise.
Reissues aren't bad in general, but those times, where you could get superior quality from CR (their first LSC with 180gr) or others are gone. CR was the best in general (mastering and sound), others have probably better vinyl, but their Mastering is nothing special (SC)... it is not easy to get the real stuff.
Probably "they" want to push the output, probably the good vinyl is no longer available ... good as analog is, that's not the way to go.
vinyladdict
164 posts
 
I guess I was just phenomenally lucky in the 1970's / 80's - I can count on one hand the number of defective records I had to return in those days among thousands of purchases.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
>>I guess i was just phenomenally lucky in the 1970's / 80's<<

I have a hard time with Elinor's claim. I bought well in excess of 4,000 albums during the 70's/80's and can't recall returning even a couple due to excessive noise and/or warpage.

That's not luck folks.
theo's avatar
theo OP
2,690 posts
 
My experience as well in a lesser volume I really only remember returning one or two with the exception of I went through about 4 copies of Wish Your Were Here that all had bad lead-in grooves. But these 180-200gram pressings all seem to have problems. I am gald to hear it isn't just me. Hopefully someone from Classic, Rhino etc is reading this thread.
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