Opinion of budget phono preamps?

At one time, I owned the Adcom GFP-565, and found it to have a very satisfactory phono preamp. Infact, the review article published in either Stereophile or TAS stated that the phono section was as good as a number of much more expensive preamps. You can often buy used 565's for $275-300 (there is one currently listed here on A-gon).

Well, I have a Rotel, and it isn't very good. It isn't much on sound stage, doesn't have much bass authority, and is not particularly detailed although it's not bad in that category. I suppose what does one expect for $90 new? It is certainly functional, and it is certainly adequate for recovering access to that old vinyl collection, but I certainly would not call it hi fidelity.

I am not sure of your definition of "budget", but there is a Lehmann Black Cube phono preamp, with an optional power supply, on Audiogon, right now, for $475.00.
This is a great little phono amp, and to me, for that price, would be a bargain.
I use one now, and I find it to be mighty fine, for the money.
Mike

If you are going to change your whole preamp, there are a lot of good phono stages in some pre's. Far better than the rotel, creek, etc. That is definitely the best value for the money in that price range (the stuff you mentioned). Outboards become a better value when you have already invested money, or time, into a line stage and you want to upgrade one or the other without having to buy both, or switch both.
You are on the right track. While some of the pre's you mentioned might be questionable, as far as your taste and what you expect, as blw states, these budget phono's were meant to get your records going, and they are what they are. The real bargain would be found in obtaining phono's that were really made to get you farther than that.