forward: I'd be cool if we could make this a sticky thread because I've spent most of my day at work browsing through the threads trying to find an awnser to this question...

Also, lets avoid suggesting.. get the 1200s in a one line post, that commentary is useless , we already all know why the 1200 is the one to get.

Many people want to start spinning and are in university or the likes and dont want to spend too much money because they aint sure if they'll like it.(ie. we ain't rich pricks, who will go all out for 1200s, but wont buy the absolute worst either). Well I guess I could afford them, raising my student loan 2grand wouldn't kill me.

Personally in my case, I know I'll be making a good salary when I graduate in a couple years so I dont really mind loosing 500-600usd.

So what we want is something that works, something where I can play a techno/trance/house vinyl, something that I can hold a consistent set on. We dont have iron hands (yet) like Jeff Mills, or Derrick May, so logically something had to be out there for us. We want to play either in my living room/basement, or occasionally bring our turntables to play at a house party persay.

I've been shopping alot lately and I would like some advice/options/rants on following models. I dont believe I want a DJ in a box kit (although they are cheaper!, come with wires and slipmats, but the mixer doesn't usually have EQs and most of them are geared towards SCRATCH DJs (something that we are not).

I've been researching this alot (.. read slacking at work), and they is many many different models that seem interesting as follows.

Affordatble Direct Drive TT (prices from 123dj.com)

Gemini XL-500II (180usd)
Gemini SA-6000 (190usd)
Numark TT-1520 (140usd)
Numark TT-100 (215usd)
Stanton Str8-50 (130usd) - belt drive
Stanton Str8-60 (180usd)
Stanton Str8-80 (220usd)

Here's some more concerns, I heard several TT's eat up vinyl's like there's no tommorow(ie stanton str8-60), are those scratch tt's?..

So without suggesting althing else, unless it falls in a similar price range. What do do..


ALSO if you own turntables in this price range, could you kindly give a description of them, telling us if you like them or not, what you like about them, what doesn't work with them, etc...
syl.

Last edited by ed on Aug-09-2001 at 19:49

http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/...duct_9154.shtml
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/...duct_9154.shtml
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/...duct_9154.shtml
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/...duct_9154.shtml

Submitted by: Rajeev Desikan, Audio Enthusiast from Gainesville,Fl USA
This product's model year is 2000 and Rajeev has used it 3 months to 1 year
Date Reviewed: 4/1/01 11:55:14 AM
Strengths: Start/stop is quick. The price is excellent. THe fact that you can adjust the timing from the top of the deck without any dissambling is good,too.
Weaknesses: There is NO torque. NONE. Braking usually ends up in stopping the tables. Further, I actually had to hand polish my platters just to get them to "slip" right. Further, the pitch bend buttons have no consistency, and my tables go out of time at least once a week.
Similar Products Used: Technics 1200mkII
Price Paid: $199
Purchased At: PSSl.com
Review Summary: I bought these turntables thinking that I would ease into DJing. What I found out was that once you get a little skill, you have effectively outgrown these tables. They have almost no torque at all,making braking almost impossible. Further, pitch doesn't take effect for a few seconds, making on the fly cuts almostimpossible, because half the time the beat is off after a few seconds, when the platter catches up. Further, the top of the deck is very prone to "hearing" ambient noise, or worse,picking up sonndfromt he monitors or main speakers, which in turn feeds back thru the stylus.

In my own humble opinion, these are not the best decksyou could buy, even for a beginner. I would recommend buying the higher end Gemeni series, such as the Pt100 or 2000, or any of the Numark or Vestax decks. And if you can afford it, get a pair of Technics. Even a used pair of Technics is better than an out of the boxpair of Xl500II's.
Value Rating: Overall Rating:




Submitted by: Nick Brunt, Audiophile from Dartmouth, N.S. , Canada
This product's model year is 2000 and Nick has used it 3 months to 1 year
Date Reviewed: 3/19/01 2:47:34 PM
Strengths: Feather touch start/stop button, decent torque
Weaknesses: pitch bend is a little hard to get used to
Similar Products Used: Gemeni XL-400 Gemeni PT-2410 (ecstacy model)
Price Paid: $200
Purchased At: A local record shop
Review Summary: I love gemeni products, but this table is super affordable and the feather touch start/stop makes beat-matching a little easier. Anyone who wants to start getting serious about DJing should check this one out.
Value Rating: Overall Rating:




Submitted by: Robs , Audio Enthusiast from Atlanta
This product's model year is 2000 and Robs has used it 1 to 3 months
Date Reviewed: 12/3/00 1:21:35 PM
Strengths: The Gemini XL-500 II is the best beginner turntable I know. It is direct drive and it stops quickly. The start/stop button is very easy to press.
Weaknesses: The only thing I don't like is the delay to start the table and the pitch control is not that good.
Similar Products Used: Gemini XL-400 II Gemini PT-2000
Price Paid: $460
Purchased At: Mars Music
Review Summary: This is a great turntable for any beginner DJ. I have them myself. I reccommend the Gemini Scratchmaster DJ Package. Its great!
Value Rating: Overall Rating:




Submitted by: Chris Miller, Audio Enthusiast from Portland
This product's model year is 1999 and Chris has used it 3 months to 1 year
Date Reviewed: 4/10/00 12:16:08 AM
Strengths: It's an affordable direct drive turntable that has performed solidly for about six months
Weaknesses: Slow starting, pitch bend buttons are useless.
Similar Products Used: Technics 1200, Gemini PT-2000
Review Summary: I like these turntables. They fit in my meager budget and they perform pretty well. The XL-500II is no top-of-the-line piece of equipment. It is slow to start and the pitch bend buttons are sketchy at best. But for $150-$200 each, I think they are pretty solid. If you are a beginner DJ, these are good. If you want to take it to the next level, save up for a while and buy yourself a Technics 1200.
Value Rating: Overall Rating:




Submitted by: Julio Gonzalez, Audio Enthusiast from Silver Spring, MD, USA
This product's model year is 1999 and Julio has used it Less than 1 month
Date Reviewed: 12/27/99 1:43:33 PM
Review Summary: These turntables are solid. The anti-skate feature is excellent and the value for the price is very high. My one real negative is the delay; you'll need EXCELLENT slipmats for these. At $500 for two tables and a mixer, the price is great for serious DJ work. The Technic 1200 is still king, but, for a hungry up-and-comer with shallow pockets, the XL-500 Scratchmaster set is the way to go.
Value Rating: Overall Rating:




Submitted by: CHRIS MARINO, an Audio Enthusiast
Date Reviewed: 6/7/99
Review Summary: GEMINI XL-500 DIRECT DRIVE TURNTABLE PRICED AT $229.99, FEATHER TUCH STOP/START
Overall Rating:

from everyone in the field ive talked to..stay away from Gemini. BUT Str8 series is good. 80 obviously the best, but they are all good.

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Retired TA.

What about teh STR8-50's they are belt-driven, and a definate bargain.. I hear 60s ruin your vinyls (since its arm is straight, although personally I dont see why how that would work out)

syl

Dude, read some older threads.

STAY AWAY FROM GEMINI!!!

Don't get a belt drive turntable. Period.

The stanton's aren't bad, the straight tone arm does lessen the life of your vinyls, but not significantly enough for you to really take it into conisderation. It's mostly a sound quality difference. Get a decent set of carts, and it will be no problem.

Lower model Numark's are a much better idea than ANY model gemini.

TT-100's or the 1520's are great buys for the money.

If you can afford the STR8-80's go with them, and replace the carts.

___________________
I suffer from OPD.

Obsessive Progressive(House) Disorder.

I have a few friends who bought the Numark Battle Pak, and they have been very happy with it.They tell me the tables have pretty good sound output and good enough torque to get the job done. The pack comes with what could be considered a scratch mixer, but i used to own the mixer it comes with before and using it for techno/trance is no problem at all. Hell, the pak even comes w/ powered speakers and headphones! So, for $389 (at www.123dj.com) i guess you cant beat it.

Whatever you do, dont buy the Stanton str8-50 or str8-60 turntables because those tables are CRAP! I used to have the 60's, and the torque and sound output from them is horrible.
Hope i helped,
Kev

with regards to my previous post,i meant the Numark Phat Pak, not the Numark Battle Pak. And its $499 instead of $389.
Sorry,
Kev

Hey Kevin,

thanks for the feedback, the Numark Phat Pack definatly looks like the shizz. I called up 123DJ for info on one of their packages, and the guy told me that it was replaced by the phatpack. 500$ is totally the way to go. I think I made up my mind, it's about time to run to the bank.

Do you know what the speakers are like in the package?, and does it really come with headphones (or is that the battle pack?)

syl

Sylphin,
The Phat Pak does not come with headphones. For beginners that dont want to spend a lot of money on some great phones, then i *highly* recommend the Sony MDR-V500, shop around and you will find them for about $65 dollars. As far as the speakers go, i dont think you will get a very good bass response out of them because they are so small. I recommend either buying, if you dont have one, or hooking the Phat Pak up to a nice shelf Stereo system. They are pretty cheap nowadays, and its not uncommon to find one with great sound output (for a bedroom) for around $150. I recommend something by Panasonic or Sony.Just make sure the stereo system you get has an AUX input or you wont go anywhere with it.
And just remember, in about 5-6 months when you really get hooked on mixing you will be forking out another $1000 dollars for some 1200's, just like me! But of course no one can be explained this in advance, but trust me it will happen if you truly love Trance music!
Good luck, and happy shopping,
Kev

Yeah, most Gemini's are shit, but there's the PT series (pt-2100, pt-2400, pt-2410) which is very good... IMO those are better than the str8-80 for trance (not scratching)... Consider the PT-2100, it's about the same price as the str8-80 and is better for trance IMO.

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I agree, I have used the PT-2100 and they are very very good. They have excellent torque and from what I can tell the pitch control is very stable (i.e. it doesn't wander between the time you finish beatmatching to the time you bring in the mix). It has a couple of fairly useless gimmicks, like pitch bend and reverse (who actually uses those? Come on, be honest!), but apart from that it's probably one of the best turntables I've used (apart from the obvious, of course!).
Definitely better for trance than the str8-80, having an s-shaped tonearm.

The PT-2100 also has more torque than the STR8-80.. it's a very good deck.

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