Recommendations for a modestly priced analog system

FYI....the built-in phono stage on the Cary is actually a decent stage...but as I mentioned above, is MM only.

@chungjh Your Cary SLP-98P only has 43dB gain on the phono so you won’t be able to use any carts less than ~2.0mV output w/o using a SUT. That’s pretty limiting for the otherwise $5K-$7K vinyl rig you’re considering. Another issue is that the linestage side of the Cary produces 20dB of gain which is pretty beefy and could start introducing quite a bit of noise if you start adding a separate phono pre into one of the line inputs on the Cary. Years ago I had the same pre and felt the gain was too jacked up and the unit was a bit noisy and simply not resolving enough, particularly for a higher-end vinyl setup. This may be an opportunity to swap the whole unit out for a different preamp, possibly with phono integrated. There are so many choices out there. Don’t just plug in a Herron or Decware or anything else into the Cary w/o thinking about the implications to your setup as a whole. Ignore the folks who give advice without understanding your entire rig...one size never fits all.

I am not married to Cary SLP-98P. I bought it used one month ago for $2500. I can sell it get a new MC phono/preamp if needed. So, may be I need to think about a phono/preamp as well?

I have the Cary SLP98P.  I used it for many years until I recently went to a Cayin integrated.  The phono stage on the Cary is good but I much prefer my EAR834P (RIP Tim de Paravicini ).  It's really not even close.

Kuzma Stabi S w/ Stogi S 12 VTA or 313