DJing, whether a hobby or profession, is an expensive endeavor. Whether you’re just getting into DJing, a seasoned professional looking to upgrade your gear, or a venue looking to install a permanent DJ station, we have some incredible products on offer at B&H this holiday season—and doesn’t matter if you’re on a budget or ready to ball out.
All-in-Ones/Controllers: Baller | Budget
All-in-Ones/Controllers
Baller: AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ 4-Channel Professional All-in-One DJ System
If you are a DJ that prefers the convenience and reliability of an extremely powerful and feature-rich standalone system, or a small to mid-sized venue that wants an all-in-one controller that most DJs will be comfortable using right away, the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ is an excellent choice.
The XDJ-AZ is the successor to the well-known and reliable XDJ-XZ and comes with a bevy of new features. Most notably, the XDJ-AZ is a true four-channel standalone unit, so you can mix four decks with no external components, with decks 3 and 4 layered over decks 1 and 2. However, if you are at a venue that wants to ensure the industry standard experience (or you want a modular setup and have a huge budget), you can connect up to two Pioneer CDJ-3000s to have four physical decks. While this would make complete sense with the older XDJ-XZ (which only had two decks), if you have the budget to do this, it might be more prudent to purchase a mixer and multiple CDJ-3000s rather than an all-in-one (see our section on mixers below).
In addition to a top-mounted USB-A port for physical drives, the XDJ-AZ can connect via Wi-Fi directly to Apple Music, allowing you to load tracks and playlists from your account, can connect to your cloud-based Rekordbox Library, and can connect to StreamingDirectPlay to play tracks directly from Beatport’s library—all by itself. For laptop users, there is a rear USB-C port for Mac/Windows systems, allowing you to use Rekordbox in performance mode or Serrato DJ Pro without a paid subscription. You can even use Wi-Fi to upload tracks from your phone or tablet—meaning the XDJ-AZ is an incredibly flexible machine that can be used for back-to-back-to-back sets.
Speaking of flexibility, we appreciate the inclusion of Soniclink to connect to the AlphaTheta HDJ F10 wireless headphones with low latency (<9 ms), while also including both a 3.5mm and 1/4” headphone jacks, allowing for smooth transition between sets regardless of the headphones used. The XDJ-AZ comes with many high-quality FX settings, will remember your previous input, and can be assigned to your preferred frequency band. Its 10.1” touchscreen is bright and responsive and includes a new feature called Touch Preview, allowing you to preview tracks without loading them to a deck.
AlphaTheta is the rebranding of the Pioneer DJ Corporation—through a series of market acquisitions, the name was changed to (among many other things) differentiate itself from the Pioneer Corporation, which has been a separate entity since 2020—so if you’re a user of Pioneer DJ equipment, you will be familiar with the function of this machine.
All in all, the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ is among the premier all-in-one DJ systems on the market today and should be highly considered by professional DJs and club venues for its power, reliability, build, and flexibility.
Budget: Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4 Portable 2-Channel rekordbox DJ and DDJ-FLX4
A great gift for young ones interested in DJing, beginners of any age, and those on a budget, the Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4 is one of the most popular and beginner-friendly 2-channel all-in-one DJ systems on the market today, coming with many smart features that allows users to learn quickly while being able to rely on the hardware to smooth over any missteps and mistakes when it comes to adding FX, crossfading, or beatmatching.
The flagship feature of the DDJ-FLX4 (pronounced “flex four”) is called “Smart Fader,” which heavily simplifies crossfading between tracks, and makes DJing between different tempos and genres a cinch. When Smart Fader is engaged, the crossfader will automatically adjust volume, BPM (beats per minute), and bass attenuation between the tracks loaded onto your two decks. For example, you can transition from a House track (typically 115-130 BPM) to a Jungle track (150-180 BPM) without having to manually sync the two tracks, use a pitch fader, or adjust any tempos—the hardware will smoothly transition the tracks for you. While you still need to make sure your tracks are in consonant keys (or not, you can DJ however you like), this feature allows beginners to experience and experiment with the curational responsibility of a DJ without having to understand the technical specifics of DJing first.
