Snap, crackle, pop

I rarely clean records unless they have obvious problems. For the most part I use a dust brush. Ticks and pops are not a problem despite that, although I am careful of the used LPs I buy, and try to take care of them by not handling the playing surfaces, storing them upright, etc.

See member "atmasphere" explanation. The cleaning rarely solve pops. All I can say is I have about 3000 vinyl records of which 50% are used. Almost no pops and no RCM anymore. Just brush. If real dirty which none are I would wash by hand. Never heard the idea of sharp edges don't mean to be rude but thought was pretty funny.

The audible improvements from thorough record cleaning go well beyond the reduction of clicks and pops. Noise reduction is only the first benefit of cleaning, not the last.

As I've posted numerous times over the years, a completely clean record is (in a sufficiently revealing system) actually *slightly noisier* than a less clean one. Removing the last, thin layer of grunge allows a (sufficiently resolving) stylus to reproduce lower levels of detail, higher order harmonics and the subtlest micro-dynamics... and also any slight irregularities in the vinyl surface. In my system, these are the sonic indicators that a record is entirely free of contaminants and they (or their absence) are very audible.

These things (including irregularities that can cause a subtle groove rush) are masked in every uncleaned record I've ever heard. No record has ever failed to improve in these areas by being properly cleaned. Sometimes the improvement is so shocking that visitors barely believe it's the same record.

If one doesn't hear or care about these things then perhaps cleaning isn't necessary. But some of us can and do. Speaking only for myself, I didn't invest $25-30K in a vinyl front end to hear anything less than all of the music that's in the grooves. Both common sense and proven experience inform me that removing *everything* that could degrade the stylus-groove interface is essential to my enjoyment of the medium.

First did not say record cleaning not a worth while act. What I said is it is not the cause of the snap crackle and pop the author of this post has implied or questioned. What I said was that I have had several RCM's including the loricraft prc 3. I do take vinyl very seriously. Just after years of experimenting and taking quite good care of my vinyl I have found other ways of cleaning and keeping my vinyl clean. If an RCM works for you the best, all the better. I am always looking for a better RCM or better ways of cleaning my vinyl. But, I believe, that cleaning is Just not the issue or cause in this discussion! That was my ONLY point!

The cleaning rarely solve pops.

My experience (owning a similar number of records) is that cleaning with AIVS Enzymatic removes at least 90% of them... much better than "rarely".

The remainder are probably due to flawed or damaged vinyl. I don't have static problems, so can't speak to how often that's a problem for those who do.

Fully agree with Atmasphere that the phono stage makes a huge difference in the ability to avoid over-amplifying sudden transients.