Frustrated with Vinly

I think you should give up on "vinly" and try "vinyl".  It sounds a lot better.  (Sorry, could not resist.)

"Those overpriced reissues made for the sect of audiophile elitist is not what normal music lover really need, there are tons of original pressings around and people who trying to tell they are not as good as the audiophile pressing are just .... "

I agree. Most of the time, the original pressings are the way to go. More air and decay than heavily EQ’d reissues. However, for example, many of the original blue notes are very expensive and the tone poets are very good, well pressed and very listenable. There are other labels which are at least as good as Tone Poets. I am just talking about Jazz records. There are others reissues such as original jazz classics that are extremely good for a very good price.

Even Blue Notes from the early seventies are very good.

Going all the way back to the 70's, I realized that handling records is what caused most of the 'cracks and pops'. that's when I bought a reel to reel and recorded my records so that I could listen without handling them.

Since that time I've graduated to 'half track' at 7.5 IPS on a much better reel, and listen to my records that way.

Recently, I upgraded my rig including a tube phono that likes $300. NOS tubes, that come to $600. a pair. While that's nothing to some, it's very expensive to me. This whole high end analog thing is expensive, but worth it.

After all of that upgrading, it was time to record my entire vinyl collection, a big job but well worth it. Reel to reel tape costs much more than it did ages ago, but so do a lot of other things. I also down-load my vinyl to separate hard-drive.

Many people deep into analog don't realize that you can down-load to hard drive and wont be able to tell the difference between playing a record and listening to the playback on your play list from the computer. That was hashed out some years ago, and the consensus was that if you did it right, you couldn't tell the computer from playing a record. Doing it right goes into a whole litany of things. Now, I rarely touch my records.

But getting back to the fundamental problem with records, I was listening to a record I bought used that had some wear. This record is absolutely unavailable anymore on any format. I was listening to it after it had been recorded to reel and down loaded to hard drive. The upgraded analog increased the music to noise ratio, and I could hear the record noise, but only if I focused on it. Since I chose to focus on the sublime music, the record noise disappeared. Maybe I need to repeat that sentence.....

This record hobby has it's limitations, and you go with the flow when it comes to record noise; however, with my philosophy of only handling records to clean and record after an extensive upgrade, plus an investment in record sleeves, I have records I bought in the 80's that are the same as brand new. I was quite pleasantly surprised to discover that I had so many when I down-loaded my collection.

Focus on the music instead of the record noise when it occurs.

@noromance,

Thanks for suggestions,  I am going to research those but am curious why not Thorens.

Are they not good?

I’m with Chakster on this. I try to buy original pressings in Ex to M condition.  I clean with a quick swipe with a carbon fiber brush before use.  No problems whatsoever.  With the amount of money spent on cleaning devices, I would rather buy a few more rare original near mint gems. 
 I’m sure that ultrasonically cleaned records probably make a difference, I just haven’t felt the need on my system with my records.  

You can buy after-market end of record lifting devices so don’t let manual only tables turn you off. That said, I already recommended a semi-auto Technics 1500c if you can't stretch to a 1200GR. Forget the Thorens. A used VPI Classic might also suit. 

@chakster Cleaning a record with my VPI 16.5 takes maybe 2 or 3 minutes, really not much more time than it would take to run a brush over the record. 

The VPI is like a turntable.  You put a record on it and you squirt a little cleaning solution on it, spin it around a couple of times with the cleaning brush and then you vacuum it for two revolutions, flip to the other side and repeat.  I don't see spending two or three minutes getting the record clean before I listen for 40 minutes to be a huge ordeal.

Of the 6 or 7 record stores within 45 minutes of me, there's only one that I know of that cleans their used records.  That is where I buy most of my used records, so I don't spend a lot of time cleaning used records.  When I order records from Discogs, I always clean those.  As I mentioned, I don't normally clean new records, but if I open it and it's covered with a bunch of dust from a cheap inner sleeve, it gets cleaned.

