as for techs i would get used 1200s for ~$250ea. than w/ the other 500 buy a ecler smacpro30 for $370 and sennheiser hd280 for $80. then spend the rest on vinyl. it's cool that 1200s never die and i know people that use the same decks after 15yrs still going strong.

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Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot. He who laughs last thinks slowest!

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Originally posted by dj chex as for techs i would get used 1200s for ~$250ea. than w/ the other 500 buy a ecler smacpro30 for $370 and sennheiser hd280 for $80. then spend the rest on vinyl. it's cool that 1200s never die and i know people that use the same decks after 15yrs still going strong.

I thought about getting used and even though techs do hold up I decided to get new for personal reasons. I will be able to upgrade the mixer and headphones later on. This is my first setup so it does not have to be anything major.

in that case, be sure to get a pair of cartridges, and a half decent mixer. For carts i would recomend stanton 520sk to start b/c they sound pretty good, durable, and cheap. (gc may be able to hook you up for $60 a pair) For a mixer go w/ a new pcv-02 from vestax or gemini umx series if you can find one. And finally i would probably hold off on headphones until you get some more $$$.
My favorites are in order:
sennheiser hd-280pro (little big, but isolate good, sound very acurate, i use them for monitoring/editing)
pioneer hdj-1000 (durable, loud)
Technics rp-dj1200(not too big on your head, loud, feel good for cueing, and what i use when playing out)

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Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot. He who laughs last thinks slowest!

Yeah i wish i had the loot to buy all brand new shit when I started out but I got all my equipment thru ebay. I lucked out with the mixer... not wanting to pay much I just went for good cheap sound so I got the pioneer djm-300. After all im just gettin into it I didnt need anything expensive yet just like you. I lucked out and got it from some girl dj that had kept it in a coffin for 2 years. Got it for 140 bucks and it was in MINT condition.

As for the decks i got both of mine a little more expensive than id like (600) and when they got to me it looked like the kid who had em knew nothing about spinnin. The tonearm bearings were way to tight and where the cartridge inserts was way too loose, but after a little tlc and a little work with a screwdriver theyre just like new.

But if ya got that much loot, I'd def get brand new tables unless you really know where youre gettin em. You can luck out a few times but honestly theres always someone out there lookin to screw you