I'm with Raul, at your price point you are much better off with a higher output cartridge. You need a high output cartridge and a phono stage with a low output impedance to mate with the Placette. I didn't see any specs on the output impedance of your stage but with a Placette I would recommend being in the 100 ohm or below range.
Surface noise isn't a result of your equipment unless you have a bad stylus, more likely the result of dirty/defective records.
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Surface noise isn't a result of your equipment unless you have a bad stylus, more likely the result of dirty/defective records.
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