If you’re just starting out as a vinyl DJ, chances are that record grooves aren’t the only thing you’re trying to scratch. You’re also trying to scratch together enough cash to buy a good turntable system -- one that will let you hone your skills spinning and scratching and mixing up tracks.

So what would you expect to pay for a couple of professional decks and a DJ mixer? $500? $400?
How does under $300 sound? American Audio is offering a complete direct drive turntable system for beginning jocks, the Vinyl 101, that has an incredible street price of $299.99. It consists of two of the company’s VTD-1000 direct drive turntables, a 2-channel VM-100 DJ mixer and everything you need to hook them together.

That seemed to us like quite a deal, but then we found out the Vinyl 101 package also includes American Audio’s high-powered HP-500 stereo headphones, which alone would sell for nearly 70 bucks! This was too unbelievable a value for us not to check out.

The Vinyl 101’s components all come bundled together in a convenient box, which struck us as fitting, because this is a system that can be used “right out of the box” -- literally. All the necessary cables are included, as are the turntable cartridges and needles, and we were able to get up and spinning in minutes.

The VTD-1000 turntables are sturdily built direct drive units. A direct drive turntable, for you 101-ers out there, is one that has its platter directly mounted onto its motor, as opposed to a belt drive turntable, where the platter is attached to the motor with an elastic band. On a direct drive deck, the torque is much higher, which means that when you hit the Start button the platter will accelerate to its proper speed faster (just like a high-torque sports car) and, even more importantly, that the platter speed is less susceptible to outside forces like the stylus or a DJ’s hand. Bottom line, you can scratch on a direct drive deck, but not on a belt drive one.

Aside from its well-built direct drive motor, we liked the other user-friendly features on VTD-1000 deck, such as its big platter Start/Stop button, adjustable anti-skating metal tone arm, and adjustable feet that allow it to be leveled on any surface. Its direct drive motors can operate at both 33 and 44 RPMs, and there’s a 45 adapter for 7-inch records. Essentially, the VTD-1000 has all the basics a beginning DJ would need in an entry-level deck. You’re not getting the bells and whistles, but that’s actually good, because it’s what allows American Audio to offer a well-made direct drive turntable at such a budget-friendly price.

The same holds true of the Vinyl 101’s VM-100 mixer. This is a basic down-to-earth 2-channel unit, equipped with 2 phono and 2 line level inputs, that includes independent gains per channel and a good quality replaceable cross-fader. It’s got a nice clean signal to noise ratio, so you really keep the hisses and hums out of there. We were also impressed with the high output it blasts out to the headphones -- you definitely won’t have any problems hearing your handiwork.

The headphones – yes, they’re included with the Vinyl 101 too. This particular model HP-500 stereo headphone has been around for awhile and it’s a proven good seller for AA. It’s got 57mm speaker drivers, and you can use it for dual or single-ear monitoring because of its flexible housing design. Another nice thing is that the earpad is replaceable so you don’t have to buy a whole new set of phones when the pads wear out – another thing that will save you some bucks.

If saving bucks is something you’re interested in --and what beginning jock isn’t -- but you don’t want to settle for less-than-decent quality, this turntable system might be just what you’re looking for. American Audio’s Vinyl 101 not only lets you take control of your music – but your budget, too.