How is the Numark Axis 8 CD Player?

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gdreijer

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Hi,

I'm going to buy my first DJ setup soon, and have been searching the net for info on CD players. (I have stacks of CDs, so TTs are out of the question)

So far, the Numark Axis 8 seems like the best bet. It is basically half of a CDN-88 (which has won awards?).

Im also attracted to the table-top design.

I know that the Axis 8 has loads of features (looping, FX, hot stutter, huge pitch change, etc), but I don't want to buy something, and get bored of it... cause I've worked with keyboards/synths in the past, so I have some musical background. Appearently, there are upgrades planned for the Axis 8 which includes cue point/ loop point memory and using the midi I/O for syncing 2 of them.

Can anyone tell me what the sound quality of the CD player is like? And if anyone has had any problems with it before.

If anyone thinks that the Axis 8 is a bad idea please point me in a better direction... and why does it seem that everyone is against Numark??

Any help would be great, casue I can only base my decision on what I read on the net, etc... cause I live in South Africa, and getting help isn't too easy.

Thanks
Gregor
 
I played with the CDN88. It's amazing... its just that its layout is a little cluttered. I saw the Axis a few days ago in the store... i was just playing with the buttons and stuff cuz it wasn't hooked up to anything. The jog wheel feels kinda weird... what i do like though is the blue screen! Oh yeah, it also looks like something you'd buy at Radio Shack or Toys R Us. It should be labeled Playtoy or something!

Stick with PIO.
 
So, the CDN-88 is good? Sound/feature wise?

But the Axis 8 isn't? Because of it's construction?

I've also concidered the Denon 2600F... which sounds like it's pretty awesome too...

Why does it seem like the dual CD players are better?

Cheers
 
Both duals and desktops have their advantages and weaknesses. Tops take a lot of space but are more hands-on and spaceous whereas duals are more compact, practical but have cramped layouts (exception made to Pioneer CXM line, well tought-out designs IMHO).

I've "short-tested" (2 weeks) the CDN88 a few months ago and came out very impressed. It's the most precise, best-sounding and versatile Numark deck to date IMHO, very close in performance to the other top rigs from Pioneer and Denon (2600 included). Denon has a stronger high-end tradition and that shows, though I'm partial to their confuse operation system (all those submenus and the stuff). That's personal opinion, being complete doesn't mean being complex and no matter what you say, the 2600 is complicated at 1st (2nd, 3rd...) sight. Some may disagree (hi Paulie!:D) and argue that this complexity, once mastered, works to your advantage, to what I agree to some extent - still I think the CDN88 and most other decks also have the power to unleash your CD-creativity and I'll never favour complexity when you can have more user-friendlyness (call me lazy but I still swear by the simple ingenuity of a 12"' spinning in a platter at 33rpm, power is in the music not the hardware...;) )

Enough of the awards debate, just yesterday I was at a friend's shop and he had just received a pair of black CDN88's (nicer than the red one IMHO!) and an Axis deck... we plugged and played for 30 minutes at most, enough for me to absolutelly dislike the feel of the jog wheel (too loose, no resistance at all) and the weird buttons and faders. I won't get into the looks analysis 'cos that's personal (I hated it, and looks DOES say a lot about equipments!). I'd gladly use a CDN, the performance was OK considering the short time we messed w/ it, so consider that you could get used to the feel (and looks, hehehe...) of these decks pretty fast.

As aways, I strongly suggest you give yrself at least the chance to play for a few minutes b4 deciding. As for the 2600, it's a sure shot if you take your time to get deep into it.

:cheers:
 
Thanks for all the info.

Hmm, now I'm even more confused on what to get... :mad:

The thing that I like most of the CDN-88 and the Axis 8 is all the effects! 12 of them... Can anyone tell me if they are actually good quality?

If I were to look at say the CDJ-100, is lacks the looping, has fewer effects... and also does not have BPM counters... I know everyone is against BPM counters, but don't they help in the sense that you know immediately whether you have to speed up/down?

The CDX3000/5000 sound good too, but don't have FX... which is somehing that I'm looking for.

Are there any Top Loading CD players that can rival the Axis 8 with respect to features? FX? Loops?
Besides looks, and a loose/"resistance free" jog wheel, what is so bad about the Axis 8? If the CDN-88 sound is good, then the Axis 8 must be too... Is it just the way the Axis 8 feels?

Any more advice would be great... Thanks again
Greg

:hello:
 
Some may disagree (hi Paulie!:D) : [/B]
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Dam how did you know I was reading that :monkey:


Lots of good advice from Alex. One thing to add, you really have a few factors to consider first:

What kind of DJing you want to be doing - not just music style, but do you plan on taking your own set up out? No point mastering unusual units if you're gonna end up playing on a standard club system, and vice versa - if you'll always use your own gear, you are free to get the most unorthodox set up you like.

