Why Does My Record Player Sound Warped? How To Fix It.

What do you do when your record player sound warped? The first thing most people would do is panic since they now won’t have a way to listen to some music. However, should you panic if there’s a way you can solve it? Of course not.

We have a few solutions here for you whenever your record players sound warped. If you aren’t the handiest of people, you'll probably need help to sort such an issue. However, even for the handiest people, help is always welcome.

Read on to find out what to do whenever you find yourself in that situation.

Before we get to how you can solve the issues of a record player having a warped sound, let’s first see the causes. You can’t remedy it if you don’t know the reasons.

What are the Causes of Warped Sound in Record Players?

Several things could mess up your record player and make it produce warped sound. The running theme with all those causes is improper or careless storage.

Improper storage might be something like placing it in a place where it’s likely to sustain damage. Storing them in a place exposed to heat will mess with them and lead to warped sound. The same applies to when you keep them in a place where they’d get in contact with water.

Another reason you are getting warped sound from your record player is that the belt needs replacing. A soft belt will lead to distortions in sound that can grow to be quite frustrating for you. The belt might have become a little soft in some places, causing the record to produce a warped sound.

The following reason your record player could give you distorted sound is that you don’t keep the motor running. Any issues with the motor will have the record player giving you warped sound because it is the motor that ensures the record player is playing. Always confirm the motor is up and running when you are using your record player.

Finally, the most obvious reason a record player would give you warped sound is that it is damaged. Checking it will tell you whether it is permanent damage or repairable damage. If it is temporary damage, then you might have some hope of restoring the original sound.

How to Fix Record Player Sound Warped Issues

Knowing the cause is the first step in understanding how to fix the warped sound. Since the sound distortion issues might probably have resulted from improper storage, it would be a good idea to store your records well. Prevention is better than a cure, after all.

If your record is giving your warped sound, the below steps should help you correct that. You will need glass sheets for this process.

• Step 1
  Take the record from its case and clean it if it has any dirt. After cleaning it, place it inside the glass sheet, ensuring you align it at the center.
• Step 2
  Now place the top part of the glass sheet on top of the record gently. After that, turn your oven on and preheat it to a temperature of about 175 Fahrenheit.
• Step 3
  With your record between the two glass sheets, place it inside the oven. Ensure the glass is slightly warm to prevent its breaking from heat shock. The room temperature should be okay, though.
• Step 4
  Warm the oven and its contents for about 3 minutes. Remember not to go over this time limit, as you might fry the record and end up with worse problems than warped sound.
• Step 5
  Now pull the glass from the oven and find some weight to put it on a flat surface. A few books might give you the weight you need to put on top of the glass sheets containing the record. Let it cool that way. Once you are sure everything has cooled, retrieve your record from the glass sheets and try using it.

That would have helped eliminate the sound distortions. It, however, isn’t a surefire way to get rid of distortions and might or might not work. Still, it's worth a try.

How To Tell If a Record Is Warped

How can you tell that a record is warped? The most obvious way you can do that is obviously in the sound it will give you. Records at their best should give you the highest quality of sound possible.

Therefore, whenever you hear crackling or popping sounds from your vinyl player, you automatically know that there’s an issue. Crackling and popping sounds might result from scratches on the surface of the vinyl.

Skipping of songs is also a sure-fire way to know there is a problem with your vinyl record. That will accompany the general reduction in the quality of sound you are getting from the record.
So, what does a warped record sound like? The answer to that is: terrible; it sounds awful.

Proper Care of Vinyl Records

You won’t have to look around for ways on how to fix warped vinyl records if you take good care of them. Taking good care of a vinyl record means storing it properly and away from any potential cause of damage.

The best place to do that is in a cool, dry place away from children. Children might play with the records and damage them. If you treasure your vinyl records, you will store time away from kids.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it possible to repair a warped vinyl record?
   Yes, it is. It will, however, depend on the level of damage on the record and the cause. Superficial scratches and sound distortions are relatively easy to fix. Gently heating the record in an oven will help resolve the issues.
   
   
2. How does a slightly warped record sound?
   It doesn’t sound good. If you are already used to your record’s sweet musical sound, you won’t like it even with the slightest warped sound.
   
   
3. Are vinyl records worth it?
   If you are a record player enthusiast or a turntable user, records are quite the big deal. Try them out, and you won’t be disappointed.

Final Thoughts

We hope we have helped you sort the record player sound warped issue to enjoy your music easily. You, however, need to understand that some problems with the record player might be hard to rectify, and you might need a replacement.