What cd decks+everything do I buy?

I

I-Spy

Active Member
I want to buy a couple of CD decks some speakers, an amp and a mixer.
Basicly just to have fun on and learn and maybe to use for a few smallish parties at the house.
Without going into crazy money, what do I buy and where is the best place to buy it?
I've heard of the CDJ 800, but would I be OK with the CDJ 400...bearing in mind I'm a total beginner.
Do I get a seperate amp or do they come inside the speakers?
I am OK buying in the UK if it's going to be cheaper as I can have them sent down.
Thanks for any pointers as I am clueless.
 
Must admit I would like to know most of the above too for the same reasons.

Shall we browse the summer Argos catalogue together???;)
 
I own 2 X CD800's and I would never get anything less. The newwer mark even plays Mp3's and is perfect for the beginner as it does not take long to figure them out.

Never used the 400's so can't comment on them but you can't go wrong with the 800's 8)
 
the 400 has better pitch control and a few other features. i've got 800s but if i had to choose between 400, 800 or 1000s now id probably get the 400 tbh. that said, the 800 has the same jog platter as the 1000 so you'll find yourself more at home switching between 800's and 1000's. i dont really notice the difference in pitch control.

if you have the money, definitely go with pioneer.

as for mixers, check ebay. get some good deals on there. you can pick up a 2nd hand vestax pcv-275 for about £120.
 
Is there much that can go wrong with mixers...I mean, if I buy of E Bay.
What about speakers and amps?
 
U need to decide what your overall budget is and go from there. I would say If your going for cdj's then Pioneer is really the only way to go , I think the 400's would be good . It really depends what level you are at and what level you aspire to be which will influence what you get. If you buy low quality equipment like Kam or Behringer you will outgrow it and end up buying new more expensive stuff anyway. If you want to keep your budget down Stanton make decent mid price level stuff , especially mixers. I have broken every set of speakers ive owned so someone else is probs better to ask about that. Amps seem to last quite long so one off ebay should be ok. U wont need anything above 100watts per channel for home use
 
well i dont really wanna vouch for buying second hand gear as you never really know. all i do know is that vestax stuff (the professional range) is absolutely bomb proof and little should go wrong, but thats up to you to decide.

i've got the pmc-250 (google image it), it looks a little different from your standard mixer setup, but its class. its still listed at over £300 if you search on google, but you regularly see them going on ebay for about £125-175 2nd hand. i think its the shape that puts most folk off, but everyone i know thats used mine absolutely loves it.)

reason im saying this is i saw someone on another forum i use who is selling of thousands of pounds worth of kit (so in the long run i dont think a few extra bucks is going to make him upset). He had his listed at £75. No idea if he still has it as it was about a month ago, but thats an absolute steal for that mixer at that price (he owns high end gear like Bozaks, and vintage rotaries, so alhough im reluctant to vouch for someone i dont know, hes likely to be the kinda guy that will look after his gear as if it were his first born!).
 
forgot to add, its only 2 channel, but you can easily switch between 3 inputs per channel at the flick of a switch, ie. a turntable and cdj per channel.

http://www.studiospares.com/Product.aspx?code=280060#

280060.jpg
 
Vestax would serve you well, they tend to be one step behind Pioneer every step of the way, knocking off a few hundred quid for the pleasure.
 
Ok...looks like Vestax mixer and CDJ 400's.
What was that other forum, Phil?
Might be good to try and buy a whole package of somebody.
So about the speakers one's with incorporated amp or seperate amp?
 
SpikeyM said:
Vestax would serve you well, they tend to be one step behind Pioneer every step of the way, knocking off a few hundred quid for the pleasure.
Click to expand...

Tbh, I dont think theres much point in comparing the two brands. Vestax in the main are known for good sound and build quality, two things which are a bug bear for a lot of Pioneer users.

The Pioneer sells by the bucket load as like the CDJ they are installed in so many club setups round the world. But unlike the CDJ, they are not the dominant force in the mixer world. To be completely honest, I can only speak of what I read about on other forums, Im not trying to start kit-fights! I personally couldn't tell the difference between them especially on my pishy speakers, but the Pioneer mixers seem quite a bit overpriced at what they do. Nice effects an stuff, but effects are overrated.
 
Yeah Ive got a Pioneer 600 , would much prefer an A&H 62 even tho has less effects or the new Ecler Nuo's are nice too
 
Why go for CD decks?

I looked at all of them and thought they were overpriced for what they offer.

Went for one of these:

http://www.djstore.com/item/corhdc1000.htm

corhdc1000.jpg


Mix MP3's straight off a Memory Stick, External Drive, PC or even Mobile Phone. All your music available with search facility, variable pitch control, pitch bend, jog wheel etc. etc.

Never looked back...
 
Its true there are other ways to mix nowdays. I use a laptop and digital vinyl system so i still use turntables but buy digital files which live on my laptop. You can buy a program called Traktor and a Midi DJ controller and u dont need any cd decks at all! Lots of options
 
I would certainly stick with decent brands, that way you still get some money back if you should sell them later...


My personal favs.

Mix-panel Rodec or Ecler
cd player denon or pioneer.
 
I am kind of liking Mr Jam Man's idea of the HDC thing.....they have a new model out HDC 3000 that looks like ticket.
 
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