Vinyl reissues quality

Have you noticed that it most often happens at the outer radius of the disc. I swear they don't leave the material in the press long enough to let the outer portion fully form in the stamper. Then it forms crystals instead of flowing properly and this causes that "rough road" for the first inch or so of inward play.

Even supposedly virgin vinyl is not very high quality these days. I read an article about a new pressing operation in New York City. They acknowledge that even the best vinyl stock they can find is quite inferior in quality to stock available in the heyday of vinyl. What they do is "regrind" the vinyl into a powder before using it to minimize the impact of impurities.

Experiencing the same; I stick with LPs pressed at RTI and Pallas in Germany; quality seems higher. Re done Dire Straits are good examples of what new pressings should sound like.

If one reads about the LP record production process from start to end, you end up amazed that any LP sounds acceptable. There are just a lot of points in the process for quality to deteriorate.

A lacquer coated metal master is cut, which is electroplated to form a negative, which in turn is used to make a new all metal mother, which then is electroplated again to make the negative stamper plates.

Impurities in the plating chemicals, dust, or sloppy handling at any stage can cause noise in the stamped record.

Stampers can also be used past their prime. Stampers also do not typically fail instantaneously, so LPs made toward the end of the stamper's life will not be quite as pristine as those made at the start even if stampers are replaced on schedule.

And, as others noted, the quality of vinyl is also an issue. There is good quality vinyl available, but like any other business, some companies will put quality control second to cost factors.

I usually buy almost all of the new vinyl rock/pop/female vocalist reissues. I guess I have been lucky because I just don't have any complaints. Mine have sounded wonderful and quiet.

I agree that the RTI and Pallas pressed copies are fantastic. The (3) new Dire Straits reissues are indeed marvelous.

One thing I do to minimize the surface noise is that I always clean my new albums on a RCM prior to listening to them. Do you do this? If not, you might want to start, as I find it helps quite a bit.

Overall though, I agree with Mofimadness actually.
I have not had very many issues with the reissues.

I've had a few, but not too many. And admittedly, probably a higher percentage now (say 5% or so), have had surface noise, (specifically ticks and pops), than in the "good 'ole days", (when it was just one or two percent). But then again, perhaps the mid-fi equipment that I had back then did not allow me notice the surface noise nearly as much.

My two cents worth.

Stevecham - yes I have noticed that many times there are what look like residue lines that run across the outer radius of the LP, sometime only one and sometimes two on opposing sides and you can hear it when the stylus passes through these areas. At first I thought iI could remove by cleaning - not. Worst offenders - Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman, I took the first one back and exchanged and the second one was actually worse. Recently send The Eagles, Hell Freezes Over back hoping replacement is better.On the other hand Clapton, Unplugged and Van Morrison Moondance sound great. The best overall is a 30 year old MoFi release of John Klemmer's Touch that I recently purchased here on agon.

I think, most of these problems are not from vinyl (maybe sometimes, but not in general), probably the output numbers from the press factory forces them to shorten cooling process and following steps. Or Know How is gone, who knows.

I have to say that lately - Pallas absolutely sucks.

All of the Wilco reissues were awful - I tried 3 different times, and they were always warped.

Sara Watkins' solo LP was terribly warped, and I returned that one.

The Jimi Hendrix reissues were actually pretty flat and quiet.

I have bought a few new re-issue lps lately and its been hit and miss. Definately better luck with german, japanese and british pressings. I have reverted back to sourcing good used lps and am having better luck with them than the re-issues. I have bought some great re-issues but not for the most part. I seriously beleive the quality of the vynil is the main source much like happened in the latter 70's during the oil crisis. I would rather pay 50 to a 100 for a descent original pressing than be stuck with a 25 to 50 dollar reissue that is lifeless in both sound and by sitting dead on a shelf un-used. Classic records hit and miss and their high price in my opinion is why they are not anymore. Maybe AcousTech will do a better job. I have a few of their re-issues that are excellent still retaining the life that vynil gives. Cheers!

I have purchased lps from Vinyl Lovers (Mayall, John Cale) and they are excellent pressing - no pops, ticks, or other surface noise.

I have had really great luck with Classic Records reissues (jazz and classical), though I know there was a time where people were complaining about some QC issues, and I've never heard any of the newer 200g reissues (which I've also read complaints about). Their reissues of RCA Living Stereo classical records sound better (to me) than some close-to-mint originals I've heard. More 'modern'-sounding, but in a good way (if that makes sense).
Speakers Corners reissues are super nice (their Starker Bach Cello Suites boxset is as good as vinyl sound gets, in my opinion).
Consistency-wise, I ALWAYS had great luck with regular old Japanese reissues, in all genres - the vinyl they use just seems to be 'purer' and quieter.

