New LP with pops + crackle, What is expected?

The whole situation just stinks. We are a bunch of middle aged guys with disposable income who are willing to pay more than the price of a CD for music in a time when kids expect that music should be free. And we have to accept noisey new records.

I set up a second TT with a specific set of carts that tend to supress surface noise to play noisey vinyl, but that will be for used vinyl. I really want to avoid new vinyl unless it is something special and I can buy at Best Buy (where they will take it back).

I need to jump in, since the majority of my experiences have differed. I buy new lps nearly every week and rarely do I have surface noise issues. Typical purchases are of "indie" bands; most recently I purchased Dead Weather, Radiohead, and Mars Volta lps. All played beautifully, that is if you like that kind of music. In the previous weeks I purchased Joshua Redman's "Moodswing", Sinatra's "In The Wee Small Hours", Jack Johnson's "En Concert", Dylan's "Self Portrait", 2 Sufjan Stevens lps, Rosanne Cash, Nora Jones, Leonard Cohen, Pearl Jam, Willie Nelson, Califone, Betty Davis, Lisa Germano, Lucinda Williams, Fleetwood Mac Live, etc. etc. All of these have played extremely well. I have purchased some Audiophile lps in the past two years that required returns, but seldom do I buy those. Usually jazz lps are available in re-release form or can be found used. I do not hunt for collectibles. I find the later pressings more than respectable.

The obvious has been stated. There is no such thing as a too clean record when using proper cleaning products.
As far as new goes, my experience has been negative. I have a hard time returning records to a indie store that can barely keep the lights on. Unplayable/defective vinyl will get returned, but pops and ticks I live with.
My last new purchase was a Simply Vinyl pressing and it flat out stunk. A friend heard it and said "it sounds like there is a blanket covering your speakers."
I buy 90%+ used overall.

I have never came across a new record that was so noisy that it was not listenable. On the other hand, like mentioned above, I clean them extensively before use. Unfortunately cracking that new record open for the first time just to look at a record that is pressed off center and scratch more than most of my used stuff has happened a number of times. In this case I usually return the item to acoustic sounds without even putting it on the table. Try to find reviews on the actual LP your trying to buy. Although pressings are not exactly consistent, I have found a number of good or bad reviews on a product most of the time will be quiet accurate.

Darren

I like the good old quiet vinyl♫

Viridian
I will buy the anti static gun and will try cleaning it on my Acoustat cleaner. But after all that should I except it with pops and crackles? This is a "master recording". What does that mean? Why did my much less expensive lp produce such a distortionless sound?

Try an anti-static gun as well as cleaning a new record, the Milty Zerostat is a must...... In my case I found most of the pops came from static.

Well if your going to get old records some had bad noise back in day.Wax was crap re-melt in 70's to save money and being a jazz guy you could count on a Blue Note from 50's or 60's sounding great even after you got surface lines but some like Roost came crappy out of factory noisy and maybe bubles.It's not like the Fed's maintained quality control.If it's pressing send it back media mail nand try again.Also get a vacuum cleaning machine and use good cleaner BEFORE first play as any grit or chemicals that are there in first place given the heat and pressure are welded in grooves.If I spend $50 on a new or old LP I go through elaborate cleaning procedure (use pre clean then run it through machine-lot's of threads here about "cleaning rituals")and then treat it with LAST preservative which keepo mthem for 40-100 plays befor eneeding re-treatment.But if it's in the pressing itself return it.Some of those $50 LP's might cost hundreds for a original in good condition so many factors go into it.Like a poet said "Oh seasons oh castles what's life without hassles?"Of course bitching to seller and getting them to eat shipp is worth a shot.
Cheers
Chazz

I stopped buying "New" vinyl from the online stores. I will buy NOS online. Used vinyl played with a deep tracking cartridge/stylus works well for me.

I stopped buying new records. When you look here, lots is written about that.

It is so frustrating to pay twice the price of a cd for an album and have as much surface noise as a $4.00 used LP.
But the downside, for the dealers, is that they eat it. The record distributer and pressing company retain their profits and let the dealers just take it in the shorts. What needs to be done is to have a method of exchange with the pressing company that made the bad copy in the first place. If they started having to cut into their profit margins and absorb the cost. Maybe they would develope the accountability for charging what they do for an LP. They may even take on the responsibility of better quality at pressing. If they spend the time to remaster a title, then they should finish the job and maintain that level of quality to acheive it's final goal, a better than original release LP.
I think that we AudioGon members should form a coalition that will boycott recordings that will only buy from those companys that offer consistancy in quality. We must be the majority of the customer base, what other demographic can they be targeting? Food for thought...

I just started a sting about noisey vinyl similar to this a few weeks ago. I agree 100%, I've started pretty much looking only for v good used vinyl where I can now.

I believe some of the posters on here got it right, that the expertise, domestically in the US, to press vinyl is limited. Older vinyl tends to sound better on the whole.

Totally agree. I've spent a fortune (at least in my book) on albums that have so much noise whether it be from a pop, click or groove noise.

Vendors have been extremely fair in exchanging these but I'm out of the shipping cost back to them.

I'd like to know that answer to this question myself.

Thanks!