| To me, there are three types of problems:
1a) grime piled on top of a record
1b) defective vinyl piled on top of a record
2) scratches cutting into the vinyl
Type 1 deflects the needle upward and Type 2 deflects the needle downward. Because I am always listening to the absolute phase of each song (it is always different for each album), I think I can hear this. Certainly I know if I switch the absolute phase of the system, I can hear the noise clicks also change their sound. This is the easiest way to tell if something is to be cleaned.
Many times also if the noise is Type 2, a lot of this is actually Type 1B, due to small jagged edges rising up around where the scratch is. If only we could cut those tiny jagged edges off! The best I can do is to use an old heavy needle/tonearm with a lot of inertial mass and play through that area. The needle just sort of rams through the obstruction and removes a bit of the noise, like using a lathe. This is a lot less destructive than it sounds. I just play the area with an old needle; when I go back to my usual needle, the noise has reduced, not gone away of course, but reduced. |