Need advice for upgrading my analog setup

@chocaholic 

Sure. I assume you mean setting up the VTA… etc. We are all guessing to some extent. Hoping to identify the weakest link that will bring the greatest improvement for the investment. 
 

I guess one of the best things is that even if you identify the wrong thing and upgrade something that is not the weakest link, it’s still going to sound better. Provided you don’t get something that is just plain not to your taste or is incompatible, you win. Next upgrade you’ll probably pick that one and get a really big gain.

Of course. 👍

As an older dude, recommending something to a younger dude. I would spring for the better phono stage before investing in the expensive turntable. 
 

This way, when you make a change you get to hear it. 

My experience has been that turntables require appropriately high quality phono stage to sound their best. While I have not heard the Darlington Labs MP-7 phono preamp, I have doubts that it would be up to the sound quality of your intended new turntable. My general rule of thumb is a very carefully chosen phono stage in the same cost range as the turntable. Whenever over the last five decades of me violating this I later found the Phonostage was significantly compromising the sound quality of my turntable.
 

There are many excellent used high end phono stages on the market.