tt surface noise reduce or tolerate?

I am one of those who say that vinyl can be almost as quiet as CD, however, and this is crucial....you must reread Plato's advice above. I have a Benz also, and indeed it is quiet - nearly no hiss on the vast majority of LP's. When the occasion pop, scratch, etc. sounds, it is on a different plane than the music. The music extends deep beyond the wall where the speakers are, and the clicks, pops, etc. are in front of the speakers. It is easy to disregard those sounds.

I hardly ever clean my records...yes I do take the dust off of them before playing with a microfiber cloth with a touch of distilled water. I had a Rega and right there in the owners' manual it said to listen and not worry about the record's cleanliness. I have a Nitty Gritty, and a steamer, but aside from initially cleaning the record from a garage sale, I am not that fastidious ...and yet, my vinyl playback is quiet.