Oracle

There is nothing wrong with the platter, so you can stop worrying on that score , the buzz is likely poor earthing. If you intend upgrading, in the future, it would be wise to avoid the plastic eye candy & any turntable with a built-in preamp. HiFi turntables start with the Project Debut Carbon which sells for $399, fitted with a decent Ortofon cartridge -- I hope this helps you

Audio Advisor are responsable for the problem, get them to compensate you , weinerdog has suggested the most effective meathod of achieving this. Most , but not all , record cleaning solutions contain silicon & detergent, detergent can be rinsed away with water eventually but not silicon. Signs of excess silicon are a wax-like clogging of the grooves , rapid buildup on the stylus & a shinier appearance to the vinyl. Retailers all over the world rely on the 80/20 rule - 80% of people don't complain ( no matter how bad the product or service is) 15% will complain but are easily put off by transferring the blame or ignoring them & 5% will not stand for it. To a volume seller, 5% is nothing & is already accounted for in the retail price.

The Gold is a very good cartridge, in fact, I haven't heard better in it's price range. I have found that it sounds best in high mass suspended turtables. I have an ACE on my Sota Sapphire & would not hesitate to recommend the Gold as it posseses all of the most important qualities of a M.C.

I wouldn't waste time with the Thorens TD180 , it has nothing in common with products made by the original Thorens company, who made the best t/t in the world in the early 70s. Misic Hall ( Project) t/ts virtually own the entry level Hi Fi market,