SeriesPioneer CDJ

The CDJ 850 is one of the best and most affordable solutions to having a CDJ set up. It is made by Pioneer and for years they have been making these CDJ units and they are very well built and constructed. The CDJ 850 is one of the cheaper ones when it comes to price, not cheap in quality. For less than a 1 grand, the CDJ 850 almost has the same features as the 900 models except the 900 models cost a lot more. The CDJ 850 has top of the line mixing features and an unprecedented sound quality. You can pull all of your files and music from CD’s USB drives or external hard drives, and it plays WAV, AAC, AIFF and almost any other type of audio file that is used. Keep your computer at home with the CDJ 850 like you do with the 950 because all of your stuff can just be on USB drives. So what is really the difference between the 850 and the 900 besides the price. Well for starters I think the 900 has a better build to it, and a more stylish design. In my opinion that is the main thing that is the difference with the two. The CDJ 850 seems to be more for a DJ that is a beginner or with a smaller budget to work with and needs a CDJ device. The CDJ 850 comes with a DJ management software called Rekordbox, its not the best software for DJ management but its pretty darn good for it to be free with the CDJ 850. The face of the CDJ 850 is made so that the DJ has the quickest control and access to the music files. And with the WAV running across the screen you will have the proper visuals you need to be able to mix properly as well as have the artist name, and BPM of the song right there in front of you. The CDJ 850 is a low priced machine with everything a DJ needs. It would be my first unit if I was just starting out.

The Pioneer CDJ 900 is a MP3 CD Player that has all of the professional features needed for the working DJ. You can play back WAV, AAC and MP3 files and play back all files coming from a CD or USB cards. Using USB with the CDJ 900 could not be any easier, as soon as you plug it in slot which is on the face of the unit by the turntable , you will be able to have access to that USB drive right away, no waiting for it to read like some of the older CDJ units from Pioneer. You can connect your external hard drive via USB and have all of your music right at your finger tips and that means you can leave your computer (laptop) at home, because you will have no need for it, that is a huge selling point for me because not having extra gear to have to carry around means less trips from the car to the club. The Pioneer CDJ 900 is very easy to use, you can pretty much get it right out of the packaging and start using it right away. You won’t need to spend hours of looking through the manual to find what you need to understand. The CDJ 900 is also really well built, I don’t think it would be damaged by anything unless you purposely are trying to break it. You can use MIDI to connect certain functions and actions on the CDJ 900 is other controllers you might have in your set up. If you want, you can even connect multiple CDJ 900’s up (4 at the most) by using the link port and they an all share the same songs, memory cards, or USB info. The Pioneer CDJ 900 just have everything a working DJ needs. Even if you are on a budget you can still afford the price of the CDJ 900 and not have to worry about killing your bank account. It is a great buy and a must have.

The CDJ 2000 has a very high performance deck as well as the ability to play things via WiFi from your computer PC or Mac, and also from your phones (iPad, iPhone, Androids). You can use a hard wired connection to achieve playback as well via SD cards, CD’s, DVD’s and USB devices. Being able to play back from all of my devices was the reason that I chose to spend this much money for the CDJ 2000, I am very happy with my choice and glad that I chose to upgrade from the previous model of the CDJ. The value of this product is pretty good with the price that it is, I do wish it was a little cheaper though. But it holds up really well and can take some wear and tear. It has a color LCD display that is about 6 inches big, with a screen like that it will no longer be hard for your to make your song picks. The quantize mode on the CDJ 2000 is one of the best that I have used. It will quantize when you are using loops and it will do it automatically and very accurately. You can also save all of your settings the way that you like them, this comes in handy so that when you power on your CDJ 2000 all of your personal preferences are saved so you don’t have to set anything up. I own a pair of these now and will now sell my other similar models because I found the one that I really like using and feel comfortable with the most. I do several live gigs a week with the CDJ 2000 and the size of the screen has really spoiled me, it is very bright and easy to see and read the WAV’s on what you are doing. This is very important to me when in a live setting because it is always so dark. Hats off to the CDJ2000, it is truly one of a kind, you must try it out!

