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Vinyl “Pops & Clicks” eliminators

I’m betting a polarizing topic, but I ask the question as a truly curious audiophile who has just not honestly had the opportunity to do any real research on this category of products....so, am not asking as either a proponent nor opponent of this technology.   So, a few obvious items: (1) it’s best to work with clean, unblemished LP’s (for multiple reasons) and (2) obviously a product designed to “remove” an audible defect is also going to affect the audible spectrum; but in what ways, exactly, both desirable and undesirable do these devices affect the music?

I’m talking specifically about devices like the Sweetvinyl Sugarcube SC-1, but I’ve literally done zero research so far on how many devices like this even exist.   The “Sweetvinyl” box comes to mind only because I see their ad in TAS mag, but I don’t know if there are other companies with similar products.   
Question is....we all have LPs in our collection that we acquired and for whatever reason were not kept “clean” and have scratches resulting in audible pops/clicks.   Are these devices — essentially selective filters — selective enough to do their job on imperfect records without destroying the surrounding harmonics?    Or do we just discard & reacquire any scratched records we own?   Or is this a “better” solution?

I’m gonna guess that literally 10% maximum of the Agon’ers who reply here have ever owned/heard these products used, so maybe let’s all just mention whether our opinion, our response, is based on real-life observations, or just theoretical replies.    Both have value, but for different reasons.

Best,
Jim
jhajeski
cleeds
6,065 posts
 
lewm
In my opinion, playing LPs under a dust cover induces more sonic degradation in the form of coloration than a tick or pop as forms of noise.
I think that depends on the particular turntable and dustcover. I would have agreed with you back when I had an Oracle, but I don't find it to be true with my VPI.

To be fair, the VPI TNT dustcover rests on the turntable shelf, and isn't directly connected to the turntable itself.  So that may account for some of the difference.
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mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Elizabeth, ok, so I will take a one inch square metal rod place it on the top of your head and put 2000 lb on it. Any idea? Math is just that, Math. Math allows us to predict what will happen in real terms. Pressure produces heat. Next time you are near a compressor after it runs place your hand on the tank (not the motor). It gets pretty warm and that is only about 120 psi. Now when a stylus runs into a piece of dirt and can do one of three things. It can push it out of the way. It can capture it (the stuff you clean off with your stylus brush or it can run over it in which case it actually accelerates the dust into the vinyl wedging it firmly in place. That tiny amount of heat is like a spark which is enough applied to a very small particle to "melt" the dust into the vinyl and there are electron micrographs of this. But really, just play an really old record that you have played 100 times. A bit more pops and clicks than when it was new. And no matter how many times you try to clean that record it will always be noisier than when it was new because you can not clean that embedded dust off. I have records I got in the late 60's before I had perfected my record maintenance method. I always had a good stylus and was using cartridges that tracked at 0.75 grams but no matter how I clean those records, and I have used ultrasonic cleaners and brush/vacuum cleaners, there is never any significant improvement. 
Cleeds, get a dust cover from those people I mention above and you will be happy as a lark. As for the math? I can do the same 2000 lb/per square inch experiment on your head if you like. Now just for fun here is the math. Soundsmith says the contact area of it's line contact stylus is 50um2. 1 um2 = 1.55 e-9 inches2. This means 50 um2 = 0.0000000077 inches2. 2 grams = 0.004 lb . 0.004/0.0000000077 = 51,948lb/inches2.
52 thousand psi. So now guys lets do the same experiment on cleed but we will put 52 thousand pounds on his head. We can skip the metal rod.
cleeds
6,065 posts
 
mijostyn

Soundsmith says the contact area of it’s line contact stylus is 50um2. 1 um2 = 1.55 e-9 inches2. This means 50 um2 = 0.0000000077 inches2. 2 grams = 0.004 lb . 0.004/0.0000000077 = 51,948lb/inches2.52 thousand psi. So now guys lets do the same experiment on cleed but we will put 52 thousand pounds on his head. We can skip the metal rod.
You’ll need to double-check your math. First, Soundsmith defines the contact area not as 50um, but 6 x 50 um. "Rather than providing a small circular 'dot' contact point with the groove, the more complex shape of the Shibata allowed a long vertical line of contact to be achieved with the groove wall."
Details here.
Math is just that, Math. Math allows us to predict what will happen in real terms.
Ok.
I tried a common sense test by lowering my stylus onto my finger. I left it in place for more than a minute. If it was true that the stylus exerted anything near 52,000 psi on my finger, I’m sure I’d have been in pain, especially given my low tolerance for pain. But I didn’t feel any discomfort at all. You’ll need to double-check your math.

jameswei
883 posts
 
I keep a dust cover on my VPI while playing, and I have not observed any degradation.

To keep uncovered exposure of my vinyl to a minimum, my dust cover is suspended on string cabling and counterweighted, so I can just lift it up then pull it down without having to move it to a separate resting place.  Yes, I would have preferred a hinge, but none was available.
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