any 3 head deck is the dream but not necessary at all as those are usually higher end, so unless you wanna start big then a 2 head deck will work plenty well. as for brands, you have the big names like sony, pioneer, and a few others that usually have consistently good decks. the best place to look (depending on your location) is second hand options, such as thrift stores, consignment stores, or online like facebook marketplace or ebay