Best table in $1500 range

Audio Note TT1 w/Audio Note ARM1 or ARM2...much better choice...is

Teres 135...well, it is 1575...this would be my choice hands down with absolutely no looking back. Well, not until I could afford a Teres with a wood plinth and leaded platter but that can be an upgrade. Get the cheapest RB250 you can find or a used Grace 707 and you have a rig ready for a cartridge that you can upgrade as money improves. Hurry; I think I read somewhere this model is going to be discontinued so the entry model may be more expensive in the not too distant future.

You can do a new Teres with arm, phono stage, and cartridge for 2500 easy. You could probably even afford a K&K transformer (if you select a low output moving coil cartridge) in this budget.

Whoops; just checked the Teres site and the 135 is no longer there. The least expensive is the 150 at 1890. You could still get it in your budget with a Rega RB250 and a nice cartridge like a Shure V15. A used rb250 is inexpensive and can always be upgraded (better wiring/interconnect, improved counterweight) down the road.