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Best low budget CDJs?

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 5:34 pm
by POND LIFE
Firstly, I know the merits of vinyl and the evil of CDs, so you needn't tell me about that, but I'm simply a very poor man, so I've decided to go for CD to start my spinning career...
So which CDJs are the best you can get for less than £300-400, including amp and mixer? (or just mixer, not sure if they come with amp) I saw some decent looking ones with mixer built in for less than 300 but now can't find them, and wasn't sure of the brand.

safe!

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 6:06 pm
by deadly_habit
i've got a gemini cdj-02
gets the job done

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 6:27 pm
by FSTZ1
I played on cdj-200's a couple weeks ago

they seemed to work ok beside being so friggin small

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:08 pm
by lojik
I have Denon DNS1000's and they are great. Played them at quite a few parties/mini festivals now and they always work fine.

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:44 pm
by fiziks
Well, the price of Pioneer CDJ-200's is the same as brand new tech 1200's so, I wouldn't call that a discount. Apparently the CDJ-100's are limited in the pitch adjusting department.

Have you considered a midi dj controller like the Numark Omni Control or something comparable? They're only $350.00 and you could use it at home to mix and burn cd's as you need them when you play out and get to use some proper cdj-1000's.

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:49 am
by harbinger
Deadly Habit wrote:i've got a gemini cdj-02
gets the job done
this. had these for bout a year and done me well so far.

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:06 am
by abZ
I would say get something like this instead

Image

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 3:26 am
by grooki
Stanton 324s are pretty good, to me it looks as though they have more features than Pioneer 1000s, and are less than half the price. Only problem is some have a faulty cd loader, but you can always swap over under warranty if you get a bad one...

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:30 am
by apathesis
Numark axis 9's served me well for years and years.

Simple but they work :D

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:14 am
by yellowhighlighter
abZ wrote:I would say get something like this instead

Image
honestly i agree.

getting low budget CDJs or turntables is just a bad move. you end up wasting money because the actual gear will most likely be crap. you can DJ with your laptop now anyway. if you're worried about the coolness factor low budget CDJs don't look very cool either.

btw vinyl can take a running fucking jump.

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:08 am
by apathesis
yellowhighlighter wrote:
getting low budget CDJs or turntables is just a bad move. you end up wasting money because the actual gear will most likely be crap.
True,
yellowhighlighter wrote: you can DJ with your laptop now anyway. if you're worried about the coolness factor low budget CDJs don't look very cool either.
True,
yellowhighlighter wrote: btw vinyl can take a running fucking jump.
Ooooooooooh :P :lol:

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:11 am
by Brisance
CDJ-100.

/thread.

EDIT:
Image

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:20 am
by rowett
i just added one Denon DN-S1200 to my setup, bagged it for £360, very very pleased with it indeed. plays MP3s off USB as well. if i get good with it i'll probably add another one when i can spare the cash.

i can't see how Pioneer justify the cost of CDJs!

Re: Best low budget CDJs?

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:50 pm
by Debaser1
Im looking to get some, but I know little to nothing about mixing gear. All the mixes I've done have been in program Logic Pro ones or whatever.
So what do I need to buy? Is it just the CDJ's and I whack the CD in and I'm away? Or do I need 200 quid of other rubbish as well? Help a newbie like me!

Re: Best low budget CDJs?

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:53 pm
by sixth sense
i got denon 3000's you can get em pretty cheap these days they got some nice features

Re: Best low budget CDJs?

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:37 pm
by hifi

Re: Best low budget CDJs?

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:45 pm
by Depone
Numarks new range called the NDX400 seem to be getting some good press recently. that and you can use the platter to 'scratch' or rub the cd like you would a record. Pretty handy for cueing up tracks... heres a video.

Skip to 2:00 in


Recon im going to get some soon actually.

Re: Best low budget CDJs?

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:23 pm
by Biscuit
With that M-Audio Xponent does anyone use that? My situation is I'm looking to learn to DJ and I've seen those up for sale for as low as 300 around here. 300-400 doesn't seem unreasonable to me if it works ok given that I'm just trying to get started learning. I'm not even really looking to play out yet, just learn beatmatching and techniques. The Xponent should fit my needs ok?

Re: Best low budget CDJs?

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:22 am
by lodestone
peep this link.... 36 dj midi contollers reviewed.


http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2010/11/dj ... uide-2011/


You need to think about what software you want to use. Most you can remap to whatever software you want but it'll probably be easier doing it in the software they designed it for. Try demos of the software before you buy a controller. Most controllers come with an LE version of software and a discount for the PRO version. You also need to think about what you're going to want in the future vs what you need right now. I wanted an all in one unit, with sound card, and external inputs to expand my setup.


I ended up going with a Hercules RMX. Which for me is perfect. Has a sound card. I can select, cue up tracks, nudge them, and mix them in all on one unit. Remapping was really easy. The huge advantage for me was it has inputs. I can hook up a set of decks or cdjs. So when I have the cash and space my system doesn't need to be completely replaced, just added to. I spent a long time looking over the midi options available last year before i settled on this one. i really like the build on it, it feels solid. i use it pretty much every day and will just throw it in a bag for parties. the jog wheels however are very shitty on this deck, they are NOT touch sensative. they work for nudging and that's about it. this is the only major con i've found for this set up. also no LEDs under the eq kill switches. annoying but not the end of the world. i also use it for knob twisting and what not in the production set up.

numark omni - build on this looks good. has a sound card. looks to be about level with the RMX, unfortunetly no inputs.

numark mixtrack pro - wasn't out when i bought my rmx. build looks decent. comes with a sound card. reviews seem good. jog wheels are touch sensative. supposed to be awesome and the price is really good. this looks like a decent all in one choice. no inputs though.

m-audio xponent - this looked really badly laid out to me. why the hell are the jog wheels at the top? looks like you could easily bump your pitch shift or a knob. no inputs. has a sound card. i like the idea of an x-y pad for effects. reviews are good though.


vestex vci 100/300 - reviews on these are really awesome. the jog wheels are touch sensative and seem to be the best on the market. i really wanted one of these. what turned me away was PRICE, no external inputs and the VCI 100 does not have a sound card, 300 does.

numark N7 - supposed to be awesome, but why are you buying an expensive midi system to emulate vinyl control? you can't even play records on the damn thing. supposed to feel just like vinyl, costs a shit load, and you still need a coffin case to carry it. you decide if it's worth it. i would rather buy decks and control vinyl.

NI Kontrol S4 - also supposed to be awesome. reviews are good. has a sound card, has external inputs. i've heard the sample decks are really nice. expensive.

Re: Best low budget CDJs?

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:05 am
by amphibian
Second the VCI-100. I bought an Audio2DJ to support it, haven't looked back. Awesome units - however, do not think that by learning on them you're doing yourself any real favours. You will need some serious time with some proper gear to really tune your ear and your skills. They're good for getting started, but they reach their limitations very quickly.