I would personally try rolling tubes in the phono section first. I recently bought a Tavish phono pre, and I love it. It’s got lots of loading options and two 12AX7’s (one 5751) and one 12AU7. Another option that I’m curious about that might be worth looking into is the new EAT phono pre. It’s a bit over your budget at $1,500 or so, but it’s got so many loading options, including capacitance for MM carts. Good luck to you whatever you decide to do though. :)
Phono stage question
I have a Cary Audio SLP70 preamp (Circa 1993) with a phono stage. It uses two 12AX7 tubes for the phono stage. I recently upgraded my turntable to a Pro-Ject X2. The phono stage in my Cary is the only phono stage I have experienced. I think it sounds great especially with the new X2 spinning my vinyl. But as with most of us, I’m always thinking “Is there something better?”. I’ve been reading a lot about phono preamps. Mostly tube preamps in the $1000 range. But I’ve also read where the phono stage in the Cary is quite good. My problem is having nothing to compare it to. Are there phono preamps in the $1000 range worth considering? Other components in my system are Pass Labs XA30.8 amp and early 90s Chapman T7 speakers.