Im upgrading my S2 + Midi Fighter setup to 2 CDJ’s + 2 or 4 channel mixer
I was thinking, I can get 2 Gemini CDJ 700’s and a Kontrol Z2 for 1400$ brand new, or get 2 Pioneer CDJ 850k’s for 1600$ without a mixer…
Is it worth the extra $$ to go to the Pioneers? I don’t really see why the Pioneer setup is 1000$ more than a great setup. The Gemini CDJ’s even have touch screen on them! The only thing I wouldn’t get is a sticker that says “Pioneer” on it, and rekordbox!
The CDJ-700s have great features like more latency than a controller, and worse durability/QC than an NI Kontroller. If you want to buy CDJs for the next year, the Geminis will work, marginally. If you want to buy CDJs for the next decade or so, the CDJ-850s/900s are the safe bet.
Additionally, dropping the Z2/Traktor and picking up a DJM-250/750, Xone:42, or DN-x1600 will get you some pretty solid standalone horsepower, with Rekordbox still proving to be easier to work with than Traktor’s browser.
A pair of refurbished CDJ-850s and a DJM-250 is retarded cheap for the flexibility you’re getting. Alternatively, if you care more about some effects power/linking rather than comfy screens, the XDJ-Aero/whatever the new unannounced thing is is a pretty solid option.
You leave out the many bugs rekordbox has. Twice it has lost all the cue points I had set and sometimes it even loses tracks out playlists. Great for set preperation but horrible for music management imho.
That aside…
Avoid the 700’s like the plague bruv. You are better off with a pair of 800’s and the Z2 or a pair of used 850k’s and a decent mixer. My mate bought a pair of 700’s 6 weeks ago. They never leave his house. The effects went out on one and the touch screen has glitches on the other. They are rubbish as midi controllers as well.
I played on a Gemini CDJ once, it wasn’t 700 but some lower model, but damn it was so bad it made me want to smash it on the ground and then set it on fire.
I’d never buy the geminis, even less so because they look like a bad pio2000 ripoff.
I went into a local Audio store the other day to finally decide what CDJs i wanted and why i should spend extra for pioneer. Tried the CDJ 700s and were damn terrible, Tried 850s and 900s and was originally opting for 850s before going instore but turns out the 900s are just so much better and worth that extra buck in my opinion, quantised looping, link, screen, better rekordbox compatibility and i think i may be one of the few who likes the waveform with the needle better than the 850 waveform. Anyway, stay away from Geminis
Out of curiosity, care to elaborate why you say only the 900 or 2000 and not the CDJ 850? I mean, I know the feature differences between the models, but there is a big prices difference for a pair of 850s and a pair of 900s…not to mention the price for a pair of 2000s…
Like the OP, I am looking to add “CDJs” to my setup to practice on at home. If I was buying equipment for a club, I agree with you. But for myself to practice on at home, I just don’t know that I could stomach spending that much more $$$. But if it really is necessary, I will consider that and think about whether I can just save more and buy the more expensive ones…but I am just not sure to be honest…that is a lot of money even going from the 850 to the 900.
I can’t speak about the Gemini 700s as I have not used them…others seem to like them. Their older model, the 600 is awful. I got a pair of them for super cheap…that should have been a clue. I never played out with them, I got them only for practice at home, so they never got abused. I had pitch issues on both of them…basically the button that enables the pitch adjustment was not working… i took them both apart and saw that on one, a acre had come loose from the circuit board where a connection should have been…on the other, an exposed bit of wire was causing a short…fixed both of them, but basically the build quality just looked bad. Cueing for a specific beat is awful…a lot of delay and very sloppy.
I too am looking to upgrade…I “briefly” considered the 700s since others thought they were nice, but I am now gun shy and don’t think I will buy another Gemini. I am wanting a setup (separate from my Traktor setup) just for “CDJ” practice at home. I am open and considering Pioneer CDJ-350s, 850s, the XDJ-Aero, and if it gets released soon, maybe the XDJ-R1. Money is a concern and the price for a pair of 850s is the top end of my budget.
The 700 may be nice, but with Rekordbox support, no fader-start, and for me, questionable build quality, I just don’t see it as one of my options. A pair of 350s or and XDJ-Aero are about the same price, or for a bit more, a pair of 850s for a few more features and nicer cogwheel than the 350s. The 900s are just out of my price range, not to mention the 2000s…
Don’t know about the OP, but i’m looking at the 850s…900s may be just out of my price range…haven’t looked at used/refurb…i’m a little gun shy on that as I have not had great luck buying used or refurb gear…still have had problems with it and its a pain to go through all the hassle of shipping it back to vendor or manufacturer and waiting…
My comment was only referring to the older Gemini CDJ 600 which was crap. I don’t know about the 700. People seem to say that it is good quality, as you say “for the price”.
Twice it has lost all the cue points I had set and sometimes it even loses tracks out playlists. Great for set preperation but horrible for music management imho.