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disappointing VPI 16.5 performance??

I just got my 16.5 up and running. I chose to throw some challenging records at it right away because they are really the reason I got the VPI. One is an older recording of a couple oboe sonatas. The other is a brand new Metallica re-master by MoFi.both continue to have high surface noise: the oboe recording seems to have tiny spots all over it, like spotty glasses after washing dishes. It was like that when I got it. The Metallica was horribly contaminated right out of the jacket: debris, "gunk", paper strands, etc.

I'm using MoFi Deep Cleaner, Super Wash, and their brushes, with a double distilled rinse with the VPI brush. Is there something else I can try. There has been some improvement, but not as much I'd like to see.
ethanw

Showing 1 response by vinyladdict

vinyladdict
164 posts
 
The other thing nobody seems to be mentioning is that they may just be bad pressings that no amount of cleaning will solve; or, as Ncarv mentioned, groove damage on used LP's.

I have found that numerous "audiophile" pressings, like the Metallica you mention - which I believe was actually only mastered by MoFi and pressed by RTI - suffer from an unacceptable level of surface noise.
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