Upgrade entry level or start over?

Both Stereophile and The Absolute Sound have an issue each year where they dedicate the issue to recommended products. I recommend you buy both of these on line and read up on the choices in their recommended products and choose from those. It is not that there are not great products outside their sampling but there are so many and marketing is a major selling tool... many are not that great a product. Also, I recommend getting a subscription.

Making audio decisions only gets easier with great knownledge. All the folks on this forum, including me, has very limited exposure to the whole range of product choices and are not necessarily unbiased. The reviewers make an effort to be fair and transparent and generally have much greater experience with different products. Also, they use generally accepted audio terms... this will help you learn them... as well as having what you read be less ambiguous.

I would agree, start with the phono stage and reach as far as you can... adding 20 or 50% cost above what you have may be too little to get you a big sonic gain. Work at the 3x or more at your level if you can.

@goofyfoot

Yes, I think it is most difficult getting into high end audio and vinyl... this is where it is most hazardous... of making some investments that do not get you what you are hoping for. I have to admit that once you get above $3K for a Phono-stage the going gets easier. But you can also put a better sounding analog end together for $3K total 10mm than digital (assuming you choose wisely... the hard part). But then a digital end is a streamer, DAC, preamp, and amp... that’s quite a string.

I think all of us who have stuck with this have had a seminal moment when we made a choice that completely blew us away... exceeded out 10mm wildest dream. Mine was I bought my first piece of true high end electronics... A Nakamichi Dragon tape deck.... it was so much better than anything I had ever heard... not by a little, by more than I though remotely possible.

Having a look at your equipment I definitely recommend upgrading your Phonostage. You are using the Mani, right. The turntable and cartridge are pretty capable.

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I would say overall your system is fairly well balanced. Looks like you have done well so far at choosing compatible components at a specific level of performance. I think the weakest link is likely to be the Phonostage... it is amplifies the smallest signal and as such is really important. You would get a big improvement by getting a much better Phonostage. A better cartridge is not a bad idea, but then when you upgrade the turntable you may be limited buy turntables that go well with your cartridge. Besides, when you upgrade your turntable you can sell or trade yours as a working turntable and upgrade to a new table with a cartridge... this can be easier and cost effective. Also, I find fiddling with cartridges best done by a dealer. But that is me.
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Some thoughts on upgrading. I always shoot for upgrading to another plateau. To do this you need to upgrade each component very significantly... then slowly bring other components up. So, i wouldn’t do a shotgun approach (which you were not planning). Given where you are, invest the $1,000 in the Phonostage. I Rembrandt when I went from a $200 Phonostage to a $1,000+, it went from tinny flat to dynamic and punchy a whole new experience.

Do a lot of research. Read Stereophile and The Absolute sound and other professional high end audio magazines. A used Audio Research or other high end audiophile quality unit will be one you can keep for a long time. Then if you upgrade your turntable... you will be ready for it.