critique my setup -- weak link? best way to improve?

@matthijs 

First of all as others have alluded, what is your budget either for total or how much potentially a year if you were looking to do it in steps.

If the latter is your route, as below its obviously going to be important for you to take steps that are immediately benefitting without the upgrade just being the limiting factor a few steps later.  I note in saying that you will have seen here you can 'always' find something extra to change. But what you want is to not feel the need to go around the loop again within what you were happy to spend overall.  If you find that hooks you into listening to more and more, then perhaps a second loop is worthwhile.  

Having got my system to a point where several of my personal TT System components were used at the UK HiFi show and there was little at the show to touch it. I have spent much of my 'available tinkering time' in the last year assisting friends and family to get a 'good proportion' of what mine can do for a cost effective price.  So I would give some suggestions for which parts to change based on that work that would fit in that budget, with "if you wanted to continue after, the next thing would be".

A question to start. Does the Project T have something like an Ortofon 2M Red or the "Project Pickit" cartridge / stylus? As that can have some influence on some early options.  If not which stylus is it. 

@matthijs with an OM10 you won’t get much benefit changing to something like a 2M Red. There are OM upgrades but I’ve never tried beyond a 10. When you change next time (if you like ortofon) it might be worth going to a 2M base. You can fit any of them (blue, bronze, black) to the base for a 2M red / Pro-ject Pick-it. I have even used a 2M black LVB on a red base, though you lose some sensitivity. I would go to at least a Bronze and then consider a LVB 2M Black (or later model) as the bronze gives the upgraded cartridge base.

In the phono stage / preamp. if you want to do multiple steps then as @emergingsoul said the Schiit are very good value. If you wanted to put in a phono stage for a large proportion of your first years budget but one which you wouldn’t need to change until you’d considered spending $4k+ on a turntable+cartridge and have $6k+ on amp and speakers. Then I would strongly suggest a Whest two.2 if you bought used directly from Whest (£1,150 / $1,500) . Is that a lot to spend? Yes, but it can make an OM10 / 2M red sing and will mean you get everything out of any cartridge upgrade until the levels noted above and even then will beat $2500 and above stages. I suggest you look at the testimonials on the Whest site against comparably priced and higher stages. You will find write-ups on all levels of stages, but having test from the one noted right through 30s 40SE’s to Titan and MC Ref Series all of the high end trickles into the entry level models.

There is also a Whest two.2 dual mono on US Audio Mart at the moment for $1195, that is the next one up and (always noting the risks of SH) is a great stage for that money.