Am I the only one who thinks CDJs feel cheap? - Page 4
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  1. #31
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Xonetacular View Post
    I think the 2000s and 1000s feel phenomenal and work better than any controller jogs but I remember thinking that they felt kind of weird/cheep when I first started using them then they really grew on me.


    I think anything below a CDJ-850 feels pretty bad with the 850 being the lowest CDJ I would consider buying. I think all the smaller jog pioneers are pretty awful with the 400 being borderline passable and the all in one pioneer controllers being particularly horrific.

    The denons feel okay for the price but I dislike the spinning platters since pitch bending is weird and isn't that accurate on them.
    I agree 100%. If I make it to miami this spring, we're going to have to get drunk together or something.

    CDJs feel weird. They feel different than controllers, and they really feel different compared to vinyl. If you've only played on them in Guitar Center, don't base your decision on that…most of GC's floor stuff is broken.

    Also, don't judge them until you've played with them in a loud environment (monitors are fine, but not where you can hear whispers). The slight noise that the platters make was the most irking thing about them for me…and that completely disappears at real booth volumes.

    But…IMHO, no platters I've felt on controllers (ns7, vci-100, s2, s4, several of the cheap pieces of crap people keep saying are good for beginners as if an s4 wasn't insanely cheaper than remotely comparable hardware) come close when you're actually mixing.

    And the 850 is–for me–the absolute bottom end of acceptable. And it's pushing it. That's why I got rid of my CDJ-200s for next to nothing and why I don't own CDJs…they're not worth the price right now, and–honestly–I doubt they will be.

    Quote Originally Posted by Filthsky View Post
    Pioneer are the leading manufacturer of cdj's, so they know how they should feel.
    If I parse this correctly, your statement commits the logical fallacy of affirming the consequent.

    I also think it's crap. No one knows what a CDJ should feel like. They're all based on sorta-kinda emulating the way people interacted with vinyl records, and none of them feel like a vinyl record. By most estimations, the Numark CDX and Technics SL-DZ1200 got the closest (one by spinning a piece of vinyl, the other by using a Technics turntable motor to spin this metal and plastic monstrosity of a platter) and both of them were complete sales flops because they really fucking sucked in just about every way.

    I really was hoping the DZ1200s were going to be good, though…they were really pretty.

    Quote Originally Posted by Excluded View Post
    the 800 mk2 jogs are like the 1000's though
    Not even close. Touch one of each for 10 seconds, and if you can't feel a difference, I hope you finger your girlfriend by sight.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sublim&All View Post
    Guess it's just a matter of opinion.
    I don't think that feeling cheap is a matter of opinion.

    Having a preference is, and it's completely valid. Whether or not something seems worth its price is also a preference and also completely valid.

    And, well…I honestly think that all DJ gear feels kinda cheap compared to a lot of music, recording, and live sound gear. Like…a lot of it. It's also a shit-ton cheaper considering what we expect the gear to do compared to the capabilities that are out there.

    In short…no, Pioneer CDJs (the 1000 and 2000 series) do not feel cheap…they just feel like CDJs and are kind of a different animal than what a lot of people compare them to. They're not worth it for me because I can think of a lot of other things that I'd like to put $3600 towards.

    And, seriously, how did Technics think that the DZ's platter design was a good idea. It's like they thought scratch DJs were actually moving the platter instead of the just the record. Thing felt weird.

  2. #32
    Tech Mentor Sublim&All's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mostapha View Post
    I hope you finger your girlfriend by sight.
    *rofl*
    Quote Originally Posted by mostapha View Post
    I don't think that feeling cheap is a matter of opinion.

    Having a preference is, and it's completely valid. Whether or not something seems worth its price is also a preference and also completely valid.

    And, well…I honestly think that all DJ gear feels kinda cheap compared to a lot of music, recording, and live sound gear. Like…a lot of it. It's also a shit-ton cheaper considering what we expect the gear to do compared to the capabilities that are out there.

    In short…no, Pioneer CDJs (the 1000 and 2000 series) do not feel cheap…they just feel like CDJs and are kind of a different animal than what a lot of people compare them to. They're not worth it for me because I can think of a lot of other things that I'd like to put $3600 towards.
    Well feeling is always a matter of opinion. 'Cheap' is, in this case, just a metaphor for grading the strength/build quality of a piece of hardware. And I can't help thinking that a CDJ, made (almost?) completely out of plastic, feels weak to me. Like it can't handle a beating. I got that not only with CDJs, but with the S4 as well, and almost any other piece of gear completely made out of plastic.
    That's why I bought a NS7 back in the day, a piece of hardware that gives me the feeling that I can throw it down the stairs without breaking into a gazillion pieces at an instant

    But yes, in this case I do think grading if something feels 'cheap' is a matter of opinion.

