^ I have an SL1700 as well. It's the original though not a MKII. Both fine decks, quite similar to the SL1200 DJing deck but with lower torque.
Hey, nice to meet another 1700 user!
Yeah, as far as I know, the 1700s actually use the same motor, though they have a much heavier platter in comparison to the 1200. The heavier platter is a great advantage for home users, if only because used units are less likely to have been used for DJing. The 1700's are also much much cheaper than their insanely popular 1200 brothers.

Yeah, I can definitely see that argument, though I do enjoy the look of mine, and it's nice to have controls outside of the dust cover.I prefer mine from an aesthetic POV though, I don't like the black front on the MKII.
That sounds right to me. I think the only other real difference (aside from the various tweaks and improvements associated with a newer generation) is that the MKII is Quartz controlled.I believe the two decks are essentially the same except for the motor and a few minor differences in the size of the platter etc.
But all of this stuff is getting into the pretty finicky. We're talking about stuff that's going to give you within single percentage points of improvement in quality. But without those little details to finagle over, we wouldn't be audiophiles, would we?
