Since I restarted my vinyl listening, I, too, have noticed great variance in the surface noise of LPs. Especially when dubbing to CD-R, and monitoring with cans, some Lps can sound extremely quiet, while some have a groove noise, others have something like a low hum and still others have hiss. Some of the older classical recordings were made on tape machines with associated gear that were, by today's standards, noisy. Lots of us "listen through" the background noise and mentally focus on the music. This may or may not work for you.
Also, I recently upgraded from an Ortofon Super OM-10 to a Super OM-30 stylus. The reduction in ticks & pops was huge. I think this finer-cut stylus digs deeper into the grooves, resulting in more music and less pops & ticks. My review of this upgrade is in the analog review section.
Of course, I can't say enough about cleaning. I use a very inexpensive RCM (probably the cheapest vacuum-based machine you can buy), the KAB EV-1 (which you hook up to your own household canester vacuum). Again, this has made older LPs and even garage-sale finds sound worlds better & quieter than without a cleaning. It doesn't take too long (I use only a one-step clening solution) and it pays huge dividends. See it here: http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/
Another thing I brought out of mothballs along with my TT was my old Empire anti-static gun. Using it according to directions (most people don't follow the directions and lose the benefits) does reduce some noise on my LPs. After using the anti-static gun, record surfaces seem quieter and the sound seems a touch warmer.
