CD dex (Numark vs Gemini)

Biggins

Biggins

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hey,

have just found a pair of second hand numark axis 2 cd dex for £250 the pair, I have a pair of bog standard gemini cdj-20 at moment should i px them and get the numarks?

also, how reliable are the numarks? whats the deal with the wierd cueing system?

cheers
B

ps. pioneers are not an option at the mo unfortunately
 
I've used the Axis 8s, which to my knowledge, are exactly the same as the Axis 2s but with effects, and they're fine. My friend's had 1 for about a year now and its been solid throughout. As for the weird cueing system, its not really that weird. Ya just press pause at ya cue point, then press play and your cued. Get back to that point by pressing cue, simple.
I've never used the gemini cdj-20s but I would recommend the Numarks if Pioneers arnt an option.
 
I've had a pair of Gemini CD-400x cd-players... which are generally the same as the CDJ-20 players, but with a few more options, and those worked fine for me. My thoughts are, why ditch the Gemini's if you're doing fine with those? Save your money...
 
I have the axis 2s and they do the trick, simple to use only the jog wheel needs alot more of a spin and does not have the friction that pioneers have...you'll have to use them to understand. I haven't used the gemini ones before so I couldn't compare. If your a dj who doesn't mind losing the manipulation that you get from vinyl/800s/1000s then the numarks are okay.
 
Nemco said:
My thoughts are, why ditch the Gemini's if you're doing fine with those? Save your money...
Click to expand...

:dito:
save those pennies to go towards some pioneers in the future
 
I have Axis 8s....They are well built, well designed and decent sounding machines with a fine range of facilities....

The Axis 2s are the same but without the effects. At £125 each you can't go wrong, really.

However, for £495 per pair inc VAT you can get a brand new pair of Axis 9s and a brand new pair of Axis 2s is £325...
check here http://www.djstore.co.uk/cgi-bin/group.pl?group=cd
 
...although nothing is as good as pie-on-ear. Nothing, I tell 'ee. The other thing you have to be careful of is that you get used to the Numarks and then you arrive at a party, and lo and behold, pie-on-ear... all your mad skillz are for naught...
 
i tried some denon decks a while ago that were pretty good, as well as the new technics which were great... but yeah the pioneers are ubiquitous so maybe best to learn on them though they are now far from being the best...

i guess if you learn on lower quality decks it should in theory be easier when you play on better ones... like going from belt drive to direct drive technics vinyl decks..
 
Just got back from PLASA and checking out the new CD decks...

No1: Numark CDX pluses: feels just like mixing with vinyl, well built with all the right features....Minuses: too big some of those features are in the wrong place.

No2: Denon DN3000/5000s pluses: superb quality, lovely gadgets and in a decent sized box....Minuses: the spinning platter is only really good for scratchers, although the edges work more like a Pi-on-ear

No3: Technics SLD1200 pluses: good quality, excellent features, wow looks....Minuses: the buttons are placed in the most stupid positions!

No4: Denon DN1000s pluses: good build quality, good feature set, compact size.....Minuses: no spinning platter

No5: Numark Axis 9

No106: Pi-on-eer....built like a toy (compared to the others)...even the new Geminis, Stantons and American DJ cheapies are better made (seriously)...However, people still insist that they are a "standard" deck...Bit like insisting a Ford escort is a "standard" car cos more people drive them than Ferarris!
 
Fushion Julz said:
No106: Pi-on-eer....built like a toy (compared to the others)...even the new Geminis, Stantons and American DJ cheapies are better made (seriously)...However, people still insist that they are a "standard" deck...Bit like insisting a Ford escort is a "standard" car cos more people drive them than Ferarris!
Click to expand...

You *really* don't like 'em Julz, do you?

Personally I see them more as BMWs - lovely when they work, and they work for ages - but an absolute nightmare to get fixed.

J.
 
Then you know nothing about BMWs, either....

BMWs are easy to get fixed...conventional technology, innit?

Pioneers are NOT well made and, although are conventional and simple to fix, are impossible to get parts or circuit diagrams for...

No, Pioneers are like Daewoo cars...Look flash, do the job, but the service is appalling...And for pro kit that level of service IS appalling, however good the product is...

And I have Pioneers, too...(For sale, if you like em so much)
 
not only that, JP, but BMW customer service is second to none...really...try them!

They actually REDUCE the prices on parts as cars get older (especially body and trim parts) so the cars can be viably kept running....

They also repress body panels in runs, so it is possible to get (say) door skins for 1960s "Neu Classe" saloons at very cheap prices!
 
Julz you really are a fountain of knowledge of all things serviceable....any tips for my Electrolux washing machine? :Wink3:
 
Fushion Julz said:
And I have Pioneers, too...(For sale, if you like em so much)
Click to expand...

I'm actually platform-agnostic when it comes to CDJs. And no - I know nothing of BMWs other whan what you and my other BM-owning friends have told me. :Smile3:

The only issue is that, for better or worse, the Pioneer user interface is now the de facto standard and Numark/Denon et al should at least have some kind of emulation of that interface if you don't want DJs complaining.

J.
 
i got some Axis 9's, they're great apart from those fuckin irritating beat counters which i have had to masking tape over. there was i thinking i had some sort of amazing mixing talent when lo and behold i was presented with a deck that didn't have any beat counters and i was fucked. thank god the party had to stop before i got to play hehe :Wink3:

anyways, the decks are nice and accurate, i think they're the same as all the numark axis range just with 2 loops (which i havent used yet) and a few effects (which i also haven't used). i liek the wheel, it's sooooo smooth hehe. as u can see i odn't really know what i'm talking about, especially when it comes to comparing them with other decks but they do the job well and they have'nt gone rong yet. look forward to playing with some pioneers :Smile3:
 
JPsychodelicacy said:
The only issue is that, for better or worse, the Pioneer user interface is now the de facto standard and Numark/Denon et al should at least have some kind of emulation of that interface if you don't want DJs complaining.

J.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately copyrighting look and feel is possible, which is why Numark / Gemini have the awful cueing system instead of the nice Pioneer one...
 
Find approx cuepoint, press Play / Pause (stops playback).
Wind forward / back to exact cuepoint, press cue. Sets cuepoint.
Pressing play again starts from cuepoint, pressing and holding cue starts play from cuepoint and stops when you let go.

Now every piece of Numark and Gemini kit I've used works, as far as I can tell, backwards, and once you've started from the cuepoint it abandons it and won't let you go back there... I've found them invariably unintuitive and awful.

That and you have to rotate the cue wheel 9,000 times on the Axis decks to achieve the same effect as the Pie-on-ears...

This is all subjective, obviously, but that's my main beef with the non-Pioneer decks...

(edit: looking back at this I realise I've never read the manual for anything but Pioneer decks. Maybe I'm missing vital information. :Smile3: )
 
generaljoe said:
Unfortunately copyrighting look and feel is possible, which is why Numark / Gemini have the awful cueing system instead of the nice Pioneer one...
Click to expand...

Aye - shame Pioneer did that, then stopped others using it (if they did - I should look it up really) - 'cos they could have made a small fortune from licencing it.

J.
 
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