lgear,
Great post. It really helps when somebody provides a lot of pertinent information when seeking guidance. It also shows that you're thinking about as many things as you can!
First, attempting to address vinyl clicks and pops by adjusting cartridge loading (or any other setup parameter) is fundamentally unsound. The purpose of all these adjustments is to allow your system to reproduce whatever's on the LP as accurately as possible, not as a mask/band-aid to cover up noise.
With regard to clicks and pops, the obvious question is, have you wet-cleaned and vacuumed your LP's? If not, you must do so. In particular, I've found that enzyme-based cleaning solutions are most effective at eliminating the majority of intermittent clicks and pops. If you're playing LP's without thoroughly wet-cleaning them you're actually putting your expensive vinyl at risk for permanent damage. Dragging contaminants along a plastic groove with a very sharp, diamond knife is a great way to destroy the plastic.
Additionally, it's an unfortunate fact that inexpensive phono stages tend to exaggerate certain types of noise. Very sharp transients cause many phono stages to overshoot and go into ringing, which exaggerates the amplitude of the transient when the signal's sent on to the amplifier and speakers. This makes a record sound noisier than it actually is.
There's no adjustment for the second problem. The only "cure" is a better phono stage, which unfortunately means more money. I'm unfamiliar with your phono stage but of those I have used, the higher quality/more costly were almost invariably quieter when it came to the odd click or pop. Many noises and distortions that newbies attribute to mistracking, inner groove distortion, static or surface noise are greatly reduced or even eliminated by a really first class phono stage.
Stylus profile also influences how the cartrdige reacts to the odd bump in the road. Speaking generally, the finer contact surfaces of a fine-line or micro-ridge stylus ride much more quietly in the groove then larger, coarser elliptical or conical styli.
Of primary importance, however, is that your vinyl (and stylus) be made and kept scrupulously clean. This is critical if you're serious about LP replay, which it sounds like you are.
Best,
Doug
Great post. It really helps when somebody provides a lot of pertinent information when seeking guidance. It also shows that you're thinking about as many things as you can!
First, attempting to address vinyl clicks and pops by adjusting cartridge loading (or any other setup parameter) is fundamentally unsound. The purpose of all these adjustments is to allow your system to reproduce whatever's on the LP as accurately as possible, not as a mask/band-aid to cover up noise.
With regard to clicks and pops, the obvious question is, have you wet-cleaned and vacuumed your LP's? If not, you must do so. In particular, I've found that enzyme-based cleaning solutions are most effective at eliminating the majority of intermittent clicks and pops. If you're playing LP's without thoroughly wet-cleaning them you're actually putting your expensive vinyl at risk for permanent damage. Dragging contaminants along a plastic groove with a very sharp, diamond knife is a great way to destroy the plastic.
Additionally, it's an unfortunate fact that inexpensive phono stages tend to exaggerate certain types of noise. Very sharp transients cause many phono stages to overshoot and go into ringing, which exaggerates the amplitude of the transient when the signal's sent on to the amplifier and speakers. This makes a record sound noisier than it actually is.
There's no adjustment for the second problem. The only "cure" is a better phono stage, which unfortunately means more money. I'm unfamiliar with your phono stage but of those I have used, the higher quality/more costly were almost invariably quieter when it came to the odd click or pop. Many noises and distortions that newbies attribute to mistracking, inner groove distortion, static or surface noise are greatly reduced or even eliminated by a really first class phono stage.
Stylus profile also influences how the cartrdige reacts to the odd bump in the road. Speaking generally, the finer contact surfaces of a fine-line or micro-ridge stylus ride much more quietly in the groove then larger, coarser elliptical or conical styli.
Of primary importance, however, is that your vinyl (and stylus) be made and kept scrupulously clean. This is critical if you're serious about LP replay, which it sounds like you are.
Best,
Doug