  3. #33
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    Don't let the plastic fool you. There's a big difference between the plastic on NI or Pioneer gear and the plastic on cheap crap.

    I hate Poineer's low-end CDJs with a passion…I think they feel like garbage to work with and hate every second I'm touching them. And even the 100 and 200 could fall off a desk or have something fall on them with no noticeable effect.

    They are not going to break from normal treatment in the live sound world, which is saying something.

    Just about the only thing you could do to them would be to drop them so hard the laser gets out of alignment, and it takes a lot more than you think it does.

    I remember the first time someone taught me about microphones…and the lesson was basically "A microphone is neither a Fabergé egg nor a softball; treat them somewhere in the middle and unless someone tells you something is special." CDJs are a lot closer to softballs…

  4. #34
    Tech Wizard Filthsky's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mostapha;
    If I parse this correctly, your statement commits the logical fallacy of affirming the consequent.

    I also think it's crap. No one knows what a CDJ should feel like.
    Little unnecessary with the wordage.

    I guess I meant that Pioneer know how they want them to feel, which is working for most who own or at least use them.
    CDJ800mk2 | DJM800 | CDJ800mk2

  5. #35
    Tech Mentor Luconia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Filthsky View Post
    they want them to feel, which is working for most who own or at least use them.
    been using the 800mk2 for years, i think they are fine..it get's the job done & i'm getting used to the fixed jogwheel friction. i have never tried out the top end series, so i dont know. it's my opinion only & dont think i'll prefer a loose platter...

    Cant beat the feeling of handling a turntable though, oh & the awesomeness of all metal gear.

  6. #36
    Schreiberie Meister Afterhour Ali's Avatar
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    The first thing which went through my mind when I unboxed the CDJ2000s was:
    "What? I spend three grands (€) on that?"

    Most describe the CDJ2000s feel as cheap because all parts are plastic and they are incredible light.

    After using them for a few months now I can say that they take a beating and the feel of their platters is as good as it gets while there are no motors involved (I also possess a NS7 and Technics). Nothing beats brushed metal (as Luconia said) but I prefer them to be light. I can carry two of them without sweating whereas I could tell you some horror stories about lugging around the NS7, or TTs.

    For all gigs involving me to bring my own equipment I go CDJs.

    Yes, they are overpriced but to me they've been a renaissance to DJing at home as I can turn them on and go instead of hooking up all cables for DVS or MIDI-controller usage.
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  7. #37
    Tech Guru Era 7's Avatar
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    so i finally tried the 2000s out at a store and they feel far from cheap. the best feeling on all the CDJs there are imo.

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by mostapha View Post
    Don't let the plastic fool you. There's a big difference between the plastic on NI or Pioneer gear and the plastic on cheap crap.

    I hate Poineer's low-end CDJs with a passion…I think they feel like garbage to work with and hate every second I'm touching them. And even the 100 and 200 could fall off a desk or have something fall on them with no noticeable effect.

    They are not going to break from normal treatment in the live sound world, which is saying something.
    Couldn't agree more, the 2000's are built really well.

    Last November Zane Lowe played at one of the clubs in my town, at the end of his set he had a 2000 above his head and smashed it onto the desk pretty hard, the owner panicked a little since it was his personal CDJ but it was working fine. I actually caught a video of it if I can find it

    Edit - Got it, it's about 11:45 in

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Pvmz0bqhA
    Last edited by samjl; 02-04-2012 at 07:36 PM.

  9. #39
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    i owned the cdj-2000's and always felt the platter was cheap and hated the way it sounded while moving it around. I now use an s4 with vinyl but would like to see an updated 3700 to buy in the near future. As for the cdj-2000, apparently they just reached end of life and there is a pioneer cdj-2000 nexus coming out??? (cdj-2000mk2). - That's the rumor. So i'm wondering if they would change the platter at all.
    Last edited by rsciangula; 02-05-2012 at 10:20 AM.

  10. #40
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    Went to Guitar Center yesterday, i've never played on CDJs but each platter felt the same on the 2000, 900, and 850 all side by side.

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