If you like the feel of playing CDJ's and the lack of vinyl immulation is the only thing that concerns you, get the 200's. If you are on a budget and the decks will never leave your house, the 200's will work the same as the 800's. I started on 100's and moved to 800's. The only added feat. was the vinyl.

I LOVE the feel of vinyl, but the few times I've used CDJ-800/1000 it hasn't really had the same feel even with the supposed emulation. Sound, yes, feel, no. Something about the lack of a rotating platter with significant mass/torque. In a way that's good, a primarily electronic device should not have excessive mechanical complexity, but it means that there's just no substitute for vinyl.

also, I don't want to overlook Denon's line of CD decks, if they're worth considering as an alternate in the relatively budget spectrum of players. any advice regarding non-Pioneer decks?

quote:

Originally posted by progressiveMOJO I LOVE the feel of vinyl, but the few times I've used CDJ-800/1000 it hasn't really had the same feel even with the supposed emulation. Sound, yes, feel, no. Something about the lack of a rotating platter with significant mass/torque. In a way that's good, a primarily electronic device should not have excessive mechanical complexity, but it means that there's just no substitute for vinyl. also, I don't want to overlook Denon's line of CD decks, if they're worth considering as an alternate in the relatively budget spectrum of players. any advice regarding non-Pioneer decks?

Just a little thought, As Dennon cd player's are good peices of equiptment they are not industry standard. That may not mean a lot to some one playing in their bedroom only but you should always feel comfortable on what your playing on. I have only seen 2 or 3 clubs that have dennon cd players and they were the rack mount not the table top ones. the cdj 800 are pretty much the same as the 1000's minus a few things. if you play on any of the pioneer cd players you will be comfortable playing on them in front of 1500 people. trust me you want to be comfortable. also as much as you may like playing on vinyl it is going away. More and more clubs are starting to only have cd players only in the dj booth.

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quote:

Originally posted by Benjamin_D Just a little thought, As Dennon cd player's are good peices of equiptment they are not industry standard. That may not mean a lot to some one playing in their bedroom only but you should always feel comfortable on what your playing on. I have only seen 2 or 3 clubs that have dennon cd players and they were the rack mount not the table top ones. the cdj 800 are pretty much the same as the 1000's minus a few things. if you play on any of the pioneer cd players you will be comfortable playing on them in front of 1500 people. trust me you want to be comfortable. also as much as you may like playing on vinyl it is going away. More and more clubs are starting to only have cd players only in the dj booth.

Denon's Dual CD players are known as the industry's best. The tabletop CD Players - the 1000, 3500, 5000 - are ok, but personally I didn't like them. The 3500's are crap. Sold them after 3 months and bought the Pioneers....

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I've played on CD decks with rotating platters and it's not an advantage at all imo. At first I thought it would be cool to be closer to the feel of vinyl, but it didn't turn out that way for me. Specifically, I used Dirk's Technics SL-DZ1200's, which are beautiful pieces of equipment btw, seriously, they did it right. However you have much more accurate control with the platter on a CDJ800, as nudging it doesn't require the use of the right amount of friction or pushing force, but instead simply rotating the platter a certain amount. Also, what is essentially adjustable virtual torque, is great to have too, especially when you can set it to be infinite (i.e. zero lag when you release the platter/track during cuing). Yeah, the platter is light, but it gives you a different kind of control which is more accurate and predictable by design. I used some Denons with rotating platters once upon a time... they were really nice decks but I didn't like the platters much. I guess I may have been able to because accustomed to the Denons in time or something... the Technics platters were much nicer though. Oh, and the higher end Denon's cd decks typically have some cool features...

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I'm on a budget, so higher-end anything is out of reach unless I can get a really great deal or a really good job during the school year. I might run off to Guitar Center and see if I can get decent financing or a discount for buying 2 (they've done that for me with other equipment).

How does the SL-DZ1200 measure up to the CDJ-800 overall, if anyone here has used both?

Like I said, the SL-DZ1200 is a solid piece of equipment, well designed and well made. Nice display, SD card slot, a good amount of features. However they're a bit more expensive than a CDJ800, the rotating platter just isn't as good as the Pioneer platters (on the 800's/1000's), plus they aren't standard issue (if that matters at all). I've owned a CDJ800 and I currently have a CDJ800MK2. I've got to say, Pioneer have really done a good job with their higher end CDJs (800's/1000's), because they've (imo) perfected the CD deck platter. CDJs have come a long way and they are the industry standard because they are pleasing to use in every way.

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since I don't scratch and doubt I ever will is that really an issue though?

on the original topic, anyone know someone who's selling CD decks?

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on the original topic, anyone know someone who's selling CD decks?

No.

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