PHONO PREAMP

van den Hul has been manufacturing phono cartridges for 43 years. He has a phono stage called the Grail. It is Amazing!!  Read the positve feedback review..It won its 2016 Brutus Award .

The groove SRX by Tom Evans (Audiodesign) is simply amazing. To me it sounds better than gear priced at 10k and it’s less than half the price. I use it with a Cadenza Bronze and it’s a perfect match (but also with my previous Denon it was good). There’s a purity in the sound that I simply love (my system also comprises D’Agostino amp and WA Alexia speaker).
With your budget you can aim at his top end phono stage (the master groove), but I've never had the chance to listen to it so I cannot say if the price difference is worth the extra cost 
Ciao

McIntosh MP1100 tube phono is spectacular and priced st the lower side of your budget.

Recently heard the Rogers PA-1A phono preamp. It was hooked up to a Acoustic Signature Asconda and a pair of Wilson Alexx speakers. The Rogers is also guaranteed for life. Worth checking out. Price around $7000.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions, reading about them all.