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Newly into vinyl;

I am listening to vinyl for the first time in 30 years. I have put together a nice solid-state & digital system, but just recently purchased a turntable. I found a boxed & unopened Denon DP-47f 'table from the late 80's. Turns out a serviceman purchased it in Japan & never used it. It is direct drive, but it has an exceptionally quiet motor and has manual/automatic functions. It came with the original Denon high-output MC cartridge. I am having a problem with noise, however. Unless I play a new MFSL, Simply Vinyl or other audiophile pressing, I have a lot of snap, crackle & pop between tracks. With a new record though, nothing but a totally "black" background. I have tried the old-fashioned fluid & brush cleaners, and I also bought a "Spin Clean". Neither of these methods help. I have been told that I need a VPI vacuum cleaner or similar to get rid of the noise, but I don't remember such noise from the "old days." Could there be a cause other than dirt & dust? I have purchased a Ortophon Samba low-output MC cartridge to replace the Denon, but not had it installed yet. Could the "high output" cartridge be part of the problem? My system consists of the following:

Musical Fidelity A3cr dual-mono preamp with MC/MM phono stage;
Cambridge Audio Azur 740C upsampling CD player;
Odyssey Audio Stratus Plus SS amp (150 wpc into 8 ohms)
Audioquest line conditioner;
Von Schweikert VR-4 loudspeakers;
RBH SA-200 outboard configurable subwoofer amplifier;
RBH VF12 passive subwoofer;

Any advice would be appreciated!
klipschking
klipschking OP
82 posts
 
Thanks Tubeo. Makes sense, as this cartridge has been boxed up for 25 years w/o use. I hope the Ortofon helps I'll keep you posted.
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
Tubeo is right on, most cartridges that have not been played in over ten years will suffer from 'rot' So much for 'NOS". Try a Shure 97. I have been very happy marrying that to the 47F, which is a great table. Also, get a steam cleaner and put to work on problem discs.
jwong
56 posts
 
A new cartridge as others pointed out would be a good start. However, sometimes a used record is going to give you some noise and sometimes you'll find a used record that is simply "black" in the background. On those days you rejoice, but you'll find some days to cringe. While I've come to accept the occasional snap and crackle as part of the charm of buying used records, I go nuts on noisy records. Sometimes you buy what looks like a "clean" record but discover loud grove damage from the previous owner's bad needles rendering the lp unlistenable. Regardless, enjoy the journey back to vinyl as there's more good than bad in the medium if you understand the pitfalls that come with this format.
klipschking OP
82 posts
 
Tubeo and Buconero: Genius!! Swapped the ancient DL-80 for a new Ortophon Samba MC cartridge & the noise is gone!! Oh sure, as Jwong points out, there is always the occasional pop & crack, but nothing like I was experiencing. This one needs to go in some sort of "primer" for new vinylists; MAKE SURE YOU USE A RELATIVELY NEW CARTRIDGE! Thanks everyone.
klipschking OP
82 posts
 
On the money, Tubeo!! Swapped out the DL-80 for an almost new Ortophon Samba MC, and the extraneous noise is gone!! What a great cartridge, the Samba. Loving the vinyl! Thanks.
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