I highly recommend an Audio Research Phonostage. I have owned more than half a dozen. Audio Research has been known first for preamps and phono stages… I would not consider anything else. Buy the best used you can afford. My rule of thumb is TT = Phono stage = preamp = amp roughly in cost (carefully chosen of course).
I just got and Audio Research Reference 3SE… replacing my Audio Research Reference 3… I had little expectation of it sounding better… wow, it does! I thought the Audio Research PH8… took the phono stage out of the picture… but they just get better. The phono stage is critical in the analog end… like the DAC in the digital end.