Tips on Buying Quiet Quality sounding LP's

Some labels are better than others (and it also depends on the years involved) but frankly it is a pretty much hit and miss affair.

Even with labels that have a good reputation, someone is going to get a record from the end of a stamper's production life or a record made with a blob of plastic that wasn't as pure as desired.

The big problem is that most people buy music because they like the artist or composition. If my favorite music happens to be on a crappy label, there is not a lot I can do about it.

The same thing is true of digital material. If my favorite music is compressed, over-processed and/or poorly mixed, it is a bit like a scrambled egg - it is pretty tough to unscramble.

At least with a new LP you can usually return a bad pressing for another try with a second copy.

For used lps, inspection by a trained eye is the best tool.

With experience, you can train your eyes to quickly inspect vinyl and determine the condition. Most vintage records that appear to be in good physical condition should be reasonably quiet and play properly, once properly cleaned.

Sometimes the trick is to be able able to distinguish a dirty record from one in good physical condition otherwise via visual inspection. It can be done reliably in most cases, but requires experience to train the eye on what to look for.

Also remember that the majority of lps exhibit some surface noise during playback and that this is normal. Its just part of the medium. lps can be near dead quiet under ideal conditions but seldom are in practice. If you want dead quiet background noise levels, that is a strength of digital, not vinyl.

For me, the greatest pleasure of vinyl these days is to pick up old lps that most no longer want for a pittance, clean them and then enjoy the quality sound often offered. With used lps, price is not an indicator of sound quality in many cases. You can pick up many fantastic sounding vintage titles from the golden age of vinyl for next to nothing at flea markets, yard sales, etc. these days.

I have a different viewpoint from Mapman about used vinyl. I am of the opinion that no amount of careful visual inspection can guarantee quiet vinyl. There are some LPs that look immaculate (i.e. no scratches, scuffs, dents or dings), but in fact have groove damage that makes them noisy.

The best way to buy used vinyl is to identify sellers from whom you've purchased vinyl who share your personal standards for grading LPs. Once you know that you and a seller have the same criteria, then you can be reasonably assured that when these sellers claim their vinyl is quiet, then it will be quiet.

So Mapman...what do you look for to detrmine good physical condition?...clearly any visual scratches are a no, no...but what else do you focus on to determine "good condition?"...thx

Another good site to search is Music Angle (Michael Fremer's web site) devoted to reviewing music. You can search a particular title and pull the review and there will be a rating on the music and the quality of the sound. The quality of sound incorporates both recording/mastering quality and the quality of the pressings.