opinion on entry level cdj’s
im looking at a pair of stanton c.324, or numark ndx 400’s
any opinions on these?
i dont have pioneer money
For entry level DJ’s, entry level gear is FINE.
Don’t waste your money IMO. Cheap CDJs are pretty worthless in my experience. I would look around for some used deals on pioneer 400s, 800s or denon CDJs. Anything other than pioneer or denon is a waste of money and will just be a source of frustration.
I’d have to agree with Xonetacular, I did the same thing with turntables and ended up frustrated and spent more money by buying two sets of decks before I went for 1200’s.
I see pairs of CDJ100’s on the bay going for about £150 sometimes or at a push you’ll find some 200’s for maybe £350 if you hunt hard.
Keep an eye on gumtree too-cash bargains to be had on there!!!
I wouldn’t even go with CDJ-100s or 200s, they are annoying. Look on craigslist for deals on 800s, 400s, or some of the denon stuff.
right now im using my VMS4, and i keep debating if i want to go to CDj’s or not
I used to have the stanton c324s and they where pretty good small screen so less feedback however are realiable and load cds pretty quickly
+1 for 400s as starter gear. Added bonus of running USB connect to your computer for proper Traktor control / midi keybinds.
All cheap CDJs suck. There’s no question in my mind about that. The problem with me giving recommendations is that I think “cheap” encompasses everything except the CDJ-2000.
The reason I don’t own CDJ-2000s is because there’s nothing out there that isn’t so cheap it’s annoying or really expensive.
It’s about price, IMHO. If you can find a pair that isn’t overpriced, they’ll be fine.
My CDJ-200s were the biggest gear mistake I’ve made, hands down. They were not worth $400 each new, especially when you consider that they were basically worthless when I sold them. Unfortunately, I feel that way about most CDJs.
Those stantons are $300/each on amazon. I thin that’s a little high for them, but it’s not too terrible. Just be aware that it’ll be a sunk cost. The fact that Guitar Center is selling used ones for $250ish does not mean that you’ll get anywhere near that when you’re ready to sell. Whatever you’re going to spend, if it’s not a high-end Pioneer deck, expect to throw them away when up upgrade unless you just get lucky.
My recommendation is to go to a Guitar Center (or something like it) and at least feel whatever they have, starting with the CDJ-2000. Then go to one of the cheapest ones they have. You should feel a difference, but you may not. If you don’t, that’s cool…you’ll save some money.
Then figure out what you’re willing to spend for what kind of feel and features…and find the decks that match it best.
I’d say that it’s worth sacrificing features for quality except that the features that I think should be the first things to go are only included in budget decks: there’s no reason a CDJ should have built-in effects. They all sound like crap. Frankly, I feel that way about mixers too, but I’ve accepted that no one agrees with me except for some of the nicer mixer makers (vestax, rane, formula sound, E&S, rodec, alpha, etc.).
I also hate Stanton as a company. They keep making things that I’d kinda like to use, but I don’t know if I could actually bring myself to give them money after what they did with FS2 and their NI partnership.
In short…there’s a reason that people on a budget go with controllers. You could get a lot of very nice controller rigs for the cost of one good CDJ.
Rein it in people. The OP asked for opinions on CDJ’s on a budget. I thought I might have been pushing it by recommending the CDJ 100/200.
Then recommendations for 400’s and even CDJ2000’s-the most expensive deck Pioneer sell, a pair of which will probably set you back £2000 minimum :eek:
[quote]“cheap” encompasses everything except the CDJ-2000[/quote] 
So what of the 1000mk3, industry standard in thousands of clubs world wide and respected by every DJ know to man? Plus the CDJ 900’s oozing features and quality.
The OP is clearly after entry level CD decks and while the more basic Pioneers may be lacking features and are getting on a bit, they are still perfectly viable at entry level (and beyond) and on the secondhand market they hold their value better than any other brand I’ve seen.
thats is true thats why i got an xone 22 its only 2 channel and i could have got a 4 channel with effects and kills but the xone is solid and sounds amazing.
and also you are going off the subject he hasnt got pioneer money??? so you suggest go look at a pioneer 2000 haha.
Any reason not to look at controllers btw?
Like an s2/s4?
I didn’t suggest he look at it, I brought it up as an example of what CDJs could be and the reason why I don’t own any.
i own a VMS4, im just trying to get in the CDJ dj’ing environment.
Hmmm ok… not sure why you’d want to get into entry level cdj though. platters than control digital files… not a lot in it
Pioneer gear i sort of understand but cheap cdjs will add nothing to your life imo
+1 for used cdj400/800mk2 or an S4.
i would suggest cdj100, cdj400 or some denons.
DON’T BUY AN CDJ200 (i have done this because i thought the 0.02% pitch range and the ability to show track titles will be good) but the jogwheels are SO BAD that i enjoy the usage of the cdj100 more even their pitchfader has only a resolution of 0.1%
if i were in charge of buying a equipment for a newcomer, i would buy him two cdj400 or cdj350 and an xone22 with a pair of sennheiser hd25 ^^
It really comes down to what you can afford. And also holding yourself to a level of quality, and not letting yourself getting lured in by something “cheap and now”.
Patience will save you a lot of money in the long run.
I think the CDJ-400’s are hands down the best deal for the money, if you can find them. As they aren’t sold new anymore (unless you find a supplier with them still), they are getting harder to find.
CDJ’s are the expensive bitch at the party. We’ve just all have to come to terms with it. I’d love to own a pair, but the cost relative to other forms of control is just so damned high. 
If you were making a full switch to CDJ’s, and are not planning on using them with software, then the CDJ-800 MK2 is also another solid option. It’s about the same price on the market as the CDJ-400, but doesn’t have the USB/HID support that you would use with DVS or whatever.
(Generally I’ve seen CDJ-400’s and CDJ-800 MK2’s going for about $400 each around here. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less, but that seems the market value IMO)
I know some people swear by the Denon’s. But honestly to me, they are always going to be second best. I look at what people are using in the clubs, and go from there accordingly. I’ve never seen a Denon install in a club/bar. They might be solid decks, but there really is something to be said for learning on what you hope to play on (using other’s equipment) in the future.
I wouldn’t spend my money on anything less than those decks. I want to get a pair of CDJ’s in the future myself (few years down the line honestly) and I really think if you go the CDJ route, you might as well go that way fully. Get rid of the laptop in your set (only use it for burning CD’s from Mp3 files) and just go like that.
If you’re just going to be using software anyhow, and already have a controller, I just don’t see that investing in a low-end pair of CDJ’s is going to be a worthwhile endeavor.
“If you’re going to do something, do it right the first time”
it’l be worth waiting and saving.
trust me, it’ll end up cheaper in the long run
What’ll end up cheaper? CDJs? 'cuz I lost more on my CDJ-200s (when I eventually managed to sell them after they collected dust for about 2 years) than I did on the rest of my gear combined.