Convince me to choose the 2500?

Was fairly dead set on getting a 2500 and it's more or less in my budget, but after looking around locally it seems that 1000's are obviously more abundant, making me reconsider my options. It seems like most of the sellers with good deals on ebay are either overpriced, don't ship outside of USA, or are posted by people with '2' seller feedback which scares me away.

The best offer I've had so far was ~$445 locally for the red/blue 1000. It comes with 128MB ram, 512MB CF flash (negligible), and JJ OS1 I believe, meaning I would be able to get JJOS2XL at a discounted upgrade.

The best offer I've had for the 2500 is $1000, however this price is not firm and I may be able to offer $800-900 for the machine. I'm not sure if this one has any upgrades or anything though, as the seller has not responded to my second round of e-mails.

After talking briefly to both sellers it seems both of these were purchases made on a whim so they should not have much use. I'm more confident that the 2500 is in more pristine condition as it was purchased only a few months ago, and the seller is getting rid of it because they moved to a software dependent setup.

One thing I found out through here is that one need not buy the proprietary upgrades, so realistically the upgrades on the 1000 are really only worth about $10-40 total if I bought the PC 133 144PIN CL3 SODIMM ram and the laptop drive off ebay, if I decided on a 2500 with no upgrades.

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Now, through searching these fora it seems that JJOS XL (a must) brings these two machines to parity in terms of software functionality so it's really down to the hardware. Just wanted to hear some opinions on whether you guys think the price difference is worth it or not.

For me it seems that the differences are mostly convenience rather than necessity...sampling directly from CD drive would allow me to keep the digital in permanently fixed to either my computer/DAC and I wouldn't have to unplug it every time I wanted to sample CD. It also seems like the tilt-able screen is also more ergonomic for working on and the better quality/increased size pads are a plus, along with the extra in/outputs.

Any input? At the end of the equation we're looking at the 2500 for almost double the price of the 1000, perhaps.

http://www.mpc-tutor.com/article/2/akai ... i-mpc2500/
this is a useful article for specs and stuff between the 2.

i use a 1000 with JJOS1 and it works really well for me.
i guess if u want to take it anywhere with you then get the 1000
but the 2500 is also dope too, with jjos they are very similar but the 2500 does have some nice extras

so if you're not playing out with the thing every night i'd say go for the 2500. maybe hold out a little and see if a better price will come along

also, the pads on the older 1000's tend to have pad problems so look out for that
there's the upgrade for it but that will run you around $180.

check that article tho!

kardus wrote:Any input? At the end of the equation we're looking at the 2500 for almost double the price of the 1000, perhaps.

The 2500 is worth the extra cash in my opinion, especially if it's practically brand new.

Fresh out of the box it has the better more responsive pads, the tilt screen, extra outs and more Q-links. The 1k even with the pad fix needs additional fixes (fat pads etc) to get anywhere near full size pad sensitivity. The only real downside of the 2500 is the crappy jog wheel which has an abusively loud clicking sound to it.

Other than that, the fail rate of tact switches on both is high, so you will need to be good at soldering or have a can of Deoxit lying around for when they randomly stop working.

Thanks, I've seen that article already. The main thing that caught me from it was 'The MPC2500 is able to automatically chop loops based on analysis of the peaks in the waveform' (seems like a real time saver...), in addition to the velocity pitch; however, with JJOSXL all of the 'software' features listed as being 2500 exclusive should now be in both units, correct?

When you say 'pad fix' I'm assuming you mean actually changing the pad's board/circuitry out and not actually just changing the silicone pads, correct?

Soldering is no issue for me, in fact a good portion of my hi-fi stuff I've built myself. But, if this pad fix is going to potentially cost $100-200 that could change the price difference between the two units to only around $150-250...with that in the equation the 2500 seems more justifiable. It seems like the only make black 1000's now, so I'm going to assume all the red/blue model offered to me is 'old'?

Seems like I was right in initially considering the 2500, but I guess considering the 1000 is me trying to cut corners with the larger purchase, maybe I just don't want to be disappointed. The unit will probably be sitting in the same spot most of the time... I can't really see myself bringing it out more than once a week or even monthly, if at all, so size isn't a significant selling point.

Anyone have anything else to add? Thanks for the input everyone. Maybe I should post a link to this thread in the 1000 section and see if you lot are just biased!

yea if its a used red and blue mpc1000, it will need the pad fix eventually and yea its the sensors underneath

go for the 2500

kardus wrote:When you say 'pad fix' I'm assuming you mean actually changing the pad's board/circuitry out and not actually just changing the silicone pads, correct?

The original 1k's required a pad fix because they were shipped with a new type of sensor design that wasn't up to scratch. The fix costs $180 and replaces the sensor and the pads.

JJ brings equal benefits to both machines, so functionally there is nothing in it between the two.

When it comes to size, line up a 4k next to a 2500 and you realise the 2500 is actually quite a small machine and portable enough if you need to take it anywhere.

Are there any pad upgrades for the 2500? Do 'fat' pads bring anything to the table? Only seeing those for the 1000, and not seeing any pads for the 2500 on mpcstuff.com either.

Edit: Aha I found it, http://www.mpcstuff.com/akmpcmpdthfa2.html

i've had various 1k's and 2500s over the years and right now i'm on a 1k. i love working on a 2500 more than anything but my budget isnt really up for that... plus the 1k is very portable.. that's a plus. got the fat pads... wouldn't use it without them, but my fingers do wish they had more room to play, and i usually prop a couple books under it so it's angled to my face... that gets annoying. i'm about to change the tact switches because they sometimes require a double push. i've replaced tact switches in the past and it is so great, both machines could use it. the red/blue1ks have better tact switches than the black back plate 1k's tho.

my room mate also has a 1k.... so just think... two 1ks... (and a electribe sx-1) now thats a combo.

i shouldn't have to......

kardus wrote:Are there any pad upgrades for the 2500? Do 'fat' pads bring anything to the table? Only seeing those for the 1000, and not seeing any pads for the 2500 on mpcstuff.com either.

Edit: Aha I found it, http://www.mpcstuff.com/akmpcmpdthfa2.html

Some guys here got them for the 2500 and liked them. With JJOS2XL (maybe the others too) you get finer tuning of the sensitivity. With that I never felt the need for the Fat Pads. On my 1000 they absolutely turned the machine into a proper responsive MPC. Generally speaking they are a must for a properly functioning 1000 or MPD controller, but aren't as necessary on other models. Some seemed to like the extra bit of rubber as it generally requires lighter taps.

co-sign metatron72's post above....

the pads that come with the 2500 are much more responsive than the pads on the 1000... i still love both machines just the same though... with jjos my 1000 is essentially just a portable 2500 with fewer ins/out.

unless Im gettin comission on this sale, aint gonna happen


there is a trick to make 1000's pads feel as responsive, i know Nym & poundaproblem did it

Yeah I'm also planning on getting JJOSXL, so then I might not need the upgrade. The black ones would look so good though! I might indulge in them even if I don't absolutely need it since I saved so much on my upgrades by getting aftermarket stuff.