Cheapest possible direct drive turntable/midi controller?
I have searched this up on the internet and the cheapest turntable that I have seen is the Stanton T62. It doesn’t have to be a turntable it could be a direct drive controller but I just really want something that spins and is cheap.
I have a feeling that this question may have been answered before but I have searched the internet and I have not found an answer. If this question has been answered please link me…
I am also new to the DJTT forum so if I am not supposed to post something like this then I don’t mind if this gets deleted.
The American Audio TTD 2400 looks like a decent purchase to me. Will keep the budget under £200 for a pair of new turntables. Of course, you will need a mixer and soundcard ontop of that to use DVS, so your looking at around £250 for Trakto Scratch A6 or £400 for Serato SL2.
The T62 also looks like a decent buy, but my money would go on second hand Technics when you are looking around that budget. My last set of 1210 mk2’s cost me £350, so only £50 more than the purchase price of the Stantons.
But whatever you buy that aint Technics will realistically depreciate in value. Whatever you spend on Technics you will get back if you decide to sell them. So an extra £50 now will likely save you £100 (assuming you can sell a pair of T62’s for £200) in the future.
Just remember though that you will need the soundcard & mixer too. At which point, the DJM 250 looks like a cracking buy for £165 + £250 for TSP. Meaning around £400. Any upgrade on this you would probably be best with either the Pioneer T1 or NI Z2 for full Traktor integration.
+1 for second hand Technics - not to say the other decks aren’t good, I’ve never used them, but you can get a decent set of 1200/1210 's from fleaBay for that kinda money.
Yeah I have a couple of controllers already(the DDJ ERGO and the BCD3000) the BCD3000 has a built in soundcard so I want to use the turntables with that and I also have Traktor as well. Like I said before I know the BCD3000 is bad quality but this is for home use and I am on a budget so I am sticking to cheap equipment.
Cool. Second hand 12’s are around the same budget as new T62’s though, and will be a far better deck, and wont loose money. Keep on the hunt for them and you can pick them up for cheap enough. As I said, I was £350 for my last pair, and they came serviced and with new needles / carts.
Since buying my last ones just after Christmas, I have seen at least 3 other sets for similar prices. They do fluctuate in price admittedly, but you can pick them up for decent monies if you keep a look out.
All these are around the same budget as new T62’s, and were found in less than a minute. If I were the OP, I would be heading down this route. No point in getting cheap TT’s, when 1210’s can be had for the same budget, and will always be worth at least what he paid for them.
Indivisual, I had a bcd3000 and had turntables hooked up to it, its not bad. Take a look around for any of Geminis PT line of turntables. I’ve got the PT-1000s and they are great. Lots of torque, and really nice decks imo. Only the PT line though. It seems Gemini only got it right once with turntables lol.
If you can find some, go try them out, you will be surprised. I bought 2 and a mixer for $350 or $400 I can’t remember.
I learned to mix on a pair of Stanton T62s. Not BAD, but definitely not GREAT. I had a blast with them while they were around. I have since phased them out of my kit and I’m $300 away from buying a pair of Denon S3700’s.
It seems that I cannot find any PT-1000s anywhere in any of my local dj stores. Maybe they are discontinued. I don’t feel entirely comfortable with buying secondhand turntables so I might not be able to buy them.
I didn’t say there was anything bad about them, just that they are in the same price range as second hand 1200 / 1210’s. And that the Technics decks would by far the most sensible purchase.
I did, however, notice you went on to say this:
You can rest assured that second hand 12’s are not a scary buy. My first set of 1210’s I bought second hand almost 15 years ago, and they have NEVER missed a beat. There is a reason why they are the industry standard.
I’ve rarely seen a pair of Technics go for anything under $600. Especially in the past couple of years. You can get a pair of T.62s for $200-400 usually. Hell, I’ve seen pairs go for under $200.
I bought 2 Numark Direct drive turntables (complete with carts and needles), with a mixer and 100 Vinyl for £90 off ebay and all worked fine and came in a flight case.
Admittedly I have now sold them (made a very nice profit) as I already have a Traktor setup, and needed some monies for Hideout.
But these were great fun and got me comfortable with TT’s. They were Numark TT1650’s (I think)