quote:

Originally posted by Dave Piazza I had the dn-s5000 and I didnt like how the patter was rubber band driven! It felt like a fisher price toy. It had alot of sh!t on it ( i.e smaples,alpha track.etc) but I never used that (sh!t). I sold both my units 4 months after I bought them new. I recommend the Pionner CDJ1000 or if money is an issue get the denon dn-4000 dual cd player ( this is what I currently own). If you want a simple cd player to mix songs with that will last you awile the dn-4000 is a good choice.

The thing is, does the S5000 really need a high torque direct drive motor if its only spinning a 7 inch light platter that will not have a record spinning on it, I think belt drive is fine for this, maybe scratchers will think otherwise, but I have seen scratchers go nuts on these things, they also went for belt driven to keep the price down.

First of all the platter isnt a big thick steel thing, and theres never been a case of a broken belt, or motor, or anything yet (at least thats what denon claims) Obviously the sound isnt affected by wow/flutter or anything (its digital of course), so being belt driven doesnt matter. So generally the belt drive is just fine, as far as reliability and sound goes.

Now as far as feel goes, the rubber band modification adds more torque, and all you need is the right rubber band. I havnt bothered to do it, because i dont scratch alot, and im quite satisfied with its original feel.

The Technics CD-mixers are the best I've ever had! Okay so they aren't exactly cheap, but you've got pure quality!

Definitly a hard comparisment with the Pioneer CDJ-1000 which is a good machine too, doesn't break easy, has al the essential buttons and stuff, but probably the most important thing to me is that they play smooth even if the cd shows some scratches or anything and those 2 machines have no difficulty with that, but even if it would skip and as beats & beeps already said: pitch bend buttons are heaven!

I would go for the Technics, more because of the better design (so it is a lame excuse ) but the Pioneer wont let you down either, I promise...

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As most already know, I agree with Neil. Technics CD decks are a great addition to any setup. The CDJ-1000s are just as good though. Different layouts, different feel.

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Helping girls make bad decisions since 1979

LOL... this question gets asked about every week. Is the search function still offline?

Anyway, I believe the CDJ 1000 MK2's are currently the most expensive (of the ones you've listed). It is, however, a SAFE bet! It is a solid cd deck and works great right out of the box. I'd say about 80% of the features are very intuitive to use and very well designed. It is a bit lacking in the "featuritis" category of it's competitors, but if you're just doing scratches and trance/hard trance then it is more than fine for you.

So having said the CDJ is the safest best (you really can't go wrong), take a look at the competitors to see if their additional features would be worthwhile for you.

Obviously the spinning platter is something some people prefer - so if you're in that camp, +1 for these competitors.
The feature that I like about the Denon S5000's is the alpha track -> the ability to play TWO tracks simultaneously on one S5000. That's pretty cool. It also has a ~35sec memory buffer/feature. So you can have it play the end of a cd/track, eject it and insert another cd.

The Technics SLDZ is pretty nifty too. Large-sized rotating platter and just damn sexiness. I hear bad things about it regarding scratching though, especially with key lock/master tempo turned on. You should do a thorough search on the internet regarding this cd deck if it suits your fancy. One other thing that really turned me off about the SLDZ is that you can't edit your loops, at least according to the reviews I've read. So if you're off you have to try it again.

I can't stress enough (and many others have said this as well) - get yer beehind to a store for some hands-on play. Burn 1 or 2 cds and bring it to your local music store dealer. And bring a checklist of features to try out, such as:

- how does the platter feel.. do you like manipulating it? The torque? (If it's spinning)
- how does the looping function work?
- what can you save to memory? cues, loops, and how many?
- size and weight (if this matters to you)
- how does the scratching feel? (try stabs, jabs, long & short scratches, etc)
- how does the scratching sound?
- how easy/intuitive is it to pitch bend?

Good luck!

