Hi Guys,

I'm a newbie to this forum and would very much appreciate some advice on buying my first set of CDJs. I am also a newbie to the whole mixing skill - I just want to be able to do it rather than become a play out DJ - don't worry your jobs are safe lol!!
Anyway, I digress...

I am looking to buy a set of Pioneer CDJ 800s with a Behringer VX 700 mixer.
I will couple this to a cheap Cambridge Audio A1 amplifier and a set of Wharfdale speakers.
I am toying with getting a pair of sennheiser headphones (as I have read good things about them) but I am ideally looking for a pair with a longer cable so I can move/dance about whilst mixing - can you help with this one?

My questions:
Is there anywhere else apart from eBay where I might be able to buy second hand equipment without being ripped off? I know that I have to go and try the decks out before I actually hand over money etc etc...I have a budget of around £800-£850
If I choose 800 Mk1 over Mk2, what are the pros and cons?
If I buy music at 320kbps or a .wav file, I will need to convert the tracks into Audio CD via iTunes (for Mk1) - will the resulting conversion have a negative effect on the quality of sound?
Do you suggest spending more money on a good amplifier/set of speakers for home use only or will the above do?
What are your views on the Behringer Mixer - it looks like it should be a good one, but I can't really find any reviews from proper DJ users - everyone raves on about the Pioneer DJM600/800 but I cannot afford such high end equipment.
Finally (for now) can you suggest some good places to buy digital music - I am into Hard Trance/Hard Dance. I know of beatport/trackitdown, but are there others?

I will probably have other questions coming from your suggestions so bear with me!

Thank you so much for taking your time in reading and hopefully replying!

Cheers
Sam

do not do this - very risky in terms of wear and tear and also, mk1 lasers are impossible to get hold of........

this site has some bargains, best to check it daily as new stock is added all the time and sells quick

whybuynew.co.uk

is that for the whole thing or just the CDJs? You could spend that on just one CDJ!

that's the best place but secondhand CDJs can be a very bad buy anyway as the lasers have a limited lifespan. and they don't have an odometer like cars so there's no way of knowing if they've been rinsed in a bar or played all night every night in someones bedroom. get to know the history of anything you want to buy if you can.


no. but always try and use WAVs or AIFFs in the first place if you can. the quality is better anyway and if you are burning to CDs then the smaller file size of MP3s isn't really an advantage


it's widely regarded as a pile of shite but it's cheap and can't really be beaten for the money. i would always advise spending as much as possible on the CDJs even if it means you don't have much left for the mixer - you can get something usable on ebay for 50 - 100 quid. djm300 is a nice starter mixer.....

good luck - hope you find something decent and feel free to ask any more questions......

b.

850 just for cdjs :) i think about 1100-1200 ish for the whole lot will just about do it. (I already have the speakers...)



How can you tell if someone is being truly honest about what they are selling? I know there is the whole "first impressions" instinct which I do use quite often - but are there any things I should look for when testing them before buying? Or any questions that might be useful to ask?

Thank you all for your help - there are always more questions than answers when it comes to splashing out such a huge amount of money on something I don't know much about!

Sam

no - that's the whole problem.


where did you buy them, how long have you had thew, where do you use them, how often......


no worries.

with your budget you might be better off with technics turntables anyway. there would be plenty of change from your 850 to buy serato or traktor scratch so you wouldn't need CDJs.

you would need a laptop if you don't already have one though.