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Vinyl newbie - have a few questions

Ok, I'm fairly new to vinyl. I have a few items I'd like some advice on.

My vinyl system is a small collection of hand-me-downs:
MacIntosh Mac1700 receiver
A/D/S L500 2-ways
and the recent addition, Denon DP-52F w/ Ortofon OM-3e

I realy like the over-all sound, and am really impressed with how dynamic instruments are compared to CD. I love how the brushes on drums sound like brushes instead of static like on most CD remasters. However, I have a couple gripes and need some direction in working them out.

I suppose I should mention that a majority of my listening is jazz, mixed with classic rock. Right now my personal collection is probably only 30 discs, but with my father's neglected collection I have three or four hundred within a couple minutes drive from my house.

First of all, is the background noise. I just can't seem to get it completely black behind the music. I must say, it's not much noise, but I notice it; even when other's don't.

Second, on some stereo recordings the mid-range seems a little "compressed" to me. Even my wife has noticed that it just isn't as dynamic in the mids as the rest of the range. However, this seems to only occur on stereo discs, when I play mono's I get a really sweet full-range.

Third, I just need advise on cleaning albums. I'm just using my discwasher from 1980-whatever while hunting through boxes at my dad's for his Zerostat. Any suggestions for cleaning regimens that don't include dropping a thousand dollars for a RCM would be appreciated.

So I guess the crux of my inquiry would be; where am I going to get the most bang for my buck in improvements?

I appreciate any input you can give me.

M
ninetwofour
ehaller
98 posts
 
Cleaning- I too recently got back into vinyl. Was using the old Discwasher pad until I started researching and found numerous recommendations for Disc Doctor products. I purchased 2 of their brushes along with a quart of their Miracle Record Cleaner. The results are outstanding. Other people will disagree but in my regimen I can get the LP as clean as if I used an RCM. It will also lower the noise.

Next I would look into a phono stage. This might help the compressed sound you refer to. Can also help with backgroung noise.

If you're real ambitious, get aftermarket sleeves to put the nice clean LPs into.

Some LPs just won't be completely quiet, even after rigorous cleaning.

For me it's worth the time and effort, I listen to more vinyl now than CD, and enjoy the music that much more.
piedpiper
753 posts
 
If you don't use an RCM you're just leaving much of the grunge on the record.

RCMs don't have to cost thousands. Nitty Gritty has one for $325.
elinor's avatar
elinor
275 posts
 
You don't say what kind of noise you hear. If it is a general hiss it can be on the original tape from which the records were pressed. OR it can be a poor quality phono stage, OR the phono stage might have inadequate gain to amplify the signal from the cartridge. If the noise to which you refer is dirt on the record, you need a record cleaning machine and a good record cleaning fluid. You mention that the mids seem too layed back. You also say that you like the sound of cymbals on vinyl. It is possible that the cartridge is not set properly for vertical tracking angle. Too much angle between the cartridge and the record surface will yield very lively highs but less than present mids. If you do not have an adjustment for VTA on your tonearm, sometimes you can use a shim between the cartridge and the headshell to change VTA. Having fun yet? It is confusing at first, but if you get into it enough, vinyl is a glorious mystery that is never quite resolved but yields the best audio sound available.
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