Wow I listened to my old AR ES1 last night

I've made many system upgrades and it's been awhile since I listed to my TT. I was blown away by how good it sounded, so I was thinking of how good I could get my analog setup sounding without spending a ton of money. What would be a big improvement to the AR ES1 for around $2500 used?
My phono stage is an EAR, Pre amp SF Line3SE, ML 332 amp, Hales T8 speakers.
Thanks in Advance