2. analog
  3. 1250522555

Can You Live With Crackling & Popping Noise?

I just got my first turntable, a Rega P5 and not sure whether I'm supposed to be delighted or otherwise. When I put on my first record, there was intermittent popping, hissing and crackling noise at low to moderate volume levels. Having lived with digital for half of my life, I find this to be somewhat annoying. For a while I was feeling disappointed and pondering whether I would end up selling this thing. After a while I thought what the heck, since I had got this thing home I might as well turn up the volume and enjoy the music. I started to crank it up to reasonably high levels and all the hissing, crackling and popping noise began to drown and disappear into the background music. Somehow the annoyance turned to musical bliss, well almost.

My question, especially for those who own high-end turntables, can you live with all the crackling and popping noise? I reckon all these noises will be quite noticeable especially when playing some clean vocals with minimum background music? What actually cause all these noises? Is the noise caused by dust sticking on the surface of the record assuming the record is in good condition? Is there any way these crackling and popping noises can be reduced or eliminated completely by cleaning the records?

The manual states as follows:-

"Don't worry about visible dust on the record surface, this is brushed aside by the stylus and any that collects on the stylus can be easily blown away. In general, record cleaning is overdone and one should not believe all the claims made by record cleaner manufacturers."

Does this mean that cleaning records is pointless? If that is the case how do we get rid of the crackling noise in the event the dust and fine particles are the ones that are causing these noises? Is there any easy solution to clean the records by ourselves?

For any newbie who wants to take the turntable route, I would urge you to reconsider your options particularly if you have minimal tolerance towards popping and crackling noises. Even all my good old cassette collection that ended up in the rubbish bin years ago didn't exhibit all these popping and crackling noises.

If all these noises do not exist in records then analog is really the one to beat.

Thank you for your patience.
ryder
hesson11
237 posts
 
Ryder,

I think the thing that hasn't been said outright is that the records you have may just happen to be in exceptionally bad shape.

I've been buying vinyl for more than 40 years. The ones I bought new are still in very good condition, because I took good care of them. The ones I've bought used...well...some are pristine and some sound like they've been dragged over barbed wire. Buying used is a crap shoot, and a visual inspection doesn't always tell you what you need to know. But if you like the vinyl sound in general, keep at it, and you'll eventually build up a library of great, mostly clean-sounding recordings.

Roy Gandy (MISTER Rega) is known as something of an eccentric. His ideas about cartridge alignment and record cleaning aren't widely shared. But they do, in a way, endear him to Rega loyalists and add a bit of charm and mystique to this mystique-filled hobby.

With cleaning, your good records will stay that way (provided you handle and store them properly), and your bad records will often (but not always) improve. In any case, it sounds like you've been bitten by the bug, and I encourage you to pursue it. Best of luck.
-Bob
slowhead
40 posts
 
I probably missed it in the responses, but a stylus cleaner is important as well. Depending where you live, static may become an issue this winter.
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Another method that you may want to try is Steam Cleaning.

Cheers,
John
chayro
3,015 posts
 
Clicks and pops are usually due to damaged or poorly-pressed vinyl, but it may also be due to static. I have seen static so bad that it renders the record unplayable.

You might consider trying Gruv-Glide, which claims to clean and definitely removes static. Many vinyl enthusiasts don't like the product, but I have found it to work very well.

I also highly recommend a record-cleaning machine. You don't have to get crazy with it. Basically, I clean a record once when I buy it at that's about it. It's like anything else in this hobby, you can get nuts or you can be sensible. I think an RCM is a must if you're serious about vinyl and especially if you're sensitive to pops and stuff.
davidsss
43 posts
 
I have found that most of the "scratches" on my records could be removed with a very good clean. I do steam, then clean then rinse my records once, then just use a carbon fibre brush each time I play them. The vast majority of my records have very few pops and crackles. However, there are always a few that are irretrievable. I have an old copy of Led Zep 4 which crackles like mad, I'd love to solve this as it is a great hunk of old vinyl, but I think it may just be past it.

The advice above is very good, you need to clean records and keep your stylus clean too.

With a clean record and a decent TT records just blow CDs out of the water. Furthermore, a scratched record sounds a lot better than a scratched CD!

DS
More to discover