I purchased the unit from a local music store (Steve's Music) in Ottawa, Canada for 879.00$ CDN +Tax. First off... The price of the original Pioneer CDJ-1000 CD Player is way more expensive than what most DJ's are willing to pay for a product of this nature. This is the ultimate alternative. The Pioneer CDJ-800 gives you almost all the features of its big brother (the Pioneer CDJ-1000) at a fraction of the cost. It also gives you a few new features not found on their other units. Here are some of the highlights: - The automatic measured looping buttons are a very effective way to create the perfect loops as long as the bpm is properly calculated with the bpm counter. - The digital output actually allows you to use the pitch control (unlike the CDJ-1000 that sets the pitch to 0 in digital mode). - The new "Quick Return" feature lets you set a specific cue point and automatically brings it back to that initial point everytime you start scratching (a very useful feature for the trickster in you). - The "Master Tempo" is not laggy like it's competition. Pioneer definately sports the tightest algorithm out there. I've tested almost every brand available and this one really shines in that aspect! - The one touch reverse button lets you create amazing tricks and helps you decode songs with controversial backwards vocals. - It reads all formats of cds I tried (up to 24x burns) unlike the Pioneer CDJ-3000 dual unit which gets real picky, stops, and gives error messages. They seem to have fixed that bug quite well. Here are some of the very few things I disagree with: - CD Text is not supported with this unit. - The only pitch control ranges available are: (+/-10%) & (+/-100%) It's a shame they didnt include (+/-6%) & (+/-16%). - A tap button should have been installed to correct any wrong bpm count. The construction of the unit is perfect in every way. The look, the buttons, the feel, the layout, the size (which is more compact than the CDJ-1000). Even the smell of it is appealing (as it gets pulled out of the box for the 1st time). It's surprisingly lightweight and it really looks like it's built to last. It's an all round sexy machine!!! So if you are looking for a good solid and precise cd player, accept no imitations. The Pioneer CDJ-800 is the piece of gear for you! I've been DJ'ing for 12 years and I've worked with almost every piece of gear out there, this is by far my best purchase. Try one out at your local dealer and see for yourself, you won't be dissapointed. Cheers! Jamie Cronk "DJ Jamie C." This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Pioneer CDJ 200 is a pro cd and mp3 player. It is very compact and sleek with a very nice and stylish design that anyone can appreciate. As soon as you turn it on, it illuminates and looks great. The general use of the Pioneer cj 200 is very easy to understand. You will get it in no time without any manuals needed. The buttons on this device are very touch friendly. You don’t have to apply much pressure in order to get the function you want to work. A nice gentle push will do it, most other units similar to this one require you to put a forced pressure on the buttons to get them to operate. The display on the Pioneer CDJ 200 is not that big though, this could be a deal breaker from some people. The unit itself isn’t very big so there really wasn’t room to put a bigger display or lcd. There are a few effects that I really like though, Zip effect is a pretty need effect if you use it properly. The Pioneer CDJ does not have to be used as a DJ tool if you don’t want it to. You can simply use it as a regular cd player if you wish. But if you are looking for a regular cd player I don’t recommend getting this because you wont need all of the effects, plus you wouldn’t want to pay that much just for a cd unit. All in all you can expect a great quality product fro Pioneer , they normally create very powerful and stylish equipment and have a reputation for being one of the leading DJ equipment sellers across the world. You can go wrong with a Pioneer Product and the CDJ 200 will suit you just right. Grab on of these babies!

The Pioneer CDJ 800 is one of the best DJ CD players available for the money. With the advancement of CDJ series far beyond this basic model, they can be acquired for an affordable cost and offer the high quality you have come to expect from Pioneer as a DJ. The pitch adjust is solid and precise, and once you get the hang of it, you can hang on any Pioneer CD player out there. The Vinyl mode is essential and makes cueing CD's a cinch. The looping function makes working in tracks and spicing up DJ sets easy, with on the fly control of looping increment and length. If vinyl mode is not desired, regular cd playback mode is available. The user can also select the speed and pitch range of the track, so that slower tracks can be sped up far beyond the original tempo, allowing for more options in a DJ set than ever before. The 'Wide' pitch control option also allows for some really fun effects simply from slowing down and speeding up the track. Readout options let you customize the time display, track display, and time remaining readouts. The player gives the DJ the control desired, but is not too complicated for the less specified user to figure out. The quick playback response and informative display (Although lacking a waveform readout or peak reader, which will come on later model CDJs) gives the user enough information to play a smooth and well executed set. The sound, especially when enhanced with cable upgrades, is perfect. After having used many other CD players of varying brands and models, and experiencing the shaky pitch adjusts, poor displays, unreliable playback and sound quality, I am very pleased with the selection of this product.

(Originally written by laulaulastar/translated from Audiofanzine FR) - I used this player for several events. - Pros: effects, pitch, CD tray and CD loading system Cons: Obsolete cue point system, somewhat old... - I've mixed with a CDJ200, a CDJ800 and a DNS1000. There is simply no comparison with this one. - This player is obsolete and very expensive. You'll find better players or the same price (however the quality of this one is pretty high!). - I wouldn't buy it again because it's too old. I recommend you the CDJ200.