Need to upgrade Phono section of Rogue Cronos mag


I enjoy the Musical nature of my Roque audio Cronos Magnum, having tried others still sounds great.
My issue is as good as it is overall the Phono section is rather lacking .. 

Thought of looking for a dedicated phono preamp but do not want to get into a major expense.
Bellari is as simple as it gets but not sure if it's a step up .. the Cronos has very little gain from the phono section  that's 1 st issue then the quality can only get better  .

When using line stage [ CD'S etc.] excellent results .
I end up using my Pharaoh int amp fro Vinyl  & Cronos for all other .  

I'd say i'd be comfortable spending under $ 1k  [ half - 500 would be nice ] 
mfm22
My friend uses this with his Rogue preamp and says it is a lot better than the Rogue stock phono section!
http://parksaudiollc.com/budgiepreamp.html
I saw those a year ago , wasn't sure if the company had relocated .
The gain may be too low , has your friend found the volume / gain has expanded ?
Thanks for suggestion
He said it was lower . He uses a cartridge ( Goldring) that has a very high output,so it is a minute point to him!
If you can find one, a Blue Circle BC27, although no one seems to part with ’em very often!

A Graham Slee Era V Gold or Croft RIAA (2 x 12AX7 tubes) are also in your budget.