Close to state of the art cleaning can be had for under $200 with a KAB EV-1 (if you already have a vacuum in the house), a couple of carbon fibre brushes, some RRL Super Deep and high purity water that you can source for next to nothing at a medical supply/laboratory outlet in Detroit.
The upgraded cartridge/stylus from LP Gear is (as you've found out) a real step forward. I would suggest (as others have above) that going to a dedicated phono stage should offer (even with this table) a huge improvement. If you can, try and take something like a Cambridge 640P/Project Phonobox II home to try out. The Tonar phonostage is supposed to be identical to the Project and can usually be aquired for quite a bit less money.
I think you'll find surface noise to be less obtrusive with a better phono stage as well.
The upgraded cartridge/stylus from LP Gear is (as you've found out) a real step forward. I would suggest (as others have above) that going to a dedicated phono stage should offer (even with this table) a huge improvement. If you can, try and take something like a Cambridge 640P/Project Phonobox II home to try out. The Tonar phonostage is supposed to be identical to the Project and can usually be aquired for quite a bit less money.
I think you'll find surface noise to be less obtrusive with a better phono stage as well.