Went all analog / vinyl, I made a mistake

[keef]

Sorry to hear you are having a bummer. As mentioned above I have bought at least 1500 used albums the last few years and only a handful have been too bad to play. Once thoroughly cleaned 95% are good to go.

Some noise on most vinyl playback systems is inevitable but loud ticks and pops is not. If you have really efficient speakers sometimes that allows more noise, not just vinyl but tube hiss and anything creating noise upstream . Hope you figure it out, good vinyl ran me away from digital years ago.

[Mgrenwick]

Thanks for the replies.

The vinyl is new from several sources.
What I’m finding is if it’s a big name like
The Beatles or Pink Floyd it’s fine. My Tom Petty Wildflowers
Is amazing. The mofi is great too.
When it’s not one of these is seems obvious that
The vinyl was an after thought and the pressings are terrible.

Bob Iver first album is garbage, pops and clicks.
Gregory Alan Ivsakov Weatherman is garbage, this one is so bad
It seems like it’s to pieces of vinyl sandwiched together.
U2 Joshua Tree in gold, so much surface noise it takes away from the songs.
I could only listen to the first three songs, the noise on with or without was so distracting I turned it off. Same with my Ray Lamontage, pops and clicks.

The table was preset up and then I redid the setup ensure the cartridge was correct. I set the VTA and angle several times ensuring it was correct. I don’t think this is the issue.

I thought owning the vinyl and streaming for convenience
Was the way to go, but I think all my issues will be resolved going digital.
Expensive mistake.

[Antonmb]

I guess vinyl isn’t for everyone in our digital age, but to have so many problems isn’t normal. It is true, though, that there are releases of new popular music for which the vinyl issue is poorly done and thrown on the market solely to catch the hip crowd with a Crosley record player. On the other hand, there are many excellent new releases and reissues done with care, not to mention used records, that can sound excellent with minimal problems when cleaned properly and played on a well-set-up system. I have a relatively small collection (roughly 1,000) that I add to occasionally with both new and used, and rarely come across an album that’s problematic.

I’m sure you’ve been careful with your setup, but if this is your first experience with vinyl, it would be worthwhile to have someone with more experience double-check things if that’s possible. Another option is to take a couple of records you’re having trouble with to a dealer or audiophile with a good setup and see how they sound. This will let you know whether it’s the vinyl or your setup. If there’s no one local to whom you can go, mail a couple to an AA member with a good system to test for you. I’m sure many would be happy to help (me among them, although my old ears aren’t the best tool to use).

If it’s more trouble than it’s worth for you and you’re just done, become a subscriber and put your system in the marketplace, I’m sure you’ll find takers. Good luck.

[nicoff]

I bet that there are dealers in your neck of the woods where you can take several of the albums that you don't like and listen to them. It is a very cheap way (it will cost you time and gas) to find out if the problem is your system or the media.

In any event and fwiw, I recently bought a new album and found that it had more surface noise than LPs that I have owned and played for many years.

[For The Love of Music]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

I guess vinyl isn’t for everyone in our digital age, but to have so many problems isn’t normal. It is true, though, that there are releases of new popular music for which the vinyl issue is poorly done and thrown on the market solely to catch the hip crowd with a Crosley record player. On the other hand, there are many excellent new releases and reissues done with care, not to mention used records, that can sound excellent with minimal problems when cleaned properly and played on a well-set-up system. I have a relatively small collection (roughly 1,000) that I add to occasionally with both new and used, and rarely come across an album that’s problematic.

I’m sure you’ve been careful with your setup, but if this is your first experience with vinyl, it would be worthwhile to have someone with more experience double-check things if that’s possible. Another option is to take a couple of records you’re having trouble with to a dealer or audiophile with a good setup and see how they sound. This will let you know whether it’s the vinyl or your setup. If there’s no one local to whom you can go, mail a couple to an AA member with a good system to test for you. I’m sure many would be happy to help (me among them, although my old ears aren’t the best tool to use).

If it’s more trouble than it’s worth for you and you’re just done, become a subscriber and put your system in the marketplace, I’m sure you’ll find takers. Good luck.

IMO, Tony is dead on on with his thoughts.

[Poppyhome]

Vinyl is not for the faint of heart and not for everyone. It requires patience and accuracy in setup along with trial and error, and lots of reading and learning..................after that it's simple.
Many people wet their appetites with lower end units that are more plug and play like a Rega Planar 3 and go from there.

Best of Luck!

Ron

[akfaulkner]

I feel ya on this. A while back, I thought about going big into vinyl. I went to my local dealer and listened to their best setup, way out of my price range but I wanted to hear some of the best.

Unfortunately what I heard just didn't sound good to my ears. I didn't grow up listening to vinyl and the sound is quite different from digital.

For some, it's just not their cup of tea regardless of setup.

[miner]

Vinyl can be a hit or miss - I have found I look at vinyl pressers before I look for a particular album. I have had better luck with Analogue Reproductions in Salinas, KS. They seem to take more precautions in their pressing process. I agree with others who say that maybe the setup was off. In my case when I got my VPI table I was overwhelmed by the steps involved with setting up a table properly. My dealer who set it up initially did a poor job. I asked questions on this site and others and learned a tremendous amount about vinyl playback and proper set up. Get you some basic tools and grab the bull by the horns - it really is a satisfying feeling.

[Poppyhome]

A number of years ago, after taking a 20 year break from this hobby, I remember listening to a nice higher end VPI turntable system. The sonics and presence was excellent, but the pops, ticks, and scratches stood out to me.
I was told you listen to the music and not those noises. Unfortunately they are present in almost every album and it's rare to find an album without one. Digital on the other hand is free of surface noises.

I enjoy listening to both formats though.

Ron

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by Poppyhome

I was told you listen to the music and not those noises.

Unfortunately this is just the kind of nonsense too often spread by a few incompetent dealers and self-appointed experts who don’t know how to properly set up a vinyl system or clean a record.