This feature has been divisive in the DJ community, but regardless of your opinion on the matter, this feature is optional and can be turned on or off at the touch of a button. We believe that this feature is excellent for beginners as it allows the user to have fun DJing right away—with practice, they will later learn how to crossfade between tempos themselves, realizing that manual crossfading offers greater control and creativity for transitions.
The DDJ-FLX4 needs a device connected to the hardware to function, supporting PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices via USB-C or Bluetooth. The unit is compatible with rekordbox, Serrato DJ lite (you can upgrade to Pro), and Djay software—and with rekordbox, you can take advantage of its integration with Soundcloud, Tidal, Beatport, and Beatsource to stream tracks directly. We like the inclusion of a microphone input so you can MC or communicate with your audience without the need for a separate system and can even use the built-in FX to manipulate your voice as you would with your mix.
The Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4 is an excellent and affordable choice for a beginner or budget-minded DJs with its powerful Smart Fader and Smart CFX systems, but is powerful enough to be used in professional settings by any intermediate or professional DJ as well.
Turntables
Baller: Technics SL-1210GR2 Direct Drive Turntable System II
Many DJs consider turntables from Technics the holy grail of turntables, due to their consistent innovation and dedication to quality—and the SL-1210GR2 continues the trend of clever and significant technological advancements. Specifically, the SL-1210GR2’s direct drive system uses a coreless motor and a theoretical mathematical framework typically used in DACs (Digital Audio Converters) for high-resolution data conversion—called ΔΣ Modulation (Delta Sigma)—in a completely novel way. You probably already know that Technics’ turntables have all the DJ features you need, are built like tanks, and have exceptional performance, so let’s try to understand how this engineering affects performance, why it sets this turntable apart from the competition, and why it’s worth its steep price point.
Traditional direct drive motors have an iron core to concentrate a magnetic field and create rotation—which works—but when the rotor’s magnets interact with the iron core’s magnetic field, it causes rotational irregularity, or “cogging.” Technics eschew the core in their new coreless direct drive system, eliminating any cogging and resulting in smooth and stable rotation.
Now how is this motor driven? Rather than use ΔΣ Modulation for digital audio conversion, Technics developed a method that uses the same principle to rotate its coreless direct-drive motor in a manner far more precise and consistent than traditional direct-drive motors.
Instead of relying on an analog signal, Technics’ drives use a digital signal that creates a mathematically perfect three-phase low frequency sine wave that corresponds to the speed of the platter. This digital data is converted into a high speed 1-bit PWM (Pulse Wave Modulation) signal, using the principles of ΔΣ modulation to push conversion errors into frequencies far above the frequency of the motor’s rotation.
The electronic control unit pulses power on and off according to the PWM signal at a speed of more than 100,000 times per second (100 kHz), ensuring electrical noise is outside audible frequency (20 kHz top limit). The mechanical inertia of the platter essentially acts as a natural low-pass filter, smoothing out the PWM’s pulses back into the shape of the original, perfect sine wave, resulting in a smooth current that creates a rotating magnetic field with quite literally zero vibration and fluctuation. All of this results in near-perfect sound reproduction and a wide, accurate soundstage.
Whew, that’s a lot. And that isn’t even all of it. The SL1210-GR2 uses Current Injection Active Noise Cancellation, which detects the power supply’s noise and applies a reverse phase current, canceling the noise and resulting in an incredibly low noise floor. It should be noted that this turntable does NOT come with a phono preamp or phono cartridge—most turntables at this level do not. With the accuracy of this turntable, expect to spend a few thousand more dollars on accessories worthy of the machine—if you’re going in, go all in.
If all this technical information is boggling the mind, you can know this: The Technics SL1210-GR2 uses bleeding edge technology and engineering to deliver the clearest, most accurate, and highest quality sound reproduction possible outside of the world’s most expensive hi-fi audio systems, all while maintaining incredible durability that DJs require to do their jobs. Vinyl DJs who are ready to ball out, look no further.
Budget: Audio-Technica Consumer AT-LP120XBT-USB Stereo Turntable with USB and Bluetooth
A long-time industry standard budget direct-drive DJ turntable, the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB is one of the most popular and utilized turntables in both professional DJ and consumer/prosumer markets—and for good reason. The affordability to feature ratio of this machine is incredible, and while it’s the perfect turntable for beginner vinyl DJs, it can very well serve intermediate to advanced level DJs. You’ll be able to use it for quite a while before you’ll feel the need to upgrade.