I grew up on vinyl and frankly am surprised at how quiet some records can be when played back on a nice system.  The little bit of noise I hear doesn't bother me, but I don't care for loud pops when I'm intently listening to the music.  I'm not sure cleaning does much for those, if it does, that's great. 

In most cases, I don't notice the night and day differences some claim after cleaning a record, but I can tell you there have been a few times when a record didn't seem to be playing well and I cleaned it and it sounded dramatically better.

A while ago I had cut back on how often I used the cleaner.   I was listening to records with my girlfriend one night and the record was sounding noisy and not very dynamic.  She noticed it too and said "Why don't you try cleaning it?".  I said "I bought it from __________ (the store that cleans all their records), so it's probably not going to make any difference, but I'll give it a try".  I wasn't expecting it to help at all.  I cleaned it, and most of the noise went away.  Since then, I've been using the machine more often.

Clean, don't clean... I don't care.  What I don't understand is why you're trying to convince people it's not helpful, or that it's time consuming or hard to do.  Those are all falsehoods.

The others that I am researching right now are: rega, project, music hall, mobile fidelity and even goldenote.

Do you know what is the difference between Belt Drive turntables and Direct Drive ? 

Look at brand new Technics SL1200GR if you want a proper turntable for the next 30 years without service. The cost is about $1700 in USA. 

Don’t assume that because you’re satisfied with less than the best or too lazy to try to improve playback qualities that others are the same as you. Nobody is telling someone new to the hobby that they have to clean their records or take other steps to improve playback but they may choose to do so and it will have positive effects.

I generally don’t clean brand new records before I play them and I buy used records at a store that uses a record cleaner before they put them out for sale. If I buy them somewhere else then I do get out my record cleaner and make sure there is not a bunch of crap on them before I put them on my turntable.

You made a lot of incorrect assumptions.

You guys are free to clean everyday, but if i do not hear any problem i do not clean with special devices, it’s been pointed out before that professional sellers clean their vintage record with vacuum cleaners prior to sell them, i do not buy on flea markets. To my eyes my records are clean visually and does not sound dirty when i play them.

I improve the sound quality with different cartridges and phonostages. Since i do not have a digital background in music at all (i don’t care about digital) i am fine with vinyl, i’m not sure what you are trying to achieve when you’re cleaning them (sound like a CD or what?) or maybe they are so dirty, but i tried vacuum cleaning at the local shop, it was a good point to make sure my record were clean before i cleaned them, because i did not find huge improvement. I am more concerned about the condition of the vinyl, because even if you will clean VG record it will never be a VG+, you can’t wipe away scratches on surface.

A Near Mint condition record without any cleaning is better than cleaned VG.
Condition is far more important, because scratches on surface is annoying, this is what makes huge pops and cracks in the system.

I have no idea why do you want to clean a MINT condition or NEW record if the sound is just great ?
This is audiophilia at their best.

If you will look under microscope on everything around you will see it’s not clean, not sterile, so what ? Shall we turn on the ultra violet light to kill the microbes ? 

P.S. I do clean my styli and trying to keep my record clean without overestimating the problem. 

audioguy,

I am in the process of researching some better turntables.

One that has piqued my interest right now is the Thorens TD 148a but not sure what the quality of the catridge is.

Seems like a good solid table and I like the automatic features (the denon has spoiled me in this sense).

But I can't seem to find any really good reviews on it.

The others that I am researching right now are: rega, project, music hall, mobile fidelity and even goldenote.

The main problem with "common sense" is that it is the least common of all senses today.

By cleaning all records, new & old, I enjoy music many times more.

Needless to say, a record is a dirt magnet. The record can’t help it -- attracting dirt is part of its DNA. Dibasic lead stearate or cadmium or other esters of stearic acid make up as much as 2 percent of the vinyl compound. These additives provide thermal buffering for the vinyl during pressing, aid the platter’s release from the mold and prevent oxidation on the newly minted record. Function served, mold-release agents turn into foreign substances between stylus and groove, where they remain and attract dirt. Chemical analyses of 50-year-old used records reveals mold-release agent still in the groove.

