|
Bit of advice needed...
|
View this Thread in Original format
| Liamh |
Ok so i've had decks in the past, first a set of Kam's then moved on to 1210's an a DJM600 which i had to sell nearly a year ago due to really bad finances.. anyway... i still have my records and want to get a set of decks but i only want to spend £300 on decks and mixer for now (i'll be saving for 1210's and xone92 or djm800).
The only problem is i really have no clue which brand puts out the best quality stuff for the price i'm looking at.. I know i'll be limited to Kam, Citronic, Numark etc but my question is, given my budget, what setup would be the best quality? I don't care about any fancy features.. +/- 8% pitch is all i need on the decks and the mixer need be nothing more than 2 channel with 3 eq's for each channel.. I'm looking for the best quality for the price nothing else.. Any help will be appreciated..
Thanks |
|
|
| Stu Cox |
I'm pretty certain around that price, most of the decks actually come out of the same warehouse (they certainly used to - the Citronic, Kam and Numark budget direct drive decks all had exactly the same insides just with different cover panels), so shopping by brand probably becomes irrelevant (until you get to slightly higher budgets and the bottom of the range vestax mixers become an option)
You've got 2 options really - go for the cheapest decks you can find and then fill the rest of the budget with the mixer, or go for the cheapest mixer you can find then spend the rest on the best decks you can get. At least that way you'll end up having one part which might make an ok spare once you upgrade.
It's probably worth getting direct drive, although at that price there still isn't much difference in handling between a DD and a BD deck, so maybe go for the cheapest DD decks you can find and spend the rest on a mixer? A mixer's much more likely to be a useful spare once you've ugraded.
Have a bash with the decks.co.uk package builder: http://www.decks.co.uk/products/dj_...kages?noreset=1 |
|
|
| Liamh |
Yeah i've been looking at decks.co.uk but i just find it annoying because, really, i don't know what i'm looking at... I know at the price i'm looking to spend it's pretty much all gonna be e. i was just hoping someone might say "hey i've had these and they did the job nicely" but i might just go for the citronic pd1's and behringer vmx 300 mixer... someone i used to know had pd1's and they were ok for what they are i spose.. i've got no clue about the mixer but it doesn't look like it's gonna be the best quality although too be honest this really is just to see me right until i can afford a decent setup again...
Cheers anyway :) |
|
|
| Stu Cox |
Mixer-wise I'd go for minimal features as that generally means that for the same price the build quality will be better. When it comes to DJ gear, Behringer are very good at cramming features into a mixer and really slacking on build quality, so the thing falls apart a month after you buy it.
In that kind of price range, if you can stretch to £125 for the Vestax VMC002, you'll have a mixer that will sound reasonable and last for a good few years, making a decent spare mixer (to take to house parties, use if your main mixer suddenly dies etc) once you've upgraded. If you're strict about sticking to your £300 budget then that will only leave you £175 for decks...
One thing I will say re. the PD1s is that I expect they've hardly changed since I had a pair of Kam DDX680s (basically the same deck, complete e if I'm honest but at the time competed well with other decks in that price range) - they certainly look exactly the same - where as brands like Numark have been constantly bringing out new models (they look quite different now than they used to at least)... maybe it's just good rebranding and the insides are still the same, I can't really say for sure as I haven't used any of the new budget decks, but the idea that they've been trying to make them better is certainly encouraging! |
|
|
| Zoso |
I've been using a set of Numark TT1625s (direct drive) for over a year now, and even though they were very cheap, they have yet to fail me or let me down. They actually hold a mix really, really well. These are the only decks I have ever used, so I don't have a common frame of reference from which I can compare them, so keep that in mind. Again, for the price, mine have been very solid decks.
Hope you find what you are looking for, sir. |
|
|
| miamitranceman |
My Numark TT-1520 Direct Drive has been solid so far. And I've used Techs too.
Check eBay also for some good deals. |
|
|
| Spirit5 |
| Look into the Stanton ST-80s. I dunno how much they sell in Europe, but in the U.S. you could get one from $200 - $250 each. You can go cheaper but for that price, they are probably the best and closest to Technics. They are kind of cheapy looking and plastic, but on a budget, they are nice. Getting one myself this summer, cause I have a bunch of old records i'de like to play (and some I am selling). Also look into the Numark TT-500s. About the same price, maybe a little more. You could get a TT-200, but I heard it doesn't hold it's pitch as well. |
|
|
| Liamh |
| Nice one for the input guys... Stu i'm definitely gonna take your advice and concentrate on a better mixer for the sake of having a half decent spare when i finally upgrade... I'm still lost on decks though :rolleyes: I don't like the look of the Stanton T80's, the Numark TT200's might be an idea but i must admit, i am tempted by the Kam DDX3000's because i had the DDx2000's when i first started mixing and they were good to me lol The only problem is my budget has now been blown out of the water by £100 :mad: |
|
|
| Spirit5 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Liamh
Nice one for the input guys... Stu i'm definitely gonna take your advice and concentrate on a better mixer for the sake of having a half decent spare when i finally upgrade... I'm still lost on decks though :rolleyes: I don't like the look of the Stanton T80's, the Numark TT200's might be an idea but i must admit, i am tempted by the Kam DDX3000's because i had the DDx2000's when i first started mixing and they were good to me lol The only problem is my budget has now been blown out of the water by £100 :mad: |
Well don't go by looks, the T-80 seems fine. It's layed out more similar to a Technics than a Numark or Vestax deck is. Dunno much about those other ones. Yeah it might look like it's cheap plastic, but Technics tend to be more expensive. There might be a slight difference in the pitch, and it's not made of Titanium Steel, and the tonearm is straight, but for the most part it's pretty much the same deck. |
|
|
|
|
