Allright, to tell you the truth they are pretty gay!
The master tempo is bullshit cuz when it's on, it sounds like you are in the middle of a mix and u trainwrecked!
They are also plastic, not metal which isn't good.
I didn't like them at all. Also didn't like str8-100

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Tom

thx I had no clue they were plastic !!!

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Check out my Graphic Design / Web / Illustration Work: http://www.zinnidesign.com

heh, who cares if they're plastic. Only an idiot would drop their turntables on the floor. As for the key pitch thing, it's pretty gay. It supposedly changes the speed of the song without changing the speed of the beats. It's kinda nifty.. but the sound gets all messed up.

Anyways, overall they're good beginner decks. If you dont like 'em, then it would be that you have already tried Technics turntables. Most technics people seem to be unable to accept anything other than technics.

You can get the STR880 for a cheaper price than 250. If ur starting out, it's a great price. The cart is good for mixing (it sucks for scratching and sound quality is a little poor compared to Shure) but you get what you paid for. As for durability, if you take care of your turntables and not treat it like shit then it will last you for a while.

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DJ Xquisite
Hip Hop & Trance DJ for the new millenium

I own a pair of STR8-80's. The "Master Tempo" or whatever is indeed bullshit. The sound quality is just awful for some reason when using this feature. However, the pitch control is fine. They're built pretty solidly and I wouldn't worry to much about them being plastic. I guarentee they will last you a long time unless you do something really retarded. The straight tone arm supposedly wears your records faster but prevents skipping better than S-shaped arms. However, from what I gather as long as the straight arm is long enough and the stylus is mounted on an angle it's really not that much worse than an S-shaped arm. They decks have pretty good feel and pretty good torque and shit. You're getting what you pay for, which is a decent direct drive turntable, but not the best.

If they're in your price range and you're sure you don't want to save for some 1200's, go for it.