Interesting Article

Lewm: Please specify where, in any of my posts, I suggested that anyone else but me is having a problem. Thank you

Update: I had a "vinyl night" tonight and was very pleased.
Steve Winwood: Arc of a Diver purchased in 1980. Splendid sonics and NO DEFECTS!
Steppenwolf: The Second (reprint, year unknown) Sonics so-so, one piece of punch-out paper embedded in groves per side (oops!).
Yes: Fragile - 1972. Sonics good to very good. No intrusive defects.
All-in-all a pretty good session!
Maybe it's just modern pressings that are pure crap?
I bought first "King Crimson" at T.H.E./CES and it sounds like a 1920s broadcast from Mars i.e. static city...

Apologies, it was a light-hearted suggestion. ;^)

I had visions of Meridian reviving Philips original marketing strategy of getting the punters to focus on noise rather than the music.
I think the analogue enthusiasts that are left are far too sophisticated and informed to be fooled by that one.

The other half of their target market is of course the Digiphile...who already claim to be happy with digital as it stands.
First impressions I get from the grapevine is that many digiphiles are cynical and sceptical about MQA in the extreme. I think they've been stung too many times with the latest new fad. They look like they've made their decision already. :(

Speaking of Peter Cook & Dudley Moore... ;^)

If you can get hold of a rare curiosity of an album called "Consequences" (the full 3-LP set) you'll witness a work of genius. Peter Cook does all the voices in the drama with the exception of the receptionist and Mrs Stapleton, from Jewish accent to posh inebriate lawyer. It's a grower so the full magnitude won't hit you until you've heard it a few times.
"Quote :
Cool Voiced Receptionist : "Mr Hague, may I have the rest of the afternoon off? My niece is on fire..."
Hague (inebriate lawyer) : "Alright (muttering) same bloody excuses every time..."
It was true btw! There was a global disaster going on outside! :D

The musical background is analogous to one of those massive oil paintings with a cast of thousands. If you were to snapshot one tiny bit of it there is always an incredible wealth of detail, sound effect, and subtle musical accompaniment going on in the background at occasionally near inaudible levels.
So, it'll come in handy that you've proved you're able to play older albums without interference ;^)
All the best,

Dweller,
Cool name. I have about 3000 vinyl records, many dating from 60's and 70's, plus a few hundred 45's. No RCM any more. Just use a good brush. I listen to vinyl quite a bit. I listen to rock, classic rock, indie, pop, etc. I hear NO pops! NO Noise of any kind! I only hear what's originally recorded on the record. I do not know your complete system. I would suggest you don't tell others to get their hearing checked. I would also suggest you take a hard look at your system. Most likely your phono stage. If you do your research you will find the phono stage is the most common cause of pops and other noises.
I'm just sayin ✌️

Whatthe: After 45 years of listen to records, seriously, I'm pretty sure I can tell the diff between defective vinyl and defective equipment. One type of distortion I kept noticing last night is something I call "groove lettuce". This intermittent sound is kind of like an amplifier clipping and is probably "my bad" for not knowing how to dial in my cartridge to perfection.
While we're on the subject, how could my phono head-amp (Ayre) be causing click and pops? I'm using XLR out to my BAT and XLR equipment is usually pretty quiet.
Please explain.