No idea what your budget is, but that is a factor too.

One extra thing to consider, maybe related to the above considerations, do you have to have everything on your CD player?
Hot starts, memories and loops need to be integrated, but as a very good rule, you will get better effects on a seperate unit.

Maybe look at getting some cheapish units to start out, CDJ 100, DN 1800 or whatever, and looking to add effects on a mixer or as seperate units at a later time. That way you can use the with your music too.
 
Darn they should call this string "The Great Debate" cause you guys all have some great points.

I have an 1800 from Denon and love it straight up no onboard anything. I do wish for some effects at different times but I don't miss it. Maybe this will help; when I upgrade I am looking for a deck that has trimable loops and some on board effects. The dual deck or table top makes no diff to me they all play music. I not looking for anything that needs to be synced. Normally I play house, dance, dnb and hip hop. The effects only come in handy with house and dance music. But it all depends on where I am and mood.

My 2 cents.
 
Paulie: call it my 6th sense, hehehe..:D:D:D

You're right, I agree that when choosing a CD deck you should look for the basics sorted out the best way possible. The same should be done when chossing a mixer, for instance. Effects and other gimmicks are second to precision, functionality, reliability, construction and sound quality. Decent play/cue system, loop and pitch precision comes first and should not be compromises.

But the way I see, even the basic units from most manufacturers offer that, of course the ones from Pioneer and Denon lead the pack, followed (IMHO) by Tascam, AMDJ, Numark and Stanton. For plain music mixing I absolutelly love the CDJ100 from Pioneer, and along the (great IMHO) Denon 2000/2500 they are found on most gigs/clubs I play at so as Paulie said it's a matter of being practical also.


:cheers:
 
... and Greg, according to MY personal opinion and experience, the best (ie more precise and intuitive, hands-on) feeling comes from jog dials that have some engineered resistance to them, meaning they don't spin at large when you push or pull them. That's why I found the Axis 8 dial, hmm, weird to my way of operating. I couldn't just touch it to bend, they spin like platters on a 1200 TT! Every other CD deck I play w/ have that resistance I'm telling and the ones that sport the best and most precise performance are exactly those wich have a better "touch" to the dial.

That's personal as I said, I'd probably get used to it given the time but since you're looking for your personal decks I tought it'd be nice to comment. The same goes for the buttons, some clear ruberized plastic covering the things... I don't know, IMHO here I see Denon and Pio (again) rulling. Tascam was fine but they start getting nuts after a short time, that sucks. I never saw a Pio CDJ w/ bad contacts, even the ones that get heavy punishment in clubs - that says a hell of a lot to me. The CDN buttons are more like Denon and IMHO that's very positive. Tough the jog dial is looser too. And that's why I insist, it's a matter of feel and each one has his/her own!! ;)

:cheers:
 
the cdn is a good unit but its not a double of the axis. the axis is poorly constructed has terrible sound and functionality the effects are gimmicky and sound horrible (combine that with the poor sound quality of the unit and u have a nice reverb effect.) the looping isnt seemless so whats the point in having it? and bpm counters, well nothing needs to be said.
 
Hmmm...;)

So, the Axis 8 sounds out of the question then...

What is the difference between seamless looping and normal looping? Does the loop just carry on over and over? Cause the Axis 8 does actually say seamless looping on it's specs.

At the moment. the best few seem to be the CDN-88, the Denon 2600F and the CDJ-100...

Are there sound quality more or less the same... cause if the sound is not excellent, whats the point of all the fx, etc? Has anyone heard them all?

The CDN-88 sounds good... as it has the FX and looping... are the FX god quality? and does the looping work well?

I wish there was a desktop from pioneer, like the CDJ-100 with looping!! It would be perfect!

Thanks to everyone thats given me so much advice... I'm lucky didn't make a quick decision... :)

Cheers
Greg
 
"Seamless" isn't a feature dood! It's just an adjective meaning that the loop sounds perfect (ie: no poping and perfect timing)

I've tried the looping on the CDN88 and it's what I wanted it to be. I haven't tried the effects, but i have tried the scratching, wich was also really impresive.
 
gdreijer said:
I wish there was a desktop from pioneer, like the CDJ-100 with looping!! It would be perfect!
Click to expand...

Hey man, there is. Seen the CDJ500MK2 and the CDJ500s (or CDJ700 if you're in the US)? Both are desktop and have seamless looping. I know Tenaglia swears by his CDJ700's, so they can't be all that sh!te. Hefty pricetag, though.
 
I've been reading alot of the old threads, and basically it sounds like the Denon 2600F is a complicated beast?

And most of the Numark CDN-88 reviews say it is amazing or it completely sucks! ... Like this guy says...