Playing dirty records not only generates audible clicks and pops, it wreaks physical havoc. When a stylus exerting N tons of pressure per square inch smacks head on into a family of 5-micron-sized rocks sailing along at 60 knots, the impact can deform the groove wall or, thanks to heat generated by the forces in play, fuse those rocks to the vinyl itself.

I always clean new records before playing them.

There is only 2-3 reasons to play vinyl:

1. If you already have a big collection 
2. Sometimes LP mastering has lower loudness than any of the digital versions
3. Some albums you can not find on other formats

Otherwise a LP is a continuous analogue wave. That is a lossy format in data terms just like MP3 is a lossy format (keep in mind to not compare with the lowest nitrate). 
Yes you read right!
Today and for several decades we have recorded digitally. So the master original is digital so all information is there..
To make a LP then it mastering to LP format then some information is deliberately thrown away to fit the LP format. Just exactly what MP3 does. There is one of the LP lossy things.
Another is during the whole production and steps the LP yet loose fideiity. Again loss. Plus we gain clicks and pops even if you take the record from the machine to your TT. It will have clicks and pops. Those were not there in the digital master.. so you see it is not all ditt. So you can not clean all away..
It is a lossy format so if that bothers you go back to digital. The problem with digital is that the record label will not give anybody the master you will get a digital copy that they have treated with more or less loudness and other stuff.
So choose your poison well.. :)

There is no such thing as a clean paper sleeve, I ran  the most advanced clean room for composite manufacturing on the planet.... but go ahead... argue...

@chakster Don’t assume that because you’re satisfied with less than the best or too lazy to try to improve playback qualities that others are the same as you. Nobody is telling someone new to the hobby that they have to clean their records or take other steps to improve playback but they may choose to do so and it will have positive effects.

I generally don’t clean brand new records before I play them and I buy used records at a store that uses a record cleaner before they put them out for sale. If I buy them somewhere else then I do get out my record cleaner and make sure there is not a bunch of crap on them before I put them on my turntable.

You made a lot of incorrect assumptions.

Only play music about 8 hours a day on average so I guess my musings are based on theory only......

😎😎

Seems you are in good company then Chak.
👍👍

If it is new records you are playing cleaning them will not do anything except make things worse. Some record companies just do a crappy job of pressing records. I have $75,000 worth of record playing stuff and I never clean a record I purchased from new.

It is nice to see a bit of common sense in this thread, because prior to this post i thought all they do is cleaning records instead of actually enjoying music. 

Use a zero stat gun before playing and spot dry clean/remove dust with audioquest’s new brush....should make a difference. I swear by vinyl revival products from the uk, great cleaning results from a manual form of record cleaning, but it is pricey. I hardly ever buy brand new records.....I have had great success in procuring sealed original pressings, whether they be 1st pressings or 2nd run pressings (heck even 3rd). They sound a heck of a lot better than anything available today at least to my ears. Most of today’s new records are not from original analog tape, but are derived via digital means albeit no better than just buying the compact disc. There are of course some exceptions, for instance classic records (defunct, but now bought and owned by acoustic sounds), and some mofi recordings.
Also, in my opinion only, you really need to spend upwards of $1500 to $2000 on a turntable outfitted with a high quality moving coil cartridge (again my opinion, not to snob moving magnets) to really hear what vinyl is all about. The Hana El moving coil is a great cartridge for example, but you will spend close to $500 bucks. It’s big brother the SL is even better with the shibata stylus. Leveling the turntable to the nines as well as isolation such as a sturdy turntable shelf can make a big difference, as well as playing around with the VTA. I’m new to adjusting the VTA and I’m a believer as it made a world of difference with my hana el. You know what's more frustrating than tics and pops? Breaking a tonearm lead while changing out a cartridge...then having to solder it back on! 🙄

Hi jay,
If it is new records you are playing cleaning them will not do anything except make things worse. Some record companies just do a crappy job of pressing records. I have $75,000 worth of record playing stuff and I never clean a record I purchased from new. A dust cover and a conductive sweep arm are all I use.Having said all this
Some phono amps will do a better job of amplifying the signal without exaggerating the pops. I also think MC cartridges are more forgiving in this regard.
Having said all this, some people are more aggravated by extraneous noise. Tradition and romanticism do not matter as much. They are better off staying with digital sources.   

