Is this equipment any good?

[Akshayk]

I want to get a cheap, but good CD player. I'm looking at getting the Numark NDX 400, obviously I'll need two, but some people say that these are rubbish. For the mixer I was looking at something like the Numark IM9, or the Behringer vmx1000.

Do you think this will be fine, for a beginner?
Are they reliable?
Also I was thinking about getting the Hercules 4mx, what do you think will be better this equipment or the 4mx?

However, I would rather use cd players first,

What do you think?

[DJArmani]

the numark ndx 400s are a pretty good start but I reccomend the Denon DX 120 as a mixer those 2 are pretty bad. It may be about 30 bucks more but its worth it.

[Irrational_Fear]

For starting out I'd say the NDX400 would be a damn good choice, everyone will have mixed opinions on them being Numark and all, but if you read & watch some reviews of them they get a lot of good press. I've had a look over them in a store and they have a lot of features for the money, and appear pretty well built. I also thought the jog wheel on them is excellent. For the price of them I personally wouldn't be looking at anything else CD player-wise.

As for a mixer, if you are going for an out & out beginner setup to learn the basics on, look at the budget equipment thread- there's loads of great suggestions on there. I would stick with a cheap 2-channel job with basic EQs and not much else. If you stick it out you will want to upgrade eventually anyway even if you go for something like the IM9- so you may as well start with something cheaper to learn the basics on. Both the mixers you've listed come with BPM displays, I would avoid this for starting out- they will beome a crutch and (aside from not being terribly accurate) will only hinder, if not prevent you learning to beatmatch by ear.

Just noticed Armani's post- the Dx-120 is a great shout for a first mixer!

I've had no experience on the Hercules, but I do own a cheap BCD3000 controller that is older, cheaper, and probably not a patch on the Hercules- but as a controller it still did everything it said it would with no problems what so ever. But for starting out I personally wouldn't go the controller route if you can afford 2 cd players & a mixer- controllers can be good fun but I personally don't think it's the best way to learn.

I personally would start out with CD players first, if only for the reason that they have no 'sync' feature- for learning the basics this is THE way forward. Ideally I'd suggest starting on something that has no bpm readouts at all (it's the route I took and it gives you a brilliant grounding), but even the most basic of players has that nowadays. Well worth covering the bpms up whilst learning though- once you can beatmatch by ear alone, it'll help your mixing no end, even when you then go on to have bpm readouts.

:)

[ampnation]

I have mixed feelings about Numark. The only experience I've had personally was a pair of ICDX players,but they were used and obviously broken and quickly returned them to Guitar Center. I've been on this forum for a few years now and read a lot of people's experiences. My take is, older Numark mixers were very good, a lot of their new stuff, not so much due to not so great reliability. A lot of people like the NS7 and NS6 controllers but what I hear about is how the experience is with them, not so much that they are very reliable. That doesn't mean they aren't reliable. It just means I haven't seen anyone raving about how reliable they are.

I just threw away a Behringer mixer and don't plan on ever buying another one. Behringer does have some excellent value hardware, but they also have a lot of crappy stuff. the vmx1000 isn't one I've seen people rave about. Even the DDM4000 which a lot of people like has some rather glaring known issues like a lousy mic preamp if I'm not mistaken.

From what you've listed, I take it your budget is about $600-800. If so, I think the MC6000 is an excellent value. The main thing you would give up vs. a CDJ/mixer setup is the ability to play CD's directly on the decks. It has a true mixer unlike most controllers so you can hook up decks if you want and play it without a computer connected.

For a true mixer/cdj setup the minimum gear I would recommend is denon with the x120 mixer and s1200 CDJ. I own 3 pieces of Denon gear including the X500 rackmount mixer and a couple of rackmount controllers with a BU4500 dual CD player that can connect to either of them (HD2500 and D4500, both discontinued) and I find the X500 to be built well with very good audio quality. If you look for used, you might be able to find the x120 and s1200 combo within your budget. I wouldn't hesitate to buy these products used as they are quite durable. Just take reasonable precautions by buying from reputable sellers (like ebay sellers with xlnt rep). Now if you plan on using this setup with a digital DJ program like Serato, Traktor or Virtual DJ, this will add cost as you'll need to utilize a DVS system with timecode CDs. I'm pretty sure the s1200's don't have midi or HID and I know the x120 is analog meaning you would need to add a sound card/software combo. I think Traktor is the least expensive way to go for this with Traktor Scratch Pro A6.

[Akshayk]

the numark ndx 400s are a pretty good start but I reccomend the Denon DX 120 as a mixer those 2 are pretty bad. It may be about 30 bucks more but its worth it.

Okay I'll be getting the DX 120 then. Other than the NDX 400s, what other cd players are there that are around the same price as the NDX 400s?

[Irrational_Fear]

Okay I'll be getting the DX 120 then. Other than the NDX 400s, what other cd players are there that are around the same price as the NDX 400s?

Not a huge amount of choice at that price unless you go second hand, and even then I still don't think some of the stuff will offer you what the NDX400 does. At least if you go for the 400s and get them new, you should get some kind of warranty even if only 12 months. The thing is there will be stories where mention problems with cheaper gear, but to a certain extent that is their parogative- people are always more likely to write about gear when they have problems- a lot of the people that have had no problems what so ever will be much less likely to take to their keyboards to write about it. That's my take on it anyway! I thought the NDX400s were a cracking starter CD player for their price.

The DNS1200s are also a great shout if you can find a good deal on them. I also frickin' love denon's gear, brilliant feel to everything of their's I've tried.