"""I just bought the Numark CDN-88(one of the first to have it in the US I think). Now you have seen the ads about all the features: Interlock beat matching,Pitch Lock, effects etc.
In a word. It SUCKS. It’s a toy. The sound quality is horrible. I contacted tech support and they told me the unit actually uses only 15bits because they had shave off 3 dbs of bass because it was distorting the built in effects…which I might add , are totally useless. """

So, now I'm really lost...
Alex :D, or anyone else that has tried all of the FX on the CDN-88... do they sound good? Does the CDN-88 have inferrior sound quality (playback + FX)? Is that why it's cheaper than the 2600?

My final resort will probably be two CDJ-100s, as a safe bet, but the CDN-88 and the 2600F seem so much cooler!

Any more help would be great, Thanks.
Cheers
Greg
 
gdreijer said:
I've been reading alot of the old threads, and basically it sounds like the Denon 2600F is a complicated beast?

And most of the Numark CDN-88 reviews say it is amazing or it completely sucks! ... Like this guy says...


"""I just bought the Numark CDN-88(one of the first to have it in the US I think). Now you have seen the ads about all the features: Interlock beat matching,Pitch Lock, effects etc.
In a word. It SUCKS. It’s a toy. The sound quality is horrible. I contacted tech support and they told me the unit actually uses only 15bits because they had shave off 3 dbs of bass because it was distorting the built in effects…which I might add , are totally useless. """

So, now I'm really lost...
Alex :D, or anyone else that has tried all of the FX on the CDN-88... do they sound good? Does the CDN-88 have inferrior sound quality (playback + FX)? Is that why it's cheaper than the 2600?

My final resort will probably be two CDJ-100s, as a safe bet, but the CDN-88 and the 2600F seem so much cooler!

Any more help would be great, Thanks.
Cheers
Greg
Click to expand...

Funny, 'cos as I said I used the CDN88 at home for a couple of weeks and didn't notice bad sound at all. I wasn't impressed by the effects but then I don't get too impressed by those anyway, and to be 100% honest I don't quite like the quality and usability of the 2600's effects too. The good thing about the CDJ100S' efx is, they're so easy to use and rather good sounding that you end up taking good advantage of them all. Simple but effective. I can't advise you to choose either efx or loops 'cos I personally use both (though I have efx on my DJM600...), both for live mixing and home made "productions", if you can call them like that :D And though I may like the CDJ100S a lot for its dependable performance and simplicity, if pressed between a pair of those and a DN2600 I'd personally choose the Denon - it's much more advanced and has much more at offer for my personal needings. But that's me and maybe you have other necessities. If you want reliable mixing performance w/ some cool add-ons then the CDJ100 is cheap option, otherwise get the 2600.

:cheers:
 
Hm... two cdj100's would be real nice. You got me thinking now! Damn you!

No but seriously, built in effects, especially if the parameters aren't adjustable (are they?), get boring quickly. You won't use them much after a while. Don't judge these units based on they're effects. I dont know what i'd do in your case. I don't even know the prices of those units. The CDJ100's seem to be for people who prefer a more hands on experience wheareas the other two rack units are more capable. I saw, forget the Denon, unless you got the cash to spend. It's between the Numark and Pio's in my head...
 
endoraver said:
Hm... two cdj100's would be real nice. You got me thinking now! Damn you!

No but seriously, built in effects, especially if the parameters aren't adjustable (are they?), get boring quickly. You won't use them much after a while. Don't judge these units based on they're effects. I dont know what i'd do in your case. I don't even know the prices of those units. The CDJ100's seem to be for people who prefer a more hands on experience wheareas the other two rack units are more capable. I saw, forget the Denon, unless you got the cash to spend. It's between the Numark and Pio's in my head...
Click to expand...


There's certainly a lot of happy CDJ 100 users.

The point about effects is quite right, they all get boring and have to be used in moderation.

Whilst not as instantaneous, or as immdeiately fun as pushing a "whoosh", "ziiiiiip" "diiiing doooong" or whatever, loops really are great long term tools to have at your disposal, and unlike effects, cannot be added later (except maybe with a sampler like the Cycloops... now there's an idea...).

They can certainly be invaluable for mixing in "radio edits" by repeating the first 8 bars, or for later in the track for a nice long mix out, without the horrors of 2 sets of vocals clashing.
Then you can get creative by looping just 2 bars, or less. Do your own Fatboy Slim stuff with loops just a few samples long.

I was gonna say maybe some second hand 500s - they're pretty cheap even new. But they don't have any memories for the loops, which really brings looping into its own, and stops it being so hit and miss.

I had many happy years on the 2500s, which does have loop memory, if you can find one second hand.

Actually I don't have a point to make, I just wanted to make your decision even harder....
 
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