Variation on the Spin Clean theme... give this very economic solution consideration...

First, try two Spin Cleans. The second for just a distilled water rinse. Second, if you are not ready for the investment of an ultrasonic cleaner maybe the KAB-EV1 would bring the reduction in clicks and pops you seek. Here is their website followed by a Youtube video which documents the benefits of the device - evidence that I can also demonstrate by my own use.

https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/rcleaner.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE0ATYCXstk

Basically this is a cost friendly device to allow you to vacuum up the liquid from the vinyl once you have used the Spin Cleans. As they explain on the website - it is a nitty gritty cleaner but without a vac. You would use your own household vac as a substitute. Personally I use an Eureka Mighty Mac cleaner...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWReJHgbVvg

Yes, an investment in MoFi inner sleeves as well as any new outer sleeve will also pay dividends in keeping out static and keeping covers from falling apart.

I look forward to buying my first ultra sonic cleaner. In the meantime this combination of devices has kept my vinyl frustration to a minimum.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought new pressings only to have them sound worse than used records I picked up for a few dollars.

This is a problem of modern mastering, recording, pressing... i agree.

This is true, i don’t buy re-issues normally and rarely buying new releases, but those vintage LPs and 45s from the 70’s (if the pressing is good) are just fantastic and i do not use any special cleaning machines, just a simple method described above (even a bath with distilled water is too complicated for me). If the grading is strong VG+ or Mint- i have no problem with quality, i can’t remember anything like serious ticks and pops that bother me, the music is louder anyway. Maybe i am not audiophile ? Forgive me, but majority of audiophiles always overestimate the problem, especially those who get used to digital, so i can understand. But since i only play vinyl in my system i am happy with vintage records without any special treatment.

I don’t care about fancy anti-static inner sleeves like those from "audiophile" pressing etc, clean paper inner sleeves are fine for me.

Why not just enjoy vinyl like the previous generation did without all that crazy time consuming treatment ?

I know that some people are going crazy over the years, like in every hobby, but telling about all that habits (especially to a newbie) like a "must have" is too much. It’s not necessary! You can go too far and in the end you will start talking about pure energy, because the one from the power socket "is not clean enough and noisy", right? This guy ended up with his private source of electricity for example. With all respect It can be an endless quest for people who can’t just enjoy what they have.

The nature of vinyl is minor background hiss and some light crackles (depends on condition of the vinyl). Old Japanese original pressing always quieter because of the virgin vinyl formula, still can be 10 times cheaper than new audiophile re-issues in a fancy inner sleeves.

I am happy to ignore audiophile pressings and reissues, instead i am happy with original pressing made just like musicians intended to present their music for the masses at normal price. Vintage vinyl all the way!

Those overpriced reissues made for the sect of audiophile elitist is not what normal music lover really need, there are tons of original pressings around and people who trying to tell they are not as good as the audiophile pressing are just ....

Looking at the settings on my phono stage dip switches, this is what I see:

- 100pf
- 47k
- RIAA curve
- 40db

OK. So we can say at this point that the phono stage settings are not contributing to the tics/pops/crackling problem. From a sonic standpoint, though, chances are you’ll find that changing the 100 pf setting to zero will be beneficial in the treble part of the spectrum. Although that will depend on the unknown capacitances of the phono cable and tonearm wiring, as well as on how complementary the change is to the sonic character of the rest of the system.

Another setting change that I suspect would be sonically beneficial is to lower the setting of the antiskating dial on the turntable. As is the case with many such turntables, the instructions for yours say to set the antiskating dial to the same value as the tracking force, which IME is invariably much too high. In fact if you’ve set it in that manner you may notice when you view the cartridge from the front while the stylus is in the groove of a rotating record that the cantilever is deflected to the left (toward the center of the record), rather than assuming the nominally straight ahead position it assumes when the stylus is lifted off of the record. I suggest setting the antiskating dial to about 60% of the tracking force, i.e., if the tracking force is 1.8 grams set the antiskating dial to about 1.0 or 1.1.

