I am with you on this one. I have a Rega P9/RB1000 with a Dynavector XX-2 cartridge. I find this combo musical and tolerant of surface noise. I did have to go through a careful setup, you should no matter what, even with a Rega cartidge. You need to set the anti-skate and gravity., and maybe a shim or two. I used Wally tools. Hire that out if you need to, it is worth it. them just play the music. These settings make a serious difference, and after they are done, they do not need repeating until you remove the cartridge.
enjoy the amazing potential of lp's.