Buying your first DJ turntable is always daunting. Ask you friend who has been DJing for ten years and he will most probably say get Technics. But the company went bust ages ago and Panasonic is reintroducing the 1210 at a huge £2598 a pair! This is well out the budget of your average DJ, especially at entry level. Luckily for you, there is a multitude of alternatives and in this article, we will explore one of our favourites, the Reloop RP-4000M.
Build quality
When buying a turntable you will notice the less you pay the lighter and more flimsy they feel. This is not the case with the
RP-4000m. It is super-strong with a steel chassis. This not only helps against knocks and bumps but also helps decrease the effect of surface vibrations (known to many as feedback). This audible hum can be so severe that it can ruin a mixing session. The solid build of the RP-400m is hence a welcome asset.
Motor
Ask any DJ and they will tell you that the Motor is key in turntable decision. Make or break. The upper-torque motor really impresses us on the
Reloop RP-4000M and has more than enough torque for basic beat matching. With additional features such as variable pitch range (±10 / 20%) with quartz-lock, forward and reverse running mode and three-speed ranges; this is turntable offers a lot of bang for your buck.
Includes Cartridge
Nothing more annoying than taking a brand new turntable back home and realising you need to buy a cartridge. It is an experience on par with getting a toy plane for Xmas and not having any batteries to put in the controller. The Reloop OM Black cartridge is mounted onto an included headshell; so you have everything you need to be playing out of the box. The OM cartridge is designed by the notorious Ortofon and results with top sound characteristics. Ortofon also lead the scratch market in performance due to their sturdy construction and the Reloop OM black is no exception. It boasts a spherical stylus that helps to keep vinyl wear out to a minimum and is appropriate for scratching. It has a frequency range: 20 Hz - 18 kHz (if you can hear above 18khz you are a super human). It is certainly loud enough to compete with your CDJ's with an output volume of 5mV.
Competitors
An alternative to the RP 4000 would be the slightly more expensive
Pioneer DJ PLX-500. It has very similar playback feel to the RP-4000 but also boasts a USB output making recording in your vinyl extremely simple. The PlX 500 lacks some of the extra motor features of the RP 4000m. Both the PLX 500 and the
RP-4000M would make a great first turntable. Still unsure?
Come in store and have a play on both.
Specification
-Turntable: Quartz-Driven High-Torque Direct-Drive
-Speeds: 33 1/3, 45 and 78RPM
-Drive: DC Motor
-Starting Torque: >1600g/cm
-Start/Stop Time: < 1 Second
-Forward/Reverse Switch: Yes
-Pitch Range: ±10 / 20% with Quartz Lock
-Tonearm: Statically Balanced S-Shaped Arm
-Flutter: <0.2% WMRS
-Tracking Force Range: 1.5 - 2.0g
-Power Consumption: 7.5W
-Power Supply: 115/230V, 50/60Hz
-Dimensions (W x D x H): 450 x 352 x 144mm
-Weight: 9.68kg
Accessories:
-OM Black Cartridge
-Headshell
-Slipmat
