What did it take for your phono system to sound “right” to you?

[rdenney]

Really? How? I've never heard of this, and I never clean mine, or have any way to do so, but I must have the odd one that needs a scrub.

Sometimes, the music I want to collect only exists in vinyl, and I buy a used album. Usually, it's filthy. I fill up a sink with water, with maybe just a touch of dish soap to act as a very mild surfactant, and with a sponge, wet the portion of the LP that will drip away from the label. The water will soak it for a bit and loosen the grime. Then, I rinse it using a gentle spray carefully directed. I dry it by blotting very lightly with a soft cotton towel. Then, I rotate the LP around to the next sector that will drip away from the label and repeat.

I'm sure cleanophiles will be aghast in horror.

Rick "works for me" Denney

 

[Soniclife]

Sometimes, the music I want to collect only exists in vinyl, and I buy a used album. Usually, it's filthy. I fill up a sink with water, with maybe just a touch of dish soap to act as a very mild surfactant, and with a sponge, wet the portion of the LP that will drip away from the label. The water will soak it for a bit and loosen the grime. Then, I rinse it using a gentle spray carefully directed. I dry it by blotting very lightly with a soft cotton towel. Then, I rotate the LP around to the next sector that will drip away from the label and repeat.

I'm sure cleanophiles will be aghast in horror.

Rick "works for me" Denney

Do you have very soft water? I admire the very low tech approach.

 

[Thomas_A]

Real-time click repair.

 

[abdo123]

Real-time click repair.

now that's fancy, how?

 

[Thomas_A]

now that's fancy, how?

I found the discontinued real-time version of click-repair a few years ago and just installed it in a mac mini. Since I have a license of click-repair It just works. No clicks or pops.

 

[rdenney]

Do you have very soft water? I admire the very low tech approach.

No, but I have a big, honkin' water softener on my well.

Rick "astonished at the price of some record cleaners" Denney

 

[rdenney]

I found the discontinued real-time version of click-repair a few years ago and just installed it in a mac mini. Since I have a license of click-repair It just works. No clicks or pops.

I think it was SAE back in the day that made a click filter device--all analog click removal.

Rick "a different standard of 'transparent' in those days" Denney

 

[Soniclife]

No, but I have a big, honkin' water softener on my well.

That'll do it. I found out a long time ago that hard water is a bad idea for this.

 

[Robin L]

Sometimes, the music I want to collect only exists in vinyl, and I buy a used album. Usually, it's filthy. I fill up a sink with water, with maybe just a touch of dish soap to act as a very mild surfactant, and with a sponge, wet the portion of the LP that will drip away from the label. The water will soak it for a bit and loosen the grime. Then, I rinse it using a gentle spray carefully directed. I dry it by blotting very lightly with a soft cotton towel. Then, I rotate the LP around to the next sector that will drip away from the label and repeat.

I'm sure cleanophiles will be aghast in horror.

Rick "works for me" Denney

I know it works, but you should know that ultrasonic cleaning works better and has a lower likelihood of damaging the labels. I've used all the methods [Discwasher is the worst, contaminating the LP with the dirt and oils picked up from the previous LPs], sink washing is pretty effective, the best suction LP cleaner I've used was a Keith Monks machine, the VPI cleaner has similar problems as the Discwasher but to nowhere the same degree. Before I moved to Washington State I would go to Tower District records in Fresno California. They had an ultrasonic cleaner, got more junk out more effectively than any other cleaning method I've encountered.

 

[Robin L]

I think it was SAE back in the day that made a click filter device--all analog click removal.

Rick "a different standard of 'transparent' in those days" Denney

It really sucked. And I doubt it was all-analog, I thnk it used a bucked brigade. In making needledrops, Click Repair was very effective, though I know there's real-time digital de-clickers available now. One reason the Click Repair software is so effective is that one could de-click the file backwards, which resulted in fewer audible artifacts from the process. Of course, after cleaning the record and dubbing the record, then de-clicking backwards and forwards, and hearing the half-assed result, I would want a digital file sourced from a digital source instead. And sometimes, I would find one.

Robin "one eventually becomes sick and tired of all this repetition" Landseadel

 

[LTig]

I own a Linn LP12 since 1994 and upgraded it within a few years after the buy:

• standard PS -> used Lingo PS (improved bass quality, ability to switch speed)
• Akito arm -> used Ekos arm (probably no change at all, maybe I had to much money on hand).
• Linn K9 MM pickup -> Linn Klyde MC pickup (smoother sound, but a bit too smooth).

I was not happy with the Klyde, mostly due to a bad preamp (noisy, pickup of CB radio interference) so I designed and built my own MC preamp with very low noise (using @scott wurcer's AD797) and very linear FR (20 Hz to 20 kHz +/- 0.03 dB).

The last step was to replace the Klyde by a used Van den Hul MC1 Special and that was the biggest step in performance. Tonality very similar to digital sources, much lower groove noise, very fast recovery of impulses (noise ticks). After this the TT has not been changed since there is no need. It's end game for me.