The others have given you lots of good suggestions about the tics/pops/crackling problem, so I don’t have anything to add at this point. I was going to suggest that you buy some Mobile Fidelity record sleeves, but Noromance and Antinn beat me to it!

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

1. Get a Spin Clean and clean all your records.
2. Buy Mobile Fidelity inner sleeves.
3. Buy a box of Mr. Muscle pads.
3a. Drop stylus with cue lever onto pad. Lift. Repeat. (Do not drag over stylus.) After every side.
4. Sell table and buy a Pioneer PLX1000, Technics SL1500c, or a Technics 1200GR.
5. Find a solid record store with used original pressings and explore other new music.

@almarg 

Looking at the settings on my phono stage dip switches, this is what I see:

- 100pf
- 47k
- RIAA curve
- 40db

stylus brush very lightly cleans area prior to stylus, like new dust speck that just landed there, not actually cleaning the groove.

and, shure brush is anti-static as well as designed/controlled damping.

I wrote to Jico. the brush on Jico replacement stylus is just a brush, no designed/controlled damping, no static removal.

jay73:

 it's frustrating when playing some of my newer records and they have noises that I do not want to hear.

Presented now for your consideration, the answer and solution to your frustration.

The year we transitioned from all CD to more LP was one fascinating enthralling evening after another. I did everything possible to ensure only music came off the groove. But of course there were all the usual noises.

One night my wife exclaims, "Its so quiet!"

I thought she meant this particular record. It was pretty quiet. For a record. I said something like yeah this is one of the better pressings. She said no, that's not what I mean. 

Now her not being an audiophile the words are different and it takes a while asking questions teasing it all out but here's the gist of it. My words now but her idea, which I love because years later the more I think about it the more its clear that its true and correct.

Its not about ticks and pops, or groove noise. Its not comparing one clean new LP to another older one. None of that. Its the noise that comes off a CD compared to the music that comes off a LP.

Got it? The CD only seems quiet because the obvious noise you hear as hiss is so low. But CD noise is not separate from or extraneous to the music. The noise is woven right into the signal. CD turns music into noise. That's why people prefer LP. Not in spite of the noise on a record, but because of the noise that is CD.

The minute you realize this a great weight will be lifted. Really obnoxiously severely bad pressings will still tick you off, sure. But the soft surface noise of your typical LP will not. When I hear that its like "Ahhh, wonderful! Music to my ears!"

repeated problem with new records? It would be a shame to give up on LP's.

new: at most, remove paper dust with discwasher anti-static brush, no fluid, should sound fine. 

do you have good light where your tt is, to see how much dust may be remaining?

alignment? are you good at all the alignments needed for the stylus to do a great job? stylus worn, chipped, ????

IOW, what's not right? as you say, frustrating for new lps not to sound great.

I have to wonder if you are getting your stylus very clean. I had an old cartridge, not used in years, even alcohol would not get grub off both stylus and shaft.

magnifying glass. electrical contact cleaner took it all off. then a rinse with alcohol and good to go. spray in direction to avoid getting up into stylus shaft housing. then frequent stylus brushing, and semi-frequent stylus fluid cleaning

new and noisy

I just bought double album, billy joels greatest hits. very old, never played it seems.

discs literally covered with paper dust particles. First, dust off side 2 before putting on platter (don't want all that dust on your mat). then dust off bulk of side one dust, then side one on platter. final dusting with discwasher anti-static brush, NO FLUID. I hold brush in one place and spin the lp via the edge (don't want any force on tt motor), wipe brush clean on my pants, go again. Played quietly.

buying many new lps lately, just a light touch with brush. 

