in all honesty the 1620 is not what id reccomend for a new dj either. id go as far as to say AVOID unless you really know it's what you want.
get something that is easy to use and flexible, my bargain pick of mixers is the
Vestax VMC-002. It's cheap enough that isn't a huge investment (~$170) initially for your learning period. It's got all the functions you could want for mixing house and beginning to spin hip hop. its got the nice vestax layout and tactility of controls for both house and hip hop. it's got the awesome vestax sound (that can't be beat unless you spend a _LOT_ more), and finally you can upgrade the xfader to vestax's PCV fader from the 005 007's if you want (albeit for ~$70).
you simply can't beat the vestax VMC range for low end mixers. nothing comes near them in terms of sound, build and features.
second hand 1200's are the way to go. doesnt matter if theyre m3d's mk2's mk3's etc whatever. just get a pair thats in good condition aesthetically and mechanically. that means don't buy a pair that is missing a tone arm or is in anyway damaged. then spend however much it costs in your area (it varies greatly depending on geographical area) to get a service with calibration etc (removing that god damn quartz lock)
for cartridges, the shure m44's both sound good and hold well theyre a good choice for a first cartridge regardless of whether you're playing house or hip hop. the 680's sound great but are not as durable as the others so should only be considered once you've settled in to a house groove. the stanton 500's are junk which i would avoid at all costs unless you want your records to sound like fuzz in a short period of time. ortofon's are great, i personally use ortofon scratch's (yes for non hiphop/scratch mixing) due to their longevity and high output (we usually fly through needles once every 6 weeks otherwise). i've grown fond of the ortofon electro sound of late, theyre not as durable as the scratch's but i dont mix as much vinyl these days. _WARNING_ do NOT NOT NOT get concorde's ever, they are overpriced and wear out in short periods of times (where the metal collar bonds on to the cartridge body). i've had them fall apart on me within 9 months. with ortofon's get the OM series, using the stylus alignment guage it'll be perfectly setup on a standard headshell and are a lot cheaper. my OM cartridge bodies are four years old and showing absolutely NO signs of age at all.
cans, get something indestructable or with easily replaceable parts and good warranty. for me this means HD25's or K181's. i use hfi 500dj1's, but i'm not sure i'd reccomend them a new dj. theyre a finely tuned instrument that a lot of people have difficulty using, but once u get used to them, you can't use anything else
