Using a stand alone CD burner along with a turntable might yield better results for you and then you could take the audio to your PC and tweak it there.

When I record, I never let the audio clip. I try to keep the process as simple as possible....it helps me narrow down issues if I'm having them.

It sounds like you keep good care of your stuff so that's straight. Even though the equipment was new it doesn't mean that nothing was wrong upon arrival. The possibility is still there.

Expensive equipment doesn't always mean awesome transfer.... anyone pushing that is delirious for sure. Maybe you should do a little recon at local thrift stores and see what kind of turntables you find, you'd be surprised what you can find for cheap.