Djm 850 vs DN x1600 vs DB2

So I'm looking for a stand alone mixer with traktor integration. These mixers from pioneer, denon, or a&h seem to fit the bill but I can't seem to find major differences to justify the prices. The denon seems to be a bit of an underdog- nothing but rave reviews and built like a tank with a huge price difference? Has anyone used these mixers? The a&h looks awesome with its effects but I'm still undecided. The djm-850 seems like everything id ever need but again its way more money than the dnx1600.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Cheers.

Just go with the X1600, and call it a day....it has the best features
for your buck of all three. Especially if you want the built-in Soundcard.

Yeah Ive been thinking the same way, i think the only thing holding me back is just the hype surrounding pionner and a&h. The dnx1600 looks fantastic. Thanks

If money is worrying you, the Denon will do a fantastic job. Heard nothing but great reviews on that mixer. Seen it installed in a club or two also, although you do predominately see a Pioneer in a club.

The DB2 would be my first choice however. Certainly over 850. I sold my DJM 800 to get a DJM 900, and to be honest, the DB2 compares favourably against the 900. The only let down being the soundcard not being scratch compatible (although on a Windows machine a simple registry edit solves this issue). I suppose you could argue the Pio is club standard, if that matters to you, but to be honest, the DB2 sounds better (to my ears) anyway, and has a MUCH better effects unit built in. As well as the input matrix allowing for some great creative options. With that in mind, the DB2 pisses all over the 850.

But, the 850 will be a competent enough mixer, if a bit overpriced for what it is.

In summary:

1. Denon DNX1600 if budget is your primary concern
2. A&H DB2 if you want the best of the bunch at around that price point.
3. DJM 850 if you are a Pioneer fanboy / Avicii lover...

So I was in the same dilemma a little while ago. I personally was switched full setups from Traktor only (using my S4, MF's, X1, etc) to CDJ 850's. I was in the market for a mixer and was looking exactly at the same thing you are. I wanted the best bang for my buck. With such amazing reviews I was leaning towards the DNX1600, especially with friends such as Jester highly reccomending the product.

In the end I ended up buying the DJM-850 though because of two reasons. The first being that I wanted to switch to a "club standard" setup, and I know that people seem to laugh at that a lot around here in DJTT, but I wanted to be able to go to any club in the world that had CDJ's there and be able to rock it without a problem. The second being I got the DJM-850-K with a price match and a Pioneer Rebate they were offering at the time for $1005 out the door (inclusive of taxes), so it was pretty hard to resist, especially with the DNS1600 being priced at $999 pre-tax. And it also would complete my 850-K set.

I absolutely love my mixer, granted i've never really messed around on an A&H, but shortly after switching I got a gig at the biggest venue in Orange County for EDM (Yost Theater in OC), and I loved being able to walk into the club with only 3 USB (one extra that mirrored the other two in case one didn't work) drives in my pocket and my cans in the other hand.

In your situation i'd go with the Denon though if you are looking to save money!

Thanks for the advise everyone. Money is a bit of an issue (school is a b*tch) but ultimately I want a setup I can build upon and move forward with. This is why Im leaning towards the 850 or the DB2. Traktor certification is a huge advantage to me and something future proof is essential if i want to improve. Ill probably just save up and look up for an 850 (as tempting as the DB2 is)

go for X1600 or DJM850, both traktor certified, i can't speak for the db2 as i haven't used one :)

Traktor Scratch is only an advantage if you are planning on using turntables, or old CDJ's with timecode. Otherwise pretty much any digital mixer will happily take an output from Traktor over USB. So if your using a controller to control Traktor (Like an X1 of K2 etc...) then certification doesn't matter.

Plus, on windows machines it is a simple reg edit to get scratch working on the DB2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVTchm7CwFM

Personally, the DB2 will be a far more advanced, future-proof set-up than a DJM 850. If you go for the 850, you'll wish you went for the 900. I did as soon as I got the 800. Went A&H and never regretted it for a second. I am running timecode on the DB4 with no external soundcard.

yes it is possible but we won't be mentioning that again here, will we.

I'm sorry, how is doing a simple registry edit wrong? You've paid for the software, and the hardware, so what's the problem?