If using fluid, put a thin line of fluid on the leading edge of the brush, twice around with that part of the brush, then rotate the brush to dry area to pick up fluid. Then wait, till fully dry before playing.

you may want to get a Shure Cartridge, i.e. 97xe, (elliptical stylus), which has a damping/anti-static brush, cleans grooves just prior to stylus gets there.

best of luck solving this.

Jay73 et al

If it's a socks on carpet environment then the "end user" is part of the problem.
Consider asking your wife, girlfriend, mistress to wear rubber sandals, when she flips, and changes records for you.

you will be surprised at the improvement.

uberwaltz

... it is simply NOT TRUE that all any NEW record needs is a quick brush with a carbon fiber brush, sorry.

Take a look at any new record under a microscope and I think you would be shocked at the debris you see on a lot of "regular" new records ...

I couldn't agree more, and would only add that with some new records, their dust is easily visible to the naked eye. Records aren't pressed in "clean rooms."

I can't tell you how many times I've bought new pressings only to have them sound worse than used records I picked up for a few dollars.  For example, I went through 2 bad (lots of surface noise, cleaning on my VPI didn't help) in  pressings of Norah Jones' Come Away With Me from Analogue Productions before getting one that sounded good.  That was from one of the better sources for high quality vinyl. 

I bought a new Madeleine Peyroux album last night and it came in a plain white sleeve and was covered in paper dust from the sleeve.  It played really nice overall, but had 2 or 3 revolutions of really loud pops.  Buying new is not a guarantee you'll get a nice low noise pressing.  A good cleaning before playing is a good idea.  I always put my records in a poly lined inner sleeve and a vinyl outer sleeve.

To the OP, the better your system - turntable, cartridge, phono pre-amp, etc., the quieter your vinyl will play.  Many of the used records I buy play with virtually no audible noise.  As someone else mentioned, this time of year with the dry air, static electricity can be an issue. 

Believe whatever you like Chakster, it’s all good.

There are plenty of members here who know have experienced exactly the same state of "new records" that I have reported, maybe some others get lucky?
Who knows, just lets all enjoy the music!

A problem with many new records is that they have a poor sleeve, often only paper and many have a lot static, and a carbon brush will not remove the charge.  Other than maybe the Gruv Guard or Zerostat, wet cleaning will get rid of the static charge, and using a better sleeve will help to keep it that way.  Then all that should be required is normal pre-play maintenance.  However, better quality pressing that get better handling and sleeves will be very quiet with no extra work .  Example, the latest Joan Baez album had a decent sleeve, record was clean, no static, and other than quick work with a carbon brush and mobile fidelity brush, played CD quiet.

Definitely flea market records must be cleaned, but it's about vintage vinyl. Same records from private collection or from professional dealers are already cleaned many times. 

But the OP has NEW records, people buying them sealed. 
They are plays fine with very simple cleaning (without any special devices). 

 

Cleaning makes a big difference. I like to go to yard sales and flea markets in search of vinyl treasures. About half my collection of 2500 +- albums were obtained this way. I clean them with a Nitty Gritty with Disc Doctor solution, then rinse with distilled water. Sometimes a record is noisy so I clean it again, giving it a good scrub with a record brush. They almost always play quiet after that.
Even records with visible scuffs play fairly quiet. I can hear a little crackle between songs and an very occasional pop but not enough to make me want to listen to a CD. My system is not to fancy. You also need clean your stylus often.
Original Spacedeck, Space Arm
Sonic Frontiers SFP1
Dynavector DV 20XL 

I am afraid it is simply NOT TRUE that all any NEW record needs is a quick brush with a carbon fiber brush, sorry.

Take a look at any new record under a microscope and I think you would be shocked at the debris you see on  a lot of "regular" new records, only if you step up to the specialist audiophile pressings might you get away with not cleaning a new record.

I bought a number in the Barnes & Noble 50% off sale and first thing I did was US clean them all.

It is unfortunately a sad reality, not an urban myth.

Older perfect releases should be much better but of course then you are in the hands of the seller as to whether their description is valid and no even buying at an LRS and eyeballing them yourself is just NOT going to tell you if it needs a deep clean at all.

