Equipment, phono settings, cables and cartridge make a huge difference on the amount of noise you hear. My first system was an old Krell phono/pre, Clearaudio Moving Coil, and Krell amp. This setup had a soundstage that wrapped around me 270 degrees, was from the floor to the ceiling, and a couple of city blocks deep. The sound was crystal clear unlike anything I have ever heard, then or since. It also reproduced every pop and tick with supreme enjoyment and the groove noise sounded like surf on the beach. I enjoy my vinyl almost 50% of the time with CD's and streaming splitting the rest. The stylus size must be small to avoid previous groove wear. I am currently using a Benz Micro Wood SL that I bought rebuilt on Agon, using the 400 ohm setting and a Clearaudio Charisma MM cart, and I am playing records I felt were too noisy with great enjoyment. Good Luck.
