Hmmm for me the problem is leaving it off while playing. Each side is average about 25 mins of playing time, that's a lot of time to gather dust! When it's not in use, I cover it with a cloth and it's ok in that regard, but while the record spins it attracts a lot of dust and since I have pets things get quite dusty! With other turntables which have dust covers you can just leave them shut... does this have to do with the de-coupled motor?