Vinyl cleanliness


How many albums do you own that don't have ANY pops or clicks from beginning to end after a thorough cleaning? I have yet to find one, and was curious as to your results.
And yes, I know how to clean my albums ;)
128x128shawnlh
I would agree with Elizabeth. Also, I listen primarily to classical music, and I find that classical music lovers tend to take better care of their records, so even buying used I have had quite good luck with noise issues. Very few of the records I buy used do I have to get rid of due to too much noise. And I think I have only bought one new record that ever had any issues. Perhaps you should find a new source?
I own close to 3000 albums. Most were brought used though i do have a few that I purchased myself up to 30 years ago. Out of that bunch, i have probably 500 that are as quiet as a CD. over 2000 may have an occasional click or pop. I have probably cycled through another 1500 that were noisy after cleaning that i kept only until i found a quiet copy. I am currently listening to a moody blues album that so far on one side had one click.

Now I clean with a RCM every record until it does not need cleaning (sometimes this takes up to 3 passes) then put in a clean sleeve. And I damp brush every time i play the record.
Lately I've taken to the 'finger' test, as a last resort.
Having regularly used L'Art du Son and MoFi cleaning fluids on my Okki Nokki, and they do a fantastic job, but sometimes I still get the odd stubborn 'click'.

Now I gently run my fingertips across the whole surface, and sure enough I can feel tiny specks, and under a magnifying glass I can remove them with a fingernail or toothpick.