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Question about background noise

’Sup?
So, I’ve been lazily progressing along on my phono pre journey, with a Simaudio Moon LP110 now in the system that comprises a VPI HW-19 MK4 with a SAMA, an aging Sumiko FT-3 arm, and a brand new (~ 55 hours or so) Hana SL cartridge. Listening to some acoustic recordings of classical guitar or some Julie London LP’s, I notice that the background is more gray than black. Like, there’s a discernible hollow sound between and during tracks (though not noticeable once the instrument/vocal dynamics ramp up).

Is this an artifact of the new cartridge, the new cartridge, the actual pressing, or something else entirely? I’m not particularly bothered by it, but I know it could be more silent.
simao
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
cleeds writes:
Many things can contribute to noise on an LP, including dirt and a worn or improperly aligned stylus.


Q: Do any of these ever result in the "hollow sound" described?

A: No. 

And yet anyone who has listened to a lot of LPs, even really nicely cleaned ones on beautifully set up rigs, knows they aren't all dead quiet and in fact some do have some pretty odd sounding backgrounds. Which are not dirt, are not alignment, are not anything but in the pressing. Which at the very least means it is not absurd to consider.

My guess is you will find this one a little harder to take OTR.
(Off The Record. What did you think it meant?)

simao's avatar
simao OP
1,849 posts
 
I think the increased fidelity of the Simaudio might be more revealing than the Lehmann I was using before. It's also a case of the particular LP, too. Some of my rock lps have little to no background hollowness; it's the acoustic recordings and the folk or jazz ones with a huge range of dynamics that have this srtifact
slaw's avatar
slaw
22,544 posts
 
Who's response was deleted?
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,503 posts
 
Play more records and listen for the same artifact. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
There is no such thing as an entirely silent background with vinyl only variations in not so quiet. This is mostly due to the quality of the vinyl with contributions from stylus shape and frequency response. If you want black back grounds stick with digital. High Res preferred. Some vinyl will sound better in spite of the noise. Since when have you ever been to a silent concert?
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