Vestax PDX-2000 Review

Overall Rating

Build Quality,
Pitch control,
Sound.

Not everyones cup of tea.

Technic's turntable - you gotta love 'em. Quick starting, reliable, sleek and not just a little bit sexy.
Everyone I've ever met through my DJ'ing addiction has either got them, is saving for them or wants them. Every club system worth its salt has at least two sitting in the booth and it even has its own Mixing championship and clothing line.
Its been like this ever since I became hooked on vinyl about 14 years ago. There has NEVER been a contender to the kingdom built up around what will always remain a groundbreaking design and engineering classic.

Until now.

When Vestax released the PDX2000 turntable it prompted the usual debates started whenever a manufacturer launches a new high end direct drive turntable, can it match the technics?
Each and every time the new pretender to the throne falls well short, sometimes not in terms of performance but always in terms of impact. But this time it was different, people where curious, even the 'if its not technics Im not using it' types (amongst which I used to count myself).

Now I had owned and loved a pair of 1210's for about seven years at this point and we had been through a lot, I had a buyer lined up and had just got together enough money to replace them with shiny new ones. And here I was comtemplating switching allegences!
After a lot of soul searching and unbelievable inner turmoil I decided to give the VESTAX a try, that was over a year ago and I can say without doubt it was a blinding decision.

Why?

For starters the look, very superficial I know but these look like the serious bit of kit they are. Compare them to technics, no competition. A bloke on the street could confuse Soundlab DLP3's with a black Technics deck, what is he going to confuse these with?

Now stick a pair of Blueberry Stanton I-tracks in and they sound better than they look, Vestax claim there is little or no distortion created by the casing, there not lying, even with a poor quality amp and speakers on these the sound is crystal and that is coming in from the front end, the needle on the record and whats immediately involved at that stage(i.e. the deck).

While we on the casing these are extremely durable, mine get knocks all the time and theres not a scratch on them, not the slightest scar, even from when a friend decided to see if they would survive a stair fall(okay they where flighted up at the time but still! :) ).

Both the pitch faders(theres two on each deck) are smooth and extremely precise and the quartz lock is spot on, I have never had a record come of pitch, ever.

The Anti skating arm has never skipped or skated the needle out of the out of the groove even when the rooms been shaking with Bass.

The reverse function which allows the record to be played backwards is perhaps the one thing offered in the functionality which I feel is prehaps unnessacery but then I never use it, the rest of the extras this kit has are great, adjustable start and stop facility allowing you to perform power offs and power ups without risking the power jumps you risk on standard decks, as well as fiendishly complex paced mixes. Aiding the standard +/- 10 pitch fader is the +/- 50 pitch fader and if you thought you'd never use that you'd be very mistaken.

I guess the point I am trying to get accross is that this product is in a different class. One that unfortunately(?) puts it above all else(well unless I can get the money up for the 8000's!), my mixing style has changed using the extra's on here, but thats advancement not regression(dont worry I can still nail it on imferior machines).

I've been honest, I loved my 1210's to bits and still do but it was time to look to the future and I am glad I did.

Members' Comments onRaylott.'s Review

• jake. on 4th Mar 2003

  Thanks for the well written review i have been trying to decide for some time now between 1200s and pdx 2000's thanks

• DJ Focus on 30th Sep 2004

  All i can say is my mind is made up.