First of all, I have not heard the Primaluna phono stage, so can't say whether an external stage would be "better", however this is from Primaluna's web site:
"Built in phonostages are “throw in” and are rarely good quality because manufacturers assume 90% of buyers won’t use them. The external phonostage market is very competitive. You can get something much better for as little as $200, and buy one that actually meets your cartridges needs and YOUR budget."
If you search, you'll find comments about the built in phono stage on some other forums.
Some of the phono stages I've used within your budget are the Jolida JD9 and the Musical Surroundings Nova Phonomena. I like them both. The Jolida has a lot of loading and gain options and is very dynamic. It's a tube / solid state hybrid and gives you the option of rolling tubes while not putting out a lot of heat. It's not as quiet as some phono stages, but I have not had any issues with noise in any of my setups. The Phonomena has even more gain and loading options and is very quiet and neutral.
My latest phono stage is the $400 Parks Puffin. It's very quiet and to my ears more dynamic than the Phonomena. It doesn't have as many loading options, but offers numerous options for customizing the sound. I think it's a better value and better sounding phono stage than the others I have, except for the Manley Chinook which is fully tubed and out of your budget.
I'd give the Puffin a try. You should be able to flip it for close to what you paid for it if you don't like it.
"Built in phonostages are “throw in” and are rarely good quality because manufacturers assume 90% of buyers won’t use them. The external phonostage market is very competitive. You can get something much better for as little as $200, and buy one that actually meets your cartridges needs and YOUR budget."
If you search, you'll find comments about the built in phono stage on some other forums.
Some of the phono stages I've used within your budget are the Jolida JD9 and the Musical Surroundings Nova Phonomena. I like them both. The Jolida has a lot of loading and gain options and is very dynamic. It's a tube / solid state hybrid and gives you the option of rolling tubes while not putting out a lot of heat. It's not as quiet as some phono stages, but I have not had any issues with noise in any of my setups. The Phonomena has even more gain and loading options and is very quiet and neutral.
My latest phono stage is the $400 Parks Puffin. It's very quiet and to my ears more dynamic than the Phonomena. It doesn't have as many loading options, but offers numerous options for customizing the sound. I think it's a better value and better sounding phono stage than the others I have, except for the Manley Chinook which is fully tubed and out of your budget.
I'd give the Puffin a try. You should be able to flip it for close to what you paid for it if you don't like it.