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quote:

Originally posted by starlabs LOL... this question gets asked about every week. Is the search function still offline? Anyway, I believe the CDJ 1000 MK2's are currently the most expensive (of the ones you've listed). It is, however, a SAFE bet! It is a solid cd deck and works great right out of the box. I'd say about 80% of the features are very intuitive to use and very well designed. It is a bit lacking in the "featuritis" category of it's competitors, but if you're just doing scratches and trance/hard trance then it is more than fine for you. So having said the CDJ is the safest best (you really can't go wrong), take a look at the competitors to see if their additional features would be worthwhile for you. Obviously the spinning platter is something some people prefer - so if you're in that camp, +1 for these competitors. The feature that I like about the Denon S5000's is the alpha track -> the ability to play TWO tracks simultaneously on one S5000. That's pretty cool. It also has a ~35sec memory buffer/feature. So you can have it play the end of a cd/track, eject it and insert another cd. The Technics SLDZ is pretty nifty too. Large-sized rotating platter and just damn sexiness. I hear bad things about it regarding scratching though, especially with key lock/master tempo turned on. You should do a thorough search on the internet regarding this cd deck if it suits your fancy. One other thing that really turned me off about the SLDZ is that you can't edit your loops, at least according to the reviews I've read. So if you're off you have to try it again. I can't stress enough (and many others have said this as well) - get yer beehind to a store for some hands-on play. Burn 1 or 2 cds and bring it to your local music store dealer. And bring a checklist of features to try out, such as: - how does the platter feel.. do you like manipulating it? The torque? (If it's spinning) - how does the looping function work? - what can you save to memory? cues, loops, and how many? - size and weight (if this matters to you) - how does the scratching feel? (try stabs, jabs, long & short scratches, etc) - how does the scratching sound? - how easy/intuitive is it to pitch bend? Good luck!

Great advice!

Just to clear up the misconception about loop editing, it is very possible on the SL-DZ1200. You have 4 sample buttons which can store up to 32 seconds of music a piece. These can then be used to record a sample. Afterwards, you are allowed to edit it, have it set to loop, play once, or play as long as you hold it (i think that's the third option -- haven't taken the time out to play with it too much). After that, its just a matter of hitting the sample button with the loop.
What you might be getting confused is there is also a "quick" looping button which requires you to time it right in order to create a loop - this is not able to be edited, but as you can see there are a couple options to making a loop when it comes to the Technics.

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quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. Just to clear up the misconception about loop editing, it is very possible on the SL-DZ1200. You have 4 sample buttons which can store up to 32 seconds of music a piece. These can then be used to record a sample. Afterwards, you are allowed to edit it, have it set to loop, play once, or play as long as you hold it (i think that's the third option -- haven't taken the time out to play with it too much).

Ah good info. Thanks for clearing that up.

Q1) Can you edit both the in-point and the out-point of the sample?
Q2) I take it these samples can be saved to the memory card? Or not?

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quote:

Originally posted by starlabs Ah good info. Thanks for clearing that up. Q1) Can you edit both the in-point and the out-point of the sample? Q2) I take it these samples can be saved to the memory card? Or not?

A1) Yes, you can edit both points
A2) They can be saved to the SD card

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Helping girls make bad decisions since 1979

Purely based on scratching capabilities (after testing each of the 3 units below).

1) CDJ-800
2) CDX
8) Technics SLZ whatever the hell it is

This info is probably not that useful but whatever - the CDJ-800 is a great value in my opinion, but the other 2 units have a lot of cool features.

Let the debate rage on.

JM-8

Ah good point on the scratching... re: the CDJ 800 vs CDJ 1000.

The CDJ 800 has a lighter platter than the CDJ 1000, so if you're gonna be manipulating it/scratching hardcore a lot give both units a try to see which "feel" you prefer...

And yes, if you really don't need the extra features on the 1000, the 800 is a really great bargain, not to mention it's smaller and lighter than it's bigger brother.

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In my experience I would say that the Pioneers are the ones to go for.
Denons are a close second place. But forget the Technics all the way, They are total crap. They made a big mistake with those babies and they just don't deliver.
The Pioneer 1000 is the ultimate workhorse deck for CDs in my experience and although I'm more a vinyl style DJ I do play CDs sometimes and these are my preference.

Cheers
Nem

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