Because the AT-LP120XBT-USB is meant for beginner/intermediate users, it comes preinstalled with many features higher end turntables do not—including a pre-mounted (and upgradable) AT-VM953 phono cartridge, a built-in switchable phono preamp, USB output, and Bluetooth connectivity with aptX audio codec. While Bluetooth is not something a DJ would take advantage of (with a few exceptions), Audio-Technica had home users in mind while designing the machine, meaning that it’s a perfectly fine listening table. While the built-in phono preamp is a convenient and cost-saving inclusion, its performance is not all that great, adding quite a bit of distortion and loudness during playback. It is switchable however, so you can find your own favorite preamp, and it’ll work just like any other turntable.
The AT-LP120XBT-USB comes with all the standard bells and whistles of a fully fledged DJ turntable, with pitch control, stroboscopic platter, and stylus target light, three playback speeds supporting 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM, adjustable tonearm, and removable dust cover. You can’t go wrong this holiday with this time-tested and popular machine.
Mixers
Baller: AlphaTheta Euphonia Professional 4-Channel Rotary Mixer
For those who DJ with vinyl or high-fidelity digital audio, or if you’re looking for the perfect DJ mixer for your Hi-Fi club or venue, the AlphaTheta Euphonia Rotary Mixer is the ultimate machine. With its luxurious build, built-in monitoring screen, and ease of use, there is no better sounding or performing mixer on the market.
The Euphonia achieves this unrivalled sound profile due to its 32-bit analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog converter (adc/dac), its 96 kHz 64-bit floating point processer in its DSP (digital signal processor), and its Rupert Neve transformer (audiophiles rejoice!), allowing you to push the mix super hot to attain the iconic Neve saturation, injecting rich harmonics and deep punch into any track. Although this type of mixer would normally be used for analog/vinyl DJing, it also features a USB-C connection for use with a computer.
The Euphonia is a rotary mixer, meaning you won’t find any faders—only potentiometers and buttons. This design philosophy harkens back to the original way audio equipment was built and used particularly in the dawn of DJing, iconic for its use in legendary clubs such as Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. Rotary mixers are centered around smooth transitioning, classic workflow, and superior build quality, as opposed to more modern styles of turntablism and quick frenetic transitioning—record scratchers beware.
AlphaTheta did consider this, however—the main volume knobs have an interesting function: when you turn the knob slowly, it acts as a normal, old-school pot—plenty of resistance for specific positioning and slow, even transition. However, when you turn the knob quickly, this resistance is entirely removed becoming slippery, allowing you (with some practice) to instantly transition, cut, or fade anyway you’d like.
Budget: Numark M6 USB 4-Channel USB DJ Mixer
If you’re looking for simplicity, clarity, and affordability, the Numark M6 USB is a no-nonsense mixer that sounds great and has all the basic features you need to start mixing. The M6 does not waste its time worrying about anything fancy—it has no FX and no sampling capability. What it does have is four channels each with 3-band EQ, gain control, channel faders with LED metering, and channel cues—literally all you need and nothing more.
While the Numark M6 USB can be used as a four-channel mixer, the design of the machine lends itself to using it as a two-channel mixer depending on whether you want to use its titular 2-in/2-out USB-B connection. Channels one and two have a toggle on top of the channel strip that allows the choice between phono and line-level whereas channels three and four offer line-level or USB audio input, meaning that vinyl DJs would use only channels one and two and computer-based DJs would use channels three and four. If you were to use a CD player, another form of media player, or were using a combination of digital DJ software and hardware physical media players, then the possibility of using all four decks is there—but if you’re at the level where you’re using 4 CDJs, affordability is something you’ve already abandoned.
The USB connection is 2-in/2-out, meaning the mixer can send or receive a single stereo audio signal to or from your computer, so you can record your mixed performance, or you can playback tracks from the DJ software of your choice. However, this means you specifically cannot send four separate tracks from your computer to each channel of the M6, and you cannot use the M6 as a midi controller for your DJ software.