I am pretty good by visual but not that good and all my records now get a US clean before playing.

I realise that regime is not for everybody who just wants to play music but again it is a reality.

@jay73 Since you asked earlier, the Spin Clean is very effective for the price.

I don't think recording cleaning is the issue.  Especially with new records.  A better turntable will yield greater dynamics, effectively pushing the noise floor down.  A Rega PL2 would no doubt be a significant upgrade.  A PL3 or SOTA would be a big jump over the Denon.  

It is really strange than someone need to clean a NEW records, especially with some expensive cleaning machines and stuff like that. This method for a NEW records is a waste of time. When a NEW record is visually clean then all you need is to use carbon fiber brush to clean from dust before you play each side and it should be fine.

Even for a 40 year old vintage vinyl this simple method is enough (and very cheap). Audiophiles always crazy about everything, the best way to avoid all these is to buy records in perfect condition.

Playing records must be fun and it shouldn't be difficult process, not every music lover is an audiophile and some process described above is definitely not for everyone, not necessary ritual. 

Some pressing is just bad and you can't do anything about it with all the cleaning etc.
Original records always better than reissues (with some exceptions). 

You need a proper cartridge, tonearm and turntable to start with. 
Cartridge and its stylus profile is probably the most important.  

Wow, a lot of information to digest here.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

I am going to continue on this journey and see which method works for me.

I really do appreciate all the feedback from each of you.

I will try to post back when I get better results and what worked for me.

Thnx

Jay, etal,
A lot of the problem, especially this time of year with cold temps and low humidty is static charge, which will make the newest album sound like rice krispy's.  There is Gruv Guard that uses traditional ammonium salts for anti-static.  Jay, your turntable is a 2-wire design, so it does not have a 3-wire ground, and that may complicate your ability to ground yourself.  The following is a parts list and process that I have used to recover some pretty noisey (from deep debris) albums, and I challenge whether an RCM is any better other than faster.

Parts List:
1. Vinylstack 1 Manual Cleaner & Stand = $52
2. Talas Tergitol 15-S-9 Non-Ionic Surfactant 1 pint = $22
3. Record Doctor Wet/Dry Cleaning Brush = $20
4. Kinetronics Anti-Static Microfiber Cloth, 10x18-Inch Tiger Cloth = $8
5. Two (2) clean spray bottles about 1 pint each, maybe $5 at most both
6.  One (1) Gallon Distilled Water from your local grocery store = $1
7.  Mobile Fidelity Record Sleeves = $20 for 50

Process:
1.  Add distilled water to one spray bottle, fill full and label DIW
2.  Add distilled water to one spray bottle 3/4 full, and add 2-3 ml of the Tergitol surfactant, cap and gently shake to mix and then top off to full with distilled water, and label NID.  Note, 15-18 drops equals on 1 ml.
3.  Place Vinylstack label protector on stand, remove outer label protector, install record, assemble and tighten.  When tight the record will spin against the magnetic, remove from the stand, and tighten about about 1/4 additional turn to secure the label protector.
4.  Move to kitchen sink, and using NID spray bottle, liberally wet both sides.
5.  Using Record Doctor Brush, in a circular motion work/scrub the record with the NID solution.  Note, a soft bristle toothbrush will work, just not as well.  Do not worry about foam that may develop.
6.  KEY Step, using just tap water (tepid - just barley warm), flush with steady stream (no need for spray) both surfaces until free of any NID.  Shake to remove some bulk drops.
7.  KEY Step, using DIW spray bottle, liberally spray the record surface from top to bottom to remove the tap water leaving the DIW that will be spot free.  Shake to remove bulk drops.
8.  Using the  yellow microfiber cloth provided with the Vinylstack, dry in a circular motion to remove most water.
9.  Using the Kinetronics cloth to final dry and leave a static-free surface - there will be very little moisture left.  Give the record a good 2 shakes, hang on the handle so you throw the record across the room 😉, and wipe any visible drops.
10.  Place record with label protector on stand.  Remove handle and outer protector, wipe away any visible drops with  Kinetronics cloth .  Flip record and wipe any visible drop. 
11.  You can leave the record on stand to dry or lean against any hard surface to fully dry which will be just a few minutes.
12.  Once dry place in Mobile Fidelity sleeve.

