DJM 850 Built-In Sound Card Quality
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  1. #1
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    Default DJM 850 Built-In Sound Card Quality

    Hey all,

    I'm going to buy a DJM850 and connect it w. Traktor Pro. I was wondering if someone has experience about the built-in sound card quality of DJM 850. Do you think it's neccessary to use a better external sound card?

  2. #2
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    It's fine.

    If you want better, you can get it. But you won't actually be able to hear it unless you put a really amazing sound system in a really nice room. And it'll cost more than the mixer.

  3. #3
    Tech Guru astromech's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by berkayba View Post
    Hey all,

    I'm going to buy a DJM850 and connect it w. Traktor Pro. I was wondering if someone has experience about the built-in sound card quality of DJM 850. Do you think it's neccessary to use a better external sound card?
    No.
    A&H Xone:96 | Xone:K1 | 2 x 1210s | Traktor Pro 3 | Apple Macbook Pro (2015) 13" | Sennheiser HD7 DJ | Maschine Mikro Mk3
    read: http://djworx.com/author/dan-morse
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  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by berkayba View Post
    Hey all,

    I'm going to buy a DJM850 and connect it w. Traktor Pro. I was wondering if someone has experience about the built-in sound card quality of DJM 850. Do you think it's neccessary to use a better external sound card?
    i think it isn't neccessary

  5. #5
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    I've heard the opposite. IIRC, that generation of Pioneer mixers got a lot of complaints about poor sound quality. That's why the newest ones (900NXS2) stressed "vastly" improved sound quality as a feature- because the previous generation got a ton of complaints that they sounded terrible. I've never tried an 850 though.

  6. #6
    Tech Guru the_bastet's Avatar
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    The 850's DSP is almost identical to the DJM800's DSP. It is a great sounding digital mixer. There is not need for an external interface.

    I have played on a Void system as well as on a Funktion one. Between the 850, 900 NXS, and Xone 92 the audio quality difference was so miniscule that I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it.
    - Equipment - 2X Technics 1200, 2X Audio Technica ATLP1240, 2X XDJ700, 2X XDJ1000 MK2, Denon DNX-1100, Mixars DUO, DJM750 MK2, NI Audio 10, NI Aduio 4, Serato SL3, 4X Shure M44-7, 2X Ortofon Pro S, 2X Numark Groove Tool, Maschine MK3, Samson Carbon 49, Roland SE-02, Novation Launchcontrol, TouchOSC, Nocation Peak, Arturia MiniBrute, Korg Volca Kick, MicroKorg (Classic), NI Komplete Audio 6

  7. #7
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    OK, good to know.

    Sound quality is a funny thing. Surely nowadays almost any recent mixer (that is functioning correctly) or even almost any inexpensive DJ controller sounds pretty good and the differences are small, especially as you get into the higher end gear, but it's so subjective. A small difference, once you hear it, can bother you, even though much bigger differences in sound quality are usually to be found in speakers, the space you play in, (room characteristics, acoustic treatment, etc.) the quality of the source material, (the difference between mp3 vs. lossless vs. high definition probably being less important in this regard than the quality of the original recording) etc.

    But for some reason the quality of audio interfaces and everything all along the signal path can become obsessive. Maybe it's because it's easy to get absorbed in our gear.

    But then also consider that there is a whole audiophile community who are obsessed with tiny differences in sound reproduction and who go to great lengths to improve their audio reproduction just a tiny bit, to the point where it's not clear if the differences they hear are even just some kind of placebo effect, so to speak.

    And when it comes down to it, if you're at a club or other event, it usually just depends on if you're having a good time or not, which a good sound system can help with, but is also just one thing in the mix of things.

  8. #8
    Tech Guru SlayForMoney's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by onthe1 View Post
    I've heard the opposite. IIRC, that generation of Pioneer mixers got a lot of complaints about poor sound quality. That's why the newest ones (900NXS2) stressed "vastly" improved sound quality as a feature- because the previous generation got a ton of complaints that they sounded terrible. I've never tried an 850 though.
    I think it's more that standards change with time. DJM600 was a club standard mixer in it's day but if you compare it to todays mixers and sound quality it doesn't have a chance. When DJM800 was released you could notice the highs are pretty harsh on it so it was never my favourite to play on.
    Both 850, 900nxs sound better it's just that Pioneer as market leader invested very little to improve it with each generation and people finally noticed that (my epiphany was when I had a chance to do a blind test with DJM800, DJM900, Denon X1600 and X1700). They did made an extra effort with 900nxs2 (at least according to their marketing), but that certainly doesn't mean that anybody should be concerned about connecting a better interface like the OP.
    Denon X600 - 2x Denon SC-2000 - AKG K181DJ - NI Audio 2

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