2. analog
  3. 1124430620

battling the pops and clicks

I recently put together an vinyl rig (Nottingham Horizon w/Dynavector 10x5 and Whest phono stage) I am really liking the sound, and I see what all the talk is about for sure. This setup really gives my Ayre D1xe digital setup a run for the money, and if it weren't for the pops and clicks I think I would certainly prefer the sound overall. This is saying a lot considering the price gap between my digital and analog setup.

I have the VPI 16.5 and disc doctor brushes and cleaning fluids and have spent some time and effort to fully clean my records in an effort to eliminate all noise. I bought quite a few new 180 gram records so I would have a good idea of what sound vinyl has to offer. I also have plenty of dusty old records from years back, which is the real reason I wanted a turntable to begin with. As much as I work at cleaning the records, it seems no amount of work will eliminate the pops and clicks. The more I focus on trying to get rid of them the more it bugs me. It seems to happen just as much with the new records as the old ones.

What I'm wondering is, do I need a better table and cartridge if I expect to listen to records with total silence? Or what am I doing wrong with my current setup? I've followed the cleaning instructions very closely and even taken it a step further by adding additional rinsing cycles with distilled water. I've used stylus cleaner and of course always used the carbon fibre dry brush before playing, and clean sleeves too.

The cleaning has reduced the noise, pops and clicks greatly, but in my opinion, more is still there than I would consider acceptable. Is this something that you just learn to tune out from or is there a way to fix it completely?

thanks, -Ryan
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g_m_c
443 posts
 
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I am with Doug and Bob, if you invest some money and time, you can find yourself in an amazing place.

My previous tt was a Rega 9/1000 and a Dynavector XX-2. It was pretty damn quiet. Very few pops and ticks.

My new main rig is a used Amazon 1, used Schroeder 1 and an zyx uni.

I do not do a great job of cleaning my records and tire of the ordeal of using my Moth machine (I do plan to get a Loricraft soon, even thogh I wear ear protection.

Nevertheless, the pops and ticks are rare and the music truly magical. The scary thing, however, is the black, black silence between tracks and quiet passages. At night, when the ambiant noise is down, the quiet between tracks is actually breathtaking. You can sometimes hear the stylus gently scaping (I assume thats what it is) the side of the groove between tracks, then the next song starts and you realize that you were hearing a sound so quiet and so far back in the background that the first note, no matter how soft, completly wipes out that gentle sound. Then you are off again on a trip.

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nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
I know it's true, but I've never heard anyone explain WHY some cartridges seem to transmit (or reproduce?) "pops and clicks" while other don't. Or could it be static discharge from the record surface that some cartridges add to the signal while other don't?

I know my Transfiguration W is way less poppy-clicky than my vdH Frog, yet more revealing, signalwise. And we've all read similar attributions about their cartridges from the ZYX evangelists.

So what's the deal? Anybody really know?
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
can spraying anti static spray around the table before a record is placced on it help? (the cheap Endust electronics spray comes to mind?
rhocken
18 posts
 
I use the Hunt brush before each playing, and allow the record to turn at least 5 full revolutions. This seems to reduce pops and clicks to a minimum. But, I still get SOME.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Chadnliz,
Rather than spraying something (anything) near my table or rig I prefer to zap the LP with a Zerodust. No residue to worry about.

Nsgarch,
Good question. I'm sure stylus profile has something to do with it. The Lyra Olympus I heard was also very quiet in the groove. I believe it has a micro-ridge or line contact stylus like a ZYX. Does your Transfiguration have that sort of stylus? What about the VdH?

The way the generator reacts to VERY sharp transients probably also plays into it. A contaminant can present a transient that's sharper and/or larger than any groove modulation. Some cartridges might "overload" worse than others in response, but I'm no electrical engineer so I couldn't say why.
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