Ticks & pops I can live with But the crackling drives Me
mad. I have noticed that a higher percentage of new vinyl
is lacking in quality, I just received the latest double LP from Govt Mule & it is a huge let down, very compressed,& very noisy.

I have been meaning to try some of that mold release
cleaner If I can find some, (never tried before), maybe
that will diminish some of the noise on the new LP's

Thanks for the post ... I was getting ready to give up. I picked up a vintage Denon DP 62L in mint shape, a brand new Grado Gold cart and a ARC PH3 SE. I bought 6-7 new albums and the sound is not good. Clicks, pops, noise - I was very dissapointed. I cant seem to find the vinyl sweet spot. I cant believe it but my digital front end sounds much better. I was getting ready to go down the "NOS tube" road and I'm looking at a Sumiko Blackbird as I was told it's a good match. I am not willing to do this if I cant get a reliable source. It kills me that with all the advances in technology since the 70's we cant get albums at the same or better quality. It's not like there isnt a market ... I just noticed vinyl for sale in my local Fred Meyers store which is basically a Wallmart. I am now looking at Mofi releases at $30 which is do-able but I am hoping the quality is there. I guess I need to upgrade the old D4 cleaning system for a more intense system? I am running out of room for "stuff" but I'm too far down the road to give up. It's nice to know I am not the only one experiencing this quality problem. I too am not too concerned with an occational click or pop but the level of noise and the lack of dynamics has me wondering if I will get where I am going.

Horseface,

Okay, here is my advice:

1. Buy a cheap (and if possible, used) vacuum Record Cleaning Machine (RCM). A Nitty Gritty (or its cousin, the Record Doctor), both work fine as a vacuum drying device. (A VPI works great too, but it is much larger and takes up more room, and can't be moved or stored as easily as a Nitty Gritty type, but they look better, more like fine furniture.) A DIY kit is also available, but I have no experience with that. (Warning, these types do tend to be fairly loud, as vacuums typically are loud.) Costs will be a couple hundred bucks if bought used, a few hundred if bought new.

2. Buy a couple of Disk Doctor, or Mobile Fidelity, (MoFi) cleaning brushes and some good cleaning fluid, (I recommend MoFi's Super Record Wash). (For used, dirty records, I use their Super Deep Cleaner, followed by the Super Record Wash.) Also buy a carbon fiber brush, as you'll use it EVERY time prior to playing records. Costs will be about $50 - 100.

3. Hand clean the record using the fluid and the brushes, and then vacuum them dry on the RCM, (one side at a time). Do this with all your records, even the new ones. This will go a long way towards getting rid of those little ticks and pops. You should only need to wet clean a record once, and from then on, you should typically only need to use the carbon fiber brush prior to playing an album side.

4. Also, buy some good plastic inner sleeves, (the MoFi sleeves work well), so that you don't EVER use paper sleeves again. (I also use outer sleeves to reduce wear and tear on the record sleeve, but that is not necessary to acheiving good sound, (merely good looks!)

5. Buy a stylus cleaner and brush, (a lot of people recommend the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but I've never tried it myself). I use MoFi LP No. 9, and it seems to work fairly well. Use the stylus cleaner at least once prior to each listening session. (Some people clean their stylus after each side, which seems a bit overkill to me. However, different strokes, as they say. I find that since I clean all my vinyl prior to playing it, that my stylus seems to stay cleaner, longer.) Cost is about $20.

Doing all of this will help to improve the sonics of your vinyl, and hence your enjoyment level should go up. However, if you deem this just too damn much work, (and some people do, which is fine), just go back to digital and be happy, and let the rest of us be slaves to our record playing rituals! ;-)

My two cents worth, and Good Luck!

PS In going back over this email, I notice it looks like I am shilling for MoFi by my recommendations, but to be honest, it is just a coincidence that I use their products as I buy from Music Direct a lot, and they sell MoFi products. (FYI, I use, and prefer, the Disk Doctor brushes, as I find them to easier to handle, as they are slightly smaller than the MoFi brushes. But the MoFi brushes are cheaper, I believe.) As you can tell, I am a cheap bastard, and so I use the most cost efficient cleaning supplies and equipment that I can find. ;-)