Equilizer to reduce surface noise on bad records?

An equalizer is a "brute force" solution. Preamps once had "scratch filters" that basically rolled of response around 6000 Hz. This will help with the continuous surface noise, but won't help pops and clicks. Various electronic devices were developed specifically to address continuous surface noise and the occasional pop and click. Some worked quite well, but all were made obsolete by CDs.

Very effective noise reduction can be done if you don't try to do it in real time while the LP is playing. Basically you digitize the signal and analyse it with a computer program to distinguish noise from transients that are part of the music. For example: Music transients have a sharp leading edge and a gradual decay, whereas a groove defect has sharp leading and trailing edges. (So if you play the recording backwards, any transients are noise). I have heard recordings that are almost a hundred years old both before and after processing. After processing the sound is sometimes as good as an LP from the 1950's. Interestingly, once the noise is striped out HF boost can be applied which reveals unexpectedly extended HF signal that noone knew was there because it was masked by the noise.

Hello, Try a SAE or Burwen impulse noise reduction unit. They are frequently found on Ebay for less that $200 last time I checked. They both work well but are not miracle workers.
Bob

For the $2500 that that ELP box costs, you could probably get some cleaner copies of your worn out favorites, a quieter turntable, a record cleaning machine, and some Bugtussel.

If you have a good soundcard and the time to make your own CDs from your Lps, a copy of ClickRepair is $35 and works beautifully.

There are completely analog devices made for real time declicking. They used to be used by radio stations. I don't know where you can get such devices now.

I have a Benz Ace on order. I guess I'll find out soon how quiet in the groove it is.

I am kind of surprised that no one gave the obvious advice that you should get yourself a good vacuum Record Cleaning Machine (RCM).

Given your analog equipment, it is pretty obvious that a Loricraft (the best RCM I know of), is not in your budget (@ $2,500), but a used Nitty Gritty/Record Doctor will do a very good job of cleaning records for around $100 (plus maybe another $50 in fluids and brushes).

Obviously it will not repair damaged records, so your equalizer or other methods suggested by the others would be utilized for those. (Although, wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy new or used NM records so the clicks and pops are not an issue?)

My two cents worth anyway.

PS I will also point out that certain cartridges are better at smoothing out clicks and pops than others. I was amazed when I went from the Benz Micro Glider II to the Koetsu Black, just how much quieter the background noise was.

I think that the problem can be solved without throwing the baby out with the bath water. The Ace uses a VanDenHul stylus, which is very, very quiet and really reduces surface noise, when properly aligned. Unfortunately, the Planar 2 does not have adjustable VTA. If you have not already done so, get a good protractor, with Baerwald alignment, not the crazy Rega alignment (you can download one free from the Vinyl Engine) and also buy one of the aftermarket VTA adjusters for the Rega arm. Once dialed in, surface noise will be much less noticeable. Promise.