54 Vs. 56
I've had them all. The Vestax 05-06-07 with a P&G, the Rane 54, the Empath and the 56 and I have to say, the 56 is the be all end all....
First off, the sound quality of Rane makes up for any loss in features it may have. This I promise you. Their lack of marketing and panache will shut anyone's mind of criticism once you actually go in and play with one. The 54 is a solid, clean mixer but the 56 blew me away - but there is a substantial difference in price. According to the guys at Rane, the 52 i and 54i are going to drop in price (substantially). Rumor has it that DJ Focus is creating the focus fader for the 54 - so if you are looking for a more economical route, that may be a good choice with mods to come in the future.
But as for the 56 - the fader feel and the contour adjustements are better than anything out there. Anything. And the faders are also a lot shorter - 38 instead of 45mm. But that's just me - to many I know, they prefer the CPV click feel of the Vestax.
Thumbs way up for the 56 - if you could afford it, trust me, you'll love it. A lot of kats out there were always saying it, and I finally bit and bought. It ruined the rest.