 

[MRC01]

... Cleaning is important. Dialing in for me was mostly a matter of getting the geometry, VTA, and VTF correct. ... Sooo many variables...

Getting out the soldering iron and a test disk to properly match the cartridge to get a flat response (Need a test CD). ...

I used a Nitty Gritty 2.5 FI machine to scrupulously clean all my records.
I built a wooden sandbox with a floating lid for vibration isolation (it weighed about 100#) and perfect leveling.
I used a DB Systems dual-point gauge for careful / perfect alignment.
I used several different cartridges over the years, until finally finding one that sounded "right" to me (Ortofon MC-30 Super Mk II).
I built a high quality phono head amp (DACT CT-100 powered by dual 12 V batteries) with adjustable gain, impedance, and capacitance.
I used 2 different test LPs with freq sweeps to fine-tune the loading and set the anti-skating correctly.
I ensure the turntable deck was properly set up: suspension, lubrication, motor, belt tension.

It all reminds me of that cartoon with the guy saying the best thing about vinyl is the expense and inconvenience At the time it was worth the effort because I wasn't entirely happy with CD sound. Over the years that changed and I found good digital recordings started to sound better than my best LPs. So I still understand the appeal of vinyl but it's not for me anymore.

 

[EJ3]

Angsty, you are somewhat familiar with my system. So I will only comment on the main TT & Preamp:
Technics SL-M3 Linear Tracking T4P mount TT with (NOS) SHURE V15VP with the (not a weight, I think that it weighs under 3 ounces) KAB Super Record Grip Mk2 which attaches quickly, by turning with slight pressure, it "walks" down the spindle and meets the record label with a UHMW polyethylene non marring contact surface to help hold the record flat. It also has a built in bubble level that is centered over the spindle which shows turntable level at a glance to within 1 degree of accuracy. For vibration control at the feet: Four 2" hemispheres of Sorbothane II vibration absorbing polymer rated at 35 LBs each (The SL-M3 is a heavy TT). This feeds into a resto-modded (by Peter of QuirkAudio) APT/Holman Pre-Amp which has:

2 Phono inputs.
The first has selectable resistance and capacitance,
while the second is fixed at 47kΩ and 50 pF.
100 mV maximum at 1 kHz, inverse RIAA, warp-proof.
The right channel of each of the two phono inputs is internally adjustable ±2 dB for perfect channel balance.

Proper record cleaning and care.

That's it! (For me, anyway)

 

[Phorize]

I just focus on my shiny titanium tone arm when listening, it helps distract from the sonic imperfection. More seriously a record cleaner is a must, I have a moth rcm. Agree as above re low output moving coil. My major down fall is I don’t have a rumble filter.

 

[restorer-john]

...now that's fancy, how?

Marantz SX-72.

(A/D- DSP -D/A) realtime scratch removal with an SPDIF output too.

 

[serendipitydawg]

It was the simple act of buying an Audio Technica VM95ML cartridge & making sure it was correctly aligned.

 

[MCH]

1. Follow the instructions

2. Make sure I don't have hum/ground loops

3. Buy one of those gel pads to clean the needle. This is the best thing ever! If someone starts a thread of anti-snake oil (stuff that is cheap and makes its job perfectly) my vote will be for this little marvel:

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B082X3VQZJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Joe Smith]

It was the simple act of buying an Audio Technica VM95ML cartridge & making sure it was correctly aligned.

Love that stylus! It's good.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

It's been a while, like 1995, since I invested in the technology. Before 1995, I had a VPI HW 19 Mk 4. a Fidelity Research FR 64S with B60 stabilizer, a Carnegie Madrigal 2 phono cartridge, and an Audible Illusions Modulus 3a with Gold phono board. That was a good sounding system. My 1995 improvements involved the purchase of a speed control box for the VPI, replacement of the Carnegie cartridge with a Cardas Heart Ruby, and the purchase of a Vibraplane to isolate the table from all manner of vibration. I think the Vibraplane made the biggest difference. It simply increased the S/N ratio by, I think, a good 10db, and next was the Cardas cartridge which to my ears was a Goldilocks cartridge tuned just right.

For all that, a simple Topping D10 will blow that set up right out of the water today. Kinda like how a $5 watch bought at a kiosk in a mall will keep better time than a $50k Patek Phillipe.

Only difference being the Patek is a Veblen good while the turntable set up is not.

 

[DSJR]

I think it was SAE back in the day that made a click filter device--all analog click removal.

Rick "a different standard of 'transparent' in those days" Denney

TD166 eh? I have some upgrade ideas for you and sometimes, eBay is your friend for parts... Just DON'T use a record weight as the main bearing thrust plate isn't the strongest (I have a well loved/used TD160mk2 here and the well loved bearing was worn out until I added a 1mm ptfe pad which has fixed it, at least for now)