starting with the PLX500 (have to!), possibilities with pre/cart?

Hi,
So I have a PLX 500 (no DJing/scratching etc...) which was a present so I have to stick with it :)
The two areas that I can improve it is with a preamp and a cartridge but without going crazy compared to the fact that we are starting with an entry level thing.

Is a couple of hundred for a pre and another couple for a cart going to make a difference? (plx500 lets you bypass the build-in line amp).
At this point a couple of recommendation are more than welcome.

Thanks