Buyers Guides If you’re visiting this site for the first time, welcome. You're probably here because you’ve decided you want to be a DJ but don’t know where to start, or perhaps because you’re buying as a Birthday or Christmas gift and don’t know what to get. These guides are designed to answer many of the common questions you may have, and to point you in the right direction so you know where to look for more information and answers.
To start with the our ground rules … this web page is not going to try and sell you the best, most expensive, all singing all dancing, top of the range equipment down your neck. If you’re so experienced that you have to spend top dollar on the absolute best equipment, then you really should be know what you're doing without reading this.
In the old DJ days, the only turntable for the serious DJ was the Technics SL1200 or SL1210 (MkII - and before you ask - the only difference is the colour)
Here at DJ Store we understand that not everyone has, or wants to spend the sort of money that these decks cost. But another fact that has to be considered in 2004 are decks that outperform the classic old Technics.
The fact is, that most manufacturers now produce a deck that's at least as good as the Technics, including brands like Stanton, Vestax and Numark who all sell decks that on paper equal or better the performance of the trusty old Technics. This year, Technics have reacted to this competition by introducing the SL1210 Mk5G, which while a nice deck, still seems dated in comparison to some of the all singing all dancing digital decks...
If you are reading this because you don’t know what you want, or where to start looking, you probably need a package – a set of equipment that has been put together in a boxed set by the equipment manufacturer, or by us, as we feel the components suit each other and work well together.
To get right back to basics, a package comprises of a pair of turntables (decks). Decks come with slipmats (a felt mat which sits on top of the platter and allows the record to slip when you put your hand on it. The deck is supplied with carts (cartridges/needles etc - which mount on the headshell, The cart then converts the movement of the stylus (needle) being dragged through the groove on the record into an electrical signal) This signal (one from each turntable) is then fed into a mixer - with which a DJ uses to control what is heard from the each record, by setting up the mix using his headphones (cueing) together with the mixers facilities.
Alongside each deck in our buyers guides, you'll find suggestions from our best selling packages featuring the deck. For the full range of packages available with each deck, click on the deck product page, which will show you a full list of available packages.
Oh and there are CD players too - which come in single (usually desktop style) and twin (rackmount) versions. In the same was as you need two decks, you'll also need two CD players, or a twin rackmount model) if you want to use CD as your primary source, but there is nothing to stop you adding a single CD player to an existing vinyl set-up.
None of our packages include amps and speakers, but these can be purchased separately - Most people simply connect the mixers output to a spare line level input (usually marked line/aux or similar) on a hi-fi – so that you can play out in your room. And when you buy a package from DJ Store, the phono to phono cable you need to connect to your hi-fi is included - free of charge !!
If you don't have a hi-fi that you can connect your package upto - you'll need to look at a pair of powered speakers (powered means built in amplifier) which you'll find in our speakers and amps section - hook it all up and you're ready to go.
