Help me to choose turntable below 1600$.

As do I and its build like a tank. Going back 50 years I've owned at least a hundred turntables and set up hundreds more , I run it with a Grado Sonata 
and it sings like a lark !

ALSO it is VERY easy to set up and set up to perfection which is a lot more important that what its made of or anything else for that matter.
Can adjust VTA on the fly by ear which  no Linn  or Rega etc, , I've owned several of both , can do .

I don't like grado for electronic music.

My el-cheapo Linn Basik plays 45s…why the LP 12 doesn't is a mystery that I'm too lazy to investigate.

Another vote for the Marantz TT-15. 

@chakster, 

The Pioneer PLX-1000 weighs more than a Technics SL1200. Get your facts straight. I've handled both and if anything, the Technics is the cheaper feeling deck, especially with its lame cables.

@helomech every clone of SL1200mk2 ever made is sh**t (IMO), sorry. I use a pair of SL1200mk2 for more than 20 years as a pro, and my feelings of using Pioneer is slightly different, nothing can beat the SL1200mk2 in its class, no matter the heavier the deck itself or not, this is the only turntable in the history that you can find in any club - this is a working horse with some weakness (you’re right about it), but it can be easily fixed with a little investment (the full rewire is the easiest thing to do and number 1 in upgrade list for this deck).

I have used that new Pioneer and it’s ok for professional use and it was made for professional use to replace discontinued SL1200 series for deejays, but it is a clone of the Technics standard and i prefer the upgraded original SL1200mk2 if we’re talking about cheap DD turntables. I also have SP20, SP10mk2 etc.

It would be much better if the Pioneer would release a new version of their own design (Pioneer PL-70 II) instead a clone (in terms of design) of the SL1200mk2. Pioneer is no longer an audiophile brand, it’s pro oriented company. The vintage Pioneer PL-70 II is a properly designed turntable, not their top of the line model, but looks very similal to the best they have ever made. I would support this 70s design instead of the bad clones of the Technics design everyone tried to copy nowadays.

I can’t agree that SL1200 is a cheaper feeling deck than new Pioneer, i think the Pioneer is a cheaper feeling deck, but maybe you’re not get used to the Technics as i am during the 20 years of using them on the radiostations, clubs and at home. This Pioneer made for the next generation, but not for those who grew up with SL1200mk2 like myself. There are many other vintage turntables much better than Sl1200mk2 and much better than new Pioneer. I just don’t like the design of the 99% new turntables, i would "kill" those designers because they can’t learn from the classics, they just makes ugly decks.