Dear @dhcod : My way of thinking is to put money where it really counts and you have 2.5K ready to invest in something that permits enjoy MUSIC at way better quality performance levels.
So, change your cartridge. Here some excellent alternatives and you can’t go wrong with either ( streching a little your budget if need it because always you can negociate with the sellers. ):
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.