Do your records pop?
Why do records pop and crackle?
Our customers love vinyl records. Unfortunately records will eventually develop pops and crackles. People assume its a scratch or imperfection but that’s not necessarily the case. In many cases record pop is caused by a build-up of dust in the record’s furrow. Crackle is usually caused by static electricity, often from negatively charged dust particles. In a nutshell, every time a record is played the needle packs microscopic dust & dirt into the grooves of the record. Eventually the packed grime gets hard and high enough that it creates a physical impediment for the stylus and the needle pops up from the groove. That “pop” isn’t necessarily a scratch. It’s dirt.
How do I fix it?
Records that pop and crackle should be cleaned with a kirmussaudio record-cleaning device. That device can be purchased from Haas Entertainment. Training is also provided although you can watch a video below. We can’t stress enough that you should never clean a record without consulting us. There are many so-called “experts” out there. You can permanently damage a record if you clean it incorrectly.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY:
“I have to declare that the KA-RC-1 is the best record cleaner on the market. Bar none”
Paul Rigby
HiFi World
January 2019
“Enthusiastically Recommended… as it works!” …”AND It’s reasonably priced”
Michael Fremer
Stereophile
July 2019
HiFi Pig Award
Linette Smith
January 2019
Here is the disclaimer from the manufacturer:
Cleaning WILL NOT remove unwanted sounds caused by scratches on the record’s surface and depending on the age and condition of the record; even repeated cleanings may or may not restore the record to like new condition. BUT WITH GROOVE RESTORATION we now realize BETTER GROOVE CONTACT BY THE DYNE OF THE NEEDLE WITH THE GROOVES, and with Release Agent removed, light surface scratches are no longer an issue. We have noted where in 7 or 8 times out of 10 a “skid mark” from a tone arm that crossed the surface of a record may no longer be heard once we have processed a record with our system. … as the needle is now better “seated” in the “pocket” of the groove.
https://kirmussaudio.com/ka-rc-1-ultrasonic-record-restoration-system/
Not knowing the provenance of the record, in some cases our process will not remove all the pops and crackles but it will reduce the overall undesirable effect previously described. The record now is “listenable” and “enjoyable”.
https://kirmussaudio.com/ka-rc-1-ultrasonic-record-restoration-system/
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