From my experience the phono stage is really critical. I upgraded mine over and over, over the decades and it was not until I got to the Audio Research PH8 did it get out of the way. To put this in perspective this would be an investment level of Turntable (with Cartridge) = Phonostage = Preamp = Amp... an for that mater = DAC = Streamer in a system with the sound quality being the same for all media. You can see my system under my UsrID.
So, in your case I would go for the very best you can afford. I'd recommend a used Audio Research, or Zesto if you can find one you can afford.