Maplin new lights

[DJWilson]

Hi all,

I was just looking through the maplin DJ lighting menu and was suprised to see sme KAM gear (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?menuno=13619&FromMenu=y&doy=17m8&MenuName=DJ%20Lighting)...shame its LED :( and some pretty good lasers.


Changed for the better IMO.

[djsteve10]

Looks quite good, Lets just hope that they upgrade their Sound department nest then.

[DJWilson]

Yeah there starting to look more pro. but there old gear was good just not top of the range

[Tom]

I see that the star cluster is only in green and only at £199 aswell.

[501damian501]

i once had a kam eq and was impressed, i must admit their products are more up market, but dont like the maplin guys talk you into buying their rubbish :D

[BeerFunk]

Do people see Kam as mid-range gear then? I've always found their products to be hit or miss, with the emphasis on miss.

I'm not sure what DJs expect from Maplin, but for some reason they are seen as a genuine disco equipment supplier. I don't see them in that way at all, i see them as an electronics store, who have a large range of electronic products without any specialist area. As such, they supply only budget disco equipment, which is not aimed at DJs or disco companies specifically, but all passing trade in their shops.

It's a similar situation in the large supermarkets, where you have a large flow of passing trade in for their groceries, who may decide to pick up clothing, electrical/white goods, books, sports equipment, a mobile phone contract, car & home insurance - but didn't plan on it beforehand.

[A1DL]

Do people see Kam as mid-range gear then?

No. As a brand, Kam sits fairly and squarely in the "budget" / "entry level" range.

Mid-range brands may include the likes of Numark, Peavey, Citronic and the like.

[Tom]

Mid-range brands may include the likes of Numark, Peavey, Citronic and the like.

I would of put Citronic in the entry level bracket but that just me.

I have a rack case by them. Its not brilliant but it does the job.

[BeerFunk]

No. As a brand, Kam sits fairly and squarely in the "budget" / "entry level" range.

Mid-range brands may include the likes of Numark, Peavey, Citronic and the like.Yes, that checks out with what I always thought.

My very first CD decks and mixer were Kam - KCD960 I think the decks were - bright red things! And I don't recall them being cheap either!

[rob1963]

I've used KAM gear.

I'd say it's on a par with Numark.

[DJ INDIE]

maplins is thought of as a DJ supplier for lights and equipment because its a fairly large chain store with good locations and very little mainstream competition.

Bar very rare specialist DJ and lighting shops, they are the first (and in some cases, only) place the general public see DJ gear.

Even most musical instrument shops have very limited DJ PA and lighting sections.


Thanks to this forum, a lot of us have now seen the light and get better gear online from the sites mentioned on here and sometimes for roughly the same price!

[A1DL]

maplins is thought of as a DJ supplier for lights and equipment because its a fairly large chain store with good locations and very little mainstream competition.

Bar very rare specialist DJ and lighting shops, they are the first (and in some cases, only) place the general public see DJ gear.

Even most musical instrument shops have very limited DJ PA and lighting sections.



...which does not do the professional end of the industry any favours, as the general public can think (from what they see in these retail stores) that disco equipment is quite cheap, when in reality just one component of a professional system can cost more than a "complete Maplin disco".

[BeerFunk]

maplins is thought of as a DJ supplier for lights and equipment because its a fairly large chain store with good locations and very little mainstream competition.

Bar very rare specialist DJ and lighting shops, they are the first (and in some cases, only) place the general public see DJ gear.

Even most musical instrument shops have very limited DJ PA and lighting sections.That's exactly it, and I'm sure a lot of DJs starting out will shop there, until they learn that a lot (not all) of their products are really a false economy.

What puzzles me though, is the amount of times Maplin are discussed and linked to on here.


...which does not do the professional end of the industry any favours, as the general public can think (from what they see in these retail stores) that disco equipment is quite cheap, when in reality just one component of a professional system can cost more than a "complete Maplin disco".Precisely.