Complete package deal includes:
Numark CDX CD Player
- CD player with full 12" Vinyl Feel
- Real Time Digital Scratching
- 12" Rotating Platter
- 5.0 kg/cm Direct Drive High Torque Motor
- Range of On-Board Effects
- Seamless Looping
The Numark CDX CD player is the first CD player to deliver a full size vinyl experience, as you are using a real record on a real platter to manipulate the CD playback - this CD player doesnt just look or behave like a turntable, it IS a turntable without a tonearm (and with a front loading CD slot!). It is the same size and offers exactly the same platter and motor found on the multi award winning TTX turntable. Between the platter and the vinyl disc is a normal slipmat (provided) that can be replaced with your own mat if you prefer - even the actual record can be replaced allowing for customisation with your own record (but you do need to drill 3 small holes in the label). The CDX uses a clever clamp that locks the record to the decks motion sensors via the spindle which makes the audio track respond to the records movement in real time. The clamping mechanism does make it feel a little heavier under hand than a standard deck, but this really is closer than any other product comes to being a actual deck.
Features
The sturdy platter and incredibly strong motor make this CD deck feel like you could stand on it and it would still spin. It offers eight on-board effects that time themselves to the music with the internal BPM counter. It has tap tempo, key lock and comprehensive seamless loop. And it offers the best scratch reproduction we have heard to date.
Platter
The full Size 12" aluminium platter is the same size that most DJ's are accustomed to. As it's the same platter that's used on the TTX it's a tried and tested product. Because of the size of the platter the CDX is massive - much bigger than any other desktop CD player - and so if you're adding this to your existing set-up you need to know it takes up a lot of space.
Pitch and Pitch Lock
The pitch control is not particularly rigid but is very accurate, and as we expect from a top of the range CD player offers pitch ranges from 6 to 100%. Pitch can also be locked and can be used whilst scratching, but doing this makes the scratch less solid and sound slightly different - however, with some of the onboard effects added, you can be as creative as you want with the sound that it can create.
Scratching
There are four different scratch modes available that allow for easy scratching. Normal - does exactly what you'd expect, and it can also be set to only playback forward sounds. This mode can be used with the cue function so that after the reverse action, pushing forward will instantly play the track from the cue point. The cue mode scratch can also be used without the reverse mute. Some people won't like some of these modes, but if you don't like them you don't have to use them, and the more adventorous DJ can probably add something to their set.
Controls
All the controls are positioned across the top of the deck - pretty much all the disc and track navigation, and effects are contolled using a rotary selector and a jog wheel - these are easy to understand and simple to use. Like the TTX the CDX features variable controls for start and stop times - these are positioned next to the two play/pause buttons. Entering pause automatically sets a cue point. The stutter button can be used to start playback without waiting for the deck to speed up, although at the highest start speed, the deck is almost instant anyway. A small jog wheel can be used for controlling pitch bend if you prefer this to using the platter, and the whole deck can be switched into a CD player mode - when the platter doesn't spin - but then you shouldn't buy this product if you don't want a deck with a full size spinning platter.
Reverse
The reverse controls can be used in two ways, pushing the lever back plays the music in reverse whilst the original CD keeps time so that when released the track continues allowing for accurate timing.
Pulling the lever forward reverses the whole audio making it necessary for more accurate timing. The platter changes direction when in this mode and it does take a moment, although this can be turned off internally allowing for instant changes.
Effects
The BPM counter has four lights to count out each bar. The BPM is accurate and the effects are matched to the BPM counter. The sound quality is good and the parameters are easily controlled. The Chop effect is easily used and works very well. Other effects include the more commonly used filter and sonar which are controlled by the small jog wheel and sound great. The delay is also very good and adds a bit of depth to your mix.
The loop effect is great and offers a useful looping tool which can adjust the length of the loop you've set - this makes it easy to turn a 4 beat loop into a 16 beat one, and works very well if your original loop is a good one.
MP3 Playback
The CDX supports MP3 playback and conveniently shows track names making selection very easy. It does take fractionally longer to load an MP3 disc and it should be noted that the CDX does not offer folder support. In terms of performance there is no noticable difference between playing MP3 and CD on the CDX.
Connections
The CDX comes with normal RCA stereo line outputs and digital S/PDIF output which also supports karaoke text. It also has two MIDI ports allows for syncing and copy facilities between other CDX decks. The CDX can act as master or slave and can control another players start and stop as well as pitch. There are mini jacks for relay play and fader start with compatible mixers.
Conclusion
Overall the CDX has some great features and delivers the first full-on deck experience on a CD player - Denon's rotating platters have been round for a couple of years, and some people love them, but other find the platters too small - which isn't a problem with the CDX. The massive torque and the full size platter allow for more creativity, and the sensible feature set and good usability allow for some creative experimentation for those who love to create, but still want the feel of vinyl. The build quality is generally good, but the body is plastic rather that the heavy rubberised finish on the TTX, but this is because it's an antishock CD player, and therefore doesn’t need the dampening. The only thing we'd like to have seen is a second loop facility, but apart from that, our major critisism is the positioning of the power button - hardly a major issue.
Overall we feel that this is a seriously good CD player and one which should have no problem establishing itself in the top-end CD market along side Pioneer and Denon.
Allen and Heath X:One 62 Mixer
- 6 Channel 2 mic/ 8 input mixer
- Penny & Giles VCA Crossfader
- VCF Filters for effects
- Balanced outputs
The Allen and Heath X-One
62 is a high
specification mixer for the serious professional DJ. 6 inputs, spread across 2
mic channels and 4 music inputs, the mixer features a Penny and Giles crossfader,
split cue, and a range of VCF effects filters.
