hopeless LP's

My experiences are the same as Najo.

I have a 20K turntable rig and I frequently buy LP's at used book stores for as little as .50 cents. I rarely have to resort to the trash can, even though I am a picky listener.

With correct cleaning, then careful turntable and cartridge set up you will retrieve information you thought was impossible. Often with very little or no noise. I would not give up on the music you like due to imperfections, unless you never intend to upgrade your playback and cleaning system.

I agree with Najo and Albert. When i changed tables / arms / cartridges, i noticed a DRASTIC reduction in surface noise. Both my brother and girlfriend stated that they had never heard records sound so quiet and "good". Keep in mind that this doesn't cost a LOT either, as the instance that i'm specifically referring to was when i picked up a complete table / arm / cartridge for $150 !!!! I have since acquired much more expensive TT with a vacuum platter, air bearing linear tracking arm, etc... This was strictly for kicks though, as good music reproduction doesn't have to be expensive to sound good or be enjoyable. Check out your vinyl rig itself BEFORE you throw out the vinyl. Sean
>

There are actually several different, unrelated problems being referred to in this thread. If a record has been really, thoroughly cleaned and rinsed deep down, the remaining "ticks and pops" are surface noise resulting from minute scars in the vinyl itself. This is often tolerable to a surprising degree if it is not too severe, depending on the type of music in question, and how "hot" the record was cut volume-wise, because the noise is not well correlated with the recorded signal. As for "rolled" frequency extremes, this is determined by the recording and/or mastering process, and is not the result of normal degrees of wear or dirtying of the record. The type of distortion that I suspect is being called "gross and obvious" in the original post can be another story. Highly dependent on the level of the recorded signal's peaks, as well as their frequency range, this has little to do with surface contamination. This distorted sound is hard to bear because it is well correlated with the recorded signal, and is the result of the record's having been much played in the past on mistracking, usually old and inexpensive equipment. The subsequent damage to the vinyl is worst on highly modulated peaks, even though the record may appear to have been kept decently clean, and be mostly free of surface noise. On classical music, I myself always get rid of these, but will keep a good record with a little surface noise until a better copy comes along. With older rock and R&B or jazz, somewhat higher levels of noise are acceptable. However, for response roll-off a CD remastering might be the best fix available. (Though I do sometimes find that "old-timey" sound can be ingratiating on certain material, and can even grow to enjoy the "scratchy" sound of some genres of antedeluvian 45's and 78's, which won't skip like an LP - ya gotta love that giant ol' groove!)

zaikesman - I think you named exactly the kind of distortion I am referring to. ticks and pops dont bother me at all, since that kind of noise pretty much always lets the "sound" still ride right along underneath. For example, old 78's are exactly like this: constant sizzle, but NOT correlated with the signal in the groove.

The distortion I'm talking about is correlated with signal, as you said (nice to learn that is what I was noticing!). Crescendoes on both Leider and Orchestra sounds shaved off, or simply distorted, or horribly crackly, etc.

Well, however, I heard enough on this post to convince me to put anything I *think* I still might want to be able to re-check again in a separate pile, and store those rather than simply dispose of them.

BTW, was listening just tonight to the Glenn Gould Mozart piano sonata series, and some Fischer-Dieskau Schubert stuff. Nice. All of those are in fine shape!!! Yay!

as always, thanks for the comments. All of your commetns are really helping me here!
pcanis

Pcanis, (drool), not the Heine Songs with G Moore on piano? Tell me when & where you throw that one away (I would willingly save you the trouble & throw it for you :).
Your decision to hang on to those vinyls rules!
Cheers