The total process time is about 10 minutes.  The Vinylstack equipment is very well manufactured.  The above process has the benefit over other processes
of the two rinses.  The first rough rinse with flowing water really flushes the surface, flushing the cleaner and any other loose debris, and the DIW spray makes sure that a spot free surface will be achieved.  If this process sounds smiliar to washing a car, well, absent the wax, it is, and it is commonly used for manual precision aqueous cleaning.  Also, this process has a very low life cycle cost, because you use so little cleaner, and so little DIW.  And, since the drying cloth are only used to remove distilled water, there is no need to wash, just hang to dry, and shake before use.  The DIW spray bottle can stored in the fridge - absolutely no harm should a child use.  The NID spray bottle, is really safe, and could be stored in the fridge to prevent any degradation, the solution concentration is really low, but you need to consider your domestic situation for appropriate safety.

Otherwise, good luck, and as always, Enjoy the Music!

The way I heard it ALL vinyl pressed pruducts have minute lube residue. When the stylus hits it it creates a permanent tick. The only way to avoid noise is ultrasonic immersion BEFORE any play. Orhttps://sweetvinyl.com/collections/frontpage/products/sc-1-mini

Those of you who are using and recommending ultrasonic record cleaners, which are you using, and if you don’t mind sharing, how much did they set you back. Like Jay said, the snap, crackle and pop of even immaculate looking and well cared for records is disturbing, but I’ve maybe 1500 of these treasures and would never part with them. I am considering a VPI record cleaning rig, but maybe ultrasonic would be a better way to go if you feel it’s that much better.

Mike

1-Listen to Al.  
2-What city are you in.  We will find you some friends.

Some questions:

What settings are you using on the SimAudio phono stage? With a 2M Blue I would expect the best settings to be:

Input impedance: 47K
Gain: 40 db
Input capacitance: 0 pf

The recommended load capacitance for the 2M Blue is 150 to 300 pf, which will probably be provided by the capacitance of your phono cable and the tonearm wiring. Given the very high inductance of that cartridge (700 mH), if you are not using the minimum capacitance setting of the phono stage ("0 pf," which in reality is probably a few tens of pfs), you would be moving a high frequency resonant peak in the overall response well down into the mid-treble region, which would likely add a good deal of emphasis to tics and pops. And that would be especially true if you are using either the 330 pf or 430 pf input capacitance setting provided by the phono stage.

Also, if the gain of the phono stage is set to something higher than 40 db it is possible that some of the crackling you hear at times may actually be the result of overloading the phono stage or the preamp or integrated amp.

Finally, what tracking force are you using? It should be in the area of 1.8 to 2.0 grams.

Regards,
-- Al

Vinyl is not for the faint of heart. 
It takes some serious dedication. The other posters are right about gear quality. To extract the magic you need decent gear, not a 90 dollar AT60.

Not being a dick here but that's the truth. The phono pre I run alone cost much more than most dabblers entire systems, and It's at the low end of the high end (Herron VTPH2A). 
Not to mention the need for a proper vacuum cleaning machine that also cost more than most normal people's systems 

On a limited budget I'd stick to high rez streaming. 

 A cheap cart will never extract what is hiding in the grooves. Forget that budget elliptical stylus, you'll need a fine line or shibata to get it out. 

For someone just starting out, I'd actually discourage going vinyl, unless you already have a large collection, and the budget to play it properly. 

Snobbish? No, just realistic. Don't judge the format until you give it proper care. 

@saburo +1
@jay73 The better the noise floor and dynamic range of the turntable/arm/cartridge/phono combo, the greater the ratio between intrusive vinyl noise and the quality of the sound (music).

Buy an ultrasonic cleaner if you want quiet vinyl playback
i went through the same experience you did until I got an ultrasonic cleaner
everything else is second to this cleaning process
good luck