The M6 is perfect for old-school, physical media-based DJs who just want to mix. We like the M6 because despite the lack of advanced features, it is an extremely high-quality audio bridge for routing a stereo source or recording your finished mix to your computer. The Numark M6 USD performs what it’s designed to do fantastically and efficiently.
Headphones
Baller: AlphaTheta HDJ-F10-TX Professional Wireless DJ Headphones with Transmitter
If you’re already balling out on our pick for an all-in-one system the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ, The AlphaTheta HDJ-F10-TX headphones can be a key part of your ecosystem, providing high-resolution sound with ultra-low latency wireless connectivity via AlphaTheta’s proprietary SoundLink Bluetooth codec. With the included HP-TX01 transmitter, these buckets can transmit audio with an imperceptibly quick nine-millisecond delay and will remove the clutter and potential disconnection you’d deal with using wired headphones. Of course, you can still use them with a wire.
These headphones deliver high performance with an insane frequency response of 5 Hz to 30 kHz and use a composite film diaphragm in their 40mm drivers called PEEK-PU-PEEK. This refers to the Polyether Ether Ketone outer layers whose properties of rigidity and strength allow the frequency response to reach as high as 30 kHz, and the Polyurethane inner layer that acts as a damping material, absorbing undesirable resonances.
Its wireless function will ONLY work with certain Alphatheta products, so be sure to either buy in conjunction with the XDJ-AZ, or have use of its ridiculous high-end range when you use them wired. In either case, these headphones will allow you to hear every detail of your mix whether mixing at home or playing a set for the dance floor.
Budget: Sony MDR-7506 Headphones
Long live the Sony MDR-7506s. These classic closed back headphones originally debuted way back in 1991 and have seen only a single change to their internal components in that time (switching the drivers magnet from samarium cobalt to neodymium, which was necessary)—yet they remain one of the most popular audio professional headphones on the market, and likely will remain so forever.
The MDR-7506s are a ubiquitous mainstay of the professional audio industry due to their neutral sound, flat frequency response, incredible value, professional reputation, durability, and noise isolation. They’re also incredibly easy to repair, held together by screws and featuring replaceable parts. It’s one of the most reviewed products we have at B&H, with 1,600 user reviews on our storefront, maintaining a 4.7-star rating. They’re the Toyota Corolla of headphones—if you take care of them, they could quite literally last you forever. Just buy a pair already!
Speakers
Baller: Electro-Voice EVOLVE 50M Portable 1000W Subwoofer and Column Speaker Kit with Bluetooth
If you’re a DJ whose line of work expects them to provide their own kit, and play small to medium-sized venues, this Bluetooth enabled, fifty-seven-pound three-piece system (each) is a perfect blend of power, sound quality, and portability.
The EVOLVE 50Ms come with a 500-watt column array that attaches directly into a 500-watt subwoofer, allowing a max SPL of 127 dB, meaning these things can bump even in larger rooms. Included on the speakers is its own onboard digital signal processor that offers sound profile presets for DJ, live music, speech, and more, as well as a 3-band EQ, all managed on an LCD interface.
These speakers are perfect not only for DJs, but anyone who is looking for a high-powered, convenient, and portable solution to amplification.
Budget: Alto Professional TX408 350W 2-Way Powered Loudspeaker with Bluetooth ALTX408
For DJs and small to mid-sized venues, the Bluetooth-enabled Alto Professional YX408 Loudspeakers are an incredible budget option that outperforms its price. While its 350-watt claim is true, because it’s a bi-amplified design, 250 watts are delivered to the subwoofer (which makes sense—low frequencies require more power to present a sound with the same perceived volume) and 100 watts to the tweeter. It still delivers up to 114 dB SPL and can push some serious air.
We like that the Bluetooth capability works with two speakers at once, allowing you to use a pair of TX408s without having to connect them physically, as well as the inclusion of a modest but welcome 2-channel mixer with combo XLR/1/4” TRS input, giving the speakers some real flexibility and allowing you to do whatever you’re trying to accomplish.
The Alto Professionals are great for an on-the-go DJ on a budget, but can be used in many different circumstances, and only weigh 13 pounds each, making them easy to grab and go. For the price, you will not be disappointed with these beefy and accessible speakers.
