Just for the record folks.

All these people banging on about quality and slating the pioneer and rambling on about the quality of the A&H.
I have seen A&H mixers go bad too. Including my own which I had to take to be repaired the other week.

I agree, the sound quality from the A&H is brilliant. But don't think they don't have issues. You may well find power problems in time with A&H mixers and the LEDs will die off too (Not a big issue I know).
The main difference between the A&H and the Pioneer in this respect is repairability. The A&H is for more engineer friendly.
The chances are if you need to repair a pioneer you will have it sent off and wont see it for 3 or 4 months.

Getting back to it though, I still think that you don't get enough mixer for your money with a Xone 32 and find the Vestax 275 to be the best option out of the three mentioned.

The Xone 62 is an excellent mixer no doubt. But I also know for fact that a lot of DJs request the DJM 600 simply because a lot of DJs use the functions it has to great effect.

I know some of you are against the effects and I must say that I'm not a huge fan of those things on the whole, but it does depend on your own levels of creativity and you will hear some big names like Picotto and Halliwell do some really cool stuff with it (Both those guys will also request that mixer specifically, digital effects and all).

Whilst I am an A&H fan, I try to avoid the singlemindedness that seems to come with this territory and accept that there are quite a few really good mixers out there.

I think dj prometheus makes some good points in terms of the top brands.
There is however really no single mixer that will prepare you for live play but there is a general format in terms of EQ etc. All the mixers dj prometheus mentioned have it but so does the fore mentioned Vestax.

But I have to say that out of the mixers the original poster mentioned I still think the Vestax is the best value for money,the thing that tends to go on them is faders but they are replacable. I have a PMC-17 for back up with no issues. It has been hammered before I got my Xone 464 but is still good. Vestax make some good stuff too.

I personally think that the cross fader is a pointless attribute on most mixers today unless you scratch. They Penny Giles fader is well made but the fader curve on the A&H mixers (Except Xone 92) is utter gargage.

Just my thoughts on the matter.
Nem

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although a great input from everyone im still very confused. i suppose its like many things in life - different people - different opinions! the numark seems to be out, so we're left with the 3 top choices in bedroom dj mixers - the vestax pcv275 , allen and heath xone32, and the pioneer djm500. i confess i know little about the vestax although i believe it has few features. the allen and heath is supposed to be of incredible manufacturing quality - but again has few features and the cross fader is taking a knocking. this seems to be the mixer of many peoples choice - simply due to the fact that it is going to last a while. the pioneer is a love or hate job. some love pioneer mixers some hate em. this seems to have a great deal of features for only 30 pound more than the xone32. but the one thing that puts me off is the bpm counter. id rather learn by myself how to perfect beatmatching. i cud always mix blindfolded i spose.
so?!?!?i guess the pioneer looks best value because of its features. whats the build quality like any ideas? the xone32 and pcv275 are a little lacking in features for the money does anyone agree?or am i completely missing the point of a good mixer?

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"charlton 'till i die"

also the djm500 has 4 channels which is a little pointless to me unless i later add cdj turntables later in life

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"charlton 'till i die"

My advice to you ultimately would be to try them and see what you think.
It sounds like you are in the learning stages and it's important that you feel comfortable with what you have.
The BPM counters on the Pioneer can always be covered by black tape and that is actually a good idea as counters are no good.


Another thing to keep in mind is that people on forums very often like to believe they have the definitive answer and that is seldom the case.

It's also a case of that people have very different levels of experience when it comes to this industry. A hand full are pro's but the majority are very keen enthusiasts who are totally in love with what they do.

As a DJ you have to keep an open mind and try things because it's the only way you will develop.

As stated, none of the mixers are bad but it's also a question of what you see yourself doing with it?

At this moment in time I would say that you should focus on the core elements of DJing and not worry too much about effects and you can always upgrade. Both Vestax and A&H mixers have a good re-sale value.

As I said, test them and see which one you like the feel of.

Cheers
Nem

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quote:

Originally posted by dan_Saviola also the djm500 has 4 channels which is a little pointless to me unless i later add cdj turntables later in life

Actually that's not as dumb as it sounds. You may find yourself adding atleast one sooner rather than later so you can never tell.



Nem

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quote:

Originally posted by djxtension What i'm trying to say is, don't buy a mixer because of its looks or its features, buy it because of its quality.

It is definitely obvious that you didnt buy that mixer for looks. That is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. That said, I agree with you that it should be based on quality - sound, build, etc. More so than that, it should be based on personal preference - the layout, EQs, rotary VS slides, all sorts of things.

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Helping girls make bad decisions since 1979

quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. It is definitely obvious that you didnt buy that mixer for looks. That is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. That said, I agree with you that it should be based on quality - sound, build, etc. More so than that, it should be based on personal preference - the layout, EQs, rotary VS slides, all sorts of things.

I agree that it ain't pretty, but it's used on some larger dance-events in holland, like trance-energy and stuff like that. I think that definately says something about the qualit of the mixer. There are clubs here in Holland that have played with these things for over 15 years...

By the way: It's not as ugly in real life...