Rank your least favorite. Trying to avoid Al poor purchase.

A few others to consider in the price range, which I would pick over the choices you provided:

Modwright PH 9.0 - This is a giant killer. Typically $3K used, but sometimes it pops up for less that $2500. I post about this unit on these forums, do a search.

Rogue Ares Magnum - Wonderful tube tone, about 80-85% the performance of the Modwright but can be had at around $1400-1600 used.

PS Audio Stellar Phono - Stereophile Class A rated. Nice tone, especially for solid state, but isn't endgame in my opinion. Can generally be had for $1600 used and I would pick it over the Gold Note or JC3 above.

So have heard the PS Audio Stellar Phono and thought it sterile and lacking detail. Personally I find the Gold Note PH-10 so versatile and sonically wonderful and at $2000 retail a bagain at its asking price. I guess we all hear things differently. 

What improvements/sound characteristics are you looking for?

Perhaps just a decent step-up TF (keep the PP2)?

DeKay

I have a Hegel V-10 and it’s decent.

I owned a pH10 for a couple years and its fantastic for the money and very flexible I compeered it to an entry alnic and audionote level3 phono stage and it held its own against the alnic at three times the cost and was better IMO then the audionote,  more detail much better bass etc.