Crackling & Sparking noise with used Vinyls

Sutradhaar

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Hello audiophiles & Vinyl veterans in particular.

Am new to vinyls & TT.
i have this Rega Planar 1 TT. Plays Vinyls with the ease & perfect.

In the rush to explore & experience more, I have collected quite a few used old classic records that generate these static noise. Some are really bad, while some generate these crackling, static or sparking noise that if not there could have made the record perfect.
What exactly caused these noises ? Other than being old and used, of course. Also, is there a way to correct, fix, repair these unwanted noise to some extent, if not completely ?
 
Hello audiophiles & Vinyl veterans in particular.

Am new to vinyls & TT.
i have this Rega Planar 1 TT. Plays Vinyls with the ease & perfect.

In the rush to explore & experience more, I have collected quite a few used old classic records that generate these static noise. Some are really bad, while some generate these crackling, static or sparking noise that if not there could have made the record perfect.
What exactly caused these noises ? Other than being old and used, of course. Also, is there a way to correct, fix, repair these unwanted noise to some extent, if not completely ?

Wash the vinyls with a mild soap and rinse the soap off. Use an antistatic brush before playng the vinyl- you will see a marked reduction in pops and crackles
 
Hello audiophiles & Vinyl veterans in particular.

Am new to vinyls & TT.
i have this Rega Planar 1 TT. Plays Vinyls with the ease & perfect.

In the rush to explore & experience more, I have collected quite a few used old classic records that generate these static noise. Some are really bad, while some generate these crackling, static or sparking noise that if not there could have made the record perfect.
What exactly caused these noises ? Other than being old and used, of course. Also, is there a way to correct, fix, repair these unwanted noise to some extent, if not completely ?
@Sutradhaar
I came across the same problem as you have. Then I began searching online and also our forum. Even I had sent pm to some FMs. What I have learnt from them is , this pops and crackle are with the pre-owned vinyls and the new ones don't have this noise. Secondly use isopropyl alcohol, dish wash , distilled water and clean the vinyls using microfibre cloth and then allow those to be dried. Next step is , clean it every time you play with an antistatic carbon fibre brush available online. I clean vinyls using Amway shampoo and distilled water and then dry it using a piece of soft cloth. Many also suggest a record cleaning machine. I have never used it so can't say how much useful it is. But you can do what I have done for so many years. Don't forget to clean it in circular motion .
Regards
 
If you use near mint or excellant graded pre-owned records and wet clean them, they'll sound almost as clean as cds. I dont even use soap or isopropyl alcohol. I just clean them with bottled water and a record brush(nitty gritty wet brush) rinse and air dry.
 
Congrats and commiserations in equal measure for jumping down the vinyl rabbit hole - there's no turning back now :D

The Rega P1 is a fine TT and will give you years of analog listening pleasure.
However old dirty vinyl are the surest way to wear out the stylus and bring its life span down.
Vinyl cleaning can be a PhD topic in itself!
The easiest home remedy is a wash under the tap with mild liquid hand soap ( tried and trusted). Wipe dry with anti static cloth and store in new inner sleeves - preferably antistatic as well

Look up spin cleaners - they are handy for batch cleaning a larger number in one sitting.
 
Congrats and commiserations in equal measure for jumping down the vinyl rabbit hole - there's no turning back now :D

The Rega P1 is a fine TT and will give you years of analog listening pleasure.
However old dirty vinyl are the surest way to wear out the stylus and bring its life span down.
Vinyl cleaning can be a PhD topic in itself!
The easiest home remedy is a wash under the tap with mild liquid hand soap ( tried and trusted). Wipe dry with anti static cloth and store in new inner sleeves - preferably antistatic as well

Look up spin cleaners - they are handy for batch cleaning a larger number in one sitting.
Thanks !! Let me try this and see the result myself
 
@Sutradhaar
I came across the same problem as you have. Then I began searching online and also our forum. Even I had sent pm to some FMs. What I have learnt from them is , this pops and crackle are with the pre-owned vinyls and the new ones don't have this noise. Secondly use isopropyl alcohol, dish wash , distilled water and clean the vinyls using microfibre cloth and then allow those to be dried. Next step is , clean it every time you play with an antistatic carbon fibre brush available online. I clean vinyls using Amway shampoo and distilled water and then dry it using a piece of soft cloth. Many also suggest a record cleaning machine. I have never used it so can't say how much useful it is. But you can do what I have done for so many years. Don't forget to clean it in circular motion .
Regards
This is really helpful. Let me bookmark all these solutions by all FMs here & see which one suits me the best !! This forum really rocks & alive !!! Thanks again.
 
@Sutradhaar
I came across the same problem as you have. Then I began searching online and also our forum. Even I had sent pm to some FMs. What I have learnt from them is , this pops and crackle are with the pre-owned vinyls and the new ones don't have this noise. Secondly use isopropyl alcohol, dish wash , distilled water and clean the vinyls using microfibre cloth and then allow those to be dried. Next step is , clean it every time you play with an antistatic carbon fibre brush available online. I clean vinyls using Amway shampoo and distilled water and then dry it using a piece of soft cloth. Many also suggest a record cleaning machine. I have never used it so can't say how much useful it is. But you can do what I have done for so many years. Don't forget to clean it in circular motion .
Regards
Isopropyl Alcohol, liquid dish wash & distilled water all together ? Or either of them ? Or should I use one after the other ?
 
Friends, audiophiles & countrymen ! Eureka !!
I just used isopropyl alcohol with a soft cloth. Didn’t help at all.

Next: I took the Harry Belafonte record to the kitchen, under tap, with liquid Pril (my wife staring at me), massaged the vinyl with a damp soft cloth, circular motion. Washed away the sofa thoroughly and dried it above the air purifier that is running in full speed on this polluted Delhi NCR. And WALLAH !! There’s hardly any crackling, static or popping sound !!!!!!!! Hurray !!! My Harry Belafonte got a second life !! I am dancing here with joy.

Buying a full pack of the best dishwasher right now & getting down to clean all the vinyl I’ve collected in these 15-20 days. A project that I am looking forward to !!!
Thanks a TON everybody !!
 
Isopropyl Alcohol, liquid dish wash & distilled water all together ? Or either of them ? Or should I use one after the other ?
@Sutradhaar
I mean all the ingredients taken together and make a mixture or solution. Then spray it on the surface of the vinyl . After2-3 minutes clean it with a microfibre cloth in a circular motion. Then rinse it with distilled water and keep it straight for drying. You can make it dry using a piece of microfibre cloth. Beware of the record level. After cleaning and drying keep the vinyl in an antistatic cover. Hope this helps.
 
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