I agree an integrated amp is the way to go for simplicity and value. Over the last few years there have been a few integrateds in my system. The Audio Refinement Complete is a beautiful sounding amp but has no phono section. I am now using a Roksan Kandy III and couldn't be happier. It sounds terrific, is ruggedly built and has a nice phono preamp. Prior to those amps I had a Sony TA-F707ES. You can pick those up used. They are built to last forever, loaded with features and sound quite nice in direct mode.
The point is there are a number of fine integrated amps on the market in your price range. Decide what's important to you sound and feature wise, do some research, and enjoy the hunt. Good luck.