Wow @rauliruegas , that was really popping the OPs balloon. @adrianleewelch
Unfortunately, Raul is correct. Your best way forward would be with a dedicated phono stage. You might also want to look at the Channel D Lino C, it is a killer phono stage for the price. Transformers can do very well if they are installed inside the unit, no ICs. In Macs there usually is not enough room,
I might also add for the future that the performance of a cartridge is greatly enhance by the type of stylus used. You never see conical or elliptical styluses in high end cartridges. The best are the fine line contact designs like the Soundsmith OC-CL, the Gyger S and the Replicant 100. When looking for a cartridge at a reasonable price find the ones that have the same features as the best like boron cantilevers and fine line styluses. A good examples would be the Goldring 1042 and the Nagaoka MP 500. Just install the new cartridge in the SPU's head shell and your brain will think you have a classic:-)