Is the CDJ-900 Worth the dough
Is the CDJ-900 Worth the dough Posted on: 08.06.2010 by Darryl Landaiche well i wish i could say it was one simple question but its more like one big complicated one, my dj buddy is finaly going all out on a setup, he started out using ableton with his apc 40 but wants to more onto a more traditional 2 deck feel of a setup, im pretty sure he has settled on Xone:22 and Audio 2 DJ, wich i helped him choose and i believe are great choices, and the one area where i know he was having alot of trouble deciding wich way he wanted to go with control as far as controlling 2 decks in traktor, potentially to 4 if he were to get a new soundcard and mixer, anyway, he's saying to me that he is pretty set on getting a pair of cdj 900's for $2100 with tax, in my opinion this is very unessesarry, in my mind the reason why the value of the cdj 