Living with popping and crackling

Hi Papertrail
"Is there a certain amount of popping and crackling to be expected with almost any lp?" Well yes and no.
As 4yanx & Dougdeacon mentioned, it really depends on the vinyl and the label. Doug mentions Harmonia Mundi. There are also the Classic Records releases on Quitex vinyl and some of the other reissues of Jennifer Warnes' "Famous Blue Raincoat", Weavers at Canegie Hall, most singles, Janis Ian's "Breaking Silence", Sarah McLachlan(Classic Records) which are also very quiet.

As someone else mentioned, everything in the playback chain affects the noise level - cart, arm, table, phono and most importantly, the setup. One of the key areas which can emphasize the noise is if the VTA is higher at the pivot point. Lowering VTA can help, but too much and the highs are gone.

Record cleaning certainly goes a long way to removing most of the pops and ticks, but if the vinyl is damaged, nothing can be done. In this respect, Buggtussel is very good and recommended.
http://www.buggtussel.com/vinylzyme.asp

"It would seem to me that the more expensive/high end equip. would be more sensitive and thus cause more surface noise if the lp is not perfect."
There was an argument that expensive/high end MC carts can dig deeper into the grooves least damaged by MM carts due to their stylus profiles, etc... How true this is, I don't know, but certainly I find that after a good run through my RCM, the noise level is significantly lower with my MC. Certainly some carts seem to be better trackers than others. Some are more quiet or less affected by surface noise. Perhaps Doug/4yanx can list carts which they have found to be better in this respect.

At the end of the day, there is a certain amount of raw energy in LPs which cannot be matched by CD/HDCD/DVDA/SACD. Though the latter is bridging the gap, I still enjoy LPs tremendously. Its learning to cope with vinyl and maintaining it which allows me to enjoy the music even more.

What noise? Oh that noise. I didn't notice. I was into the music.

Listening to LPs (music) = bliss
Listening to your system and evaluating how good it sounds = pops and cracks

Hi Cmk,
I dearly (very dearly) wish that Classic Records vinyl was as quiet as most 20+ year old harmonia mundis, Telfunkens, Archiv Productions, Eratos...

But it isn't IME. I have hundreds of CR reissues and very few can match any of those labels for vinyl quality, and the newest ones are the noisiest. They should have named it Noise-X IMO.

Sorry for bein' a grouch. I should take Robm321's advice!

Hey Doug
Well, I really, really wish I had access to all your harmonia mundis, teles, archivs, etc... so you should consider yourself one of those fortunate souls who have such treasures. The rest of us beggers don't really have much options. :(

but yeah, the quality seems to be falling of late, perhaps they are just rushing to cash in on this vinyl revival(?). Or maybe its the quality of the vinyl, not virgin anymore?

Cmk,
I quite agree, the quality of virginity has never been lower.

It's pretty frustrating to unwrap a new $25-30 record, knowing there's a 30-50% chance I'll be returning it for replacement. That's my experience in the last six months with both Classic Records and Speakers Corner. I had to replace one disc out of three from both the Starker/Bach Cello Suites and the 20th C. box from SC. PIA, extra postage costs for both the retailer and me, wasted time, etc.

I wasn't trying to make anybody jealous, those nice old labels show up on ebay literally every day. Most of them sell for way less than a new audiophile LP, I routinely snag great records for <$10. If you're on a budget you'll get more music for your money if you're careful. I just had to replace my car so my e-baying binge will have to slow down, for about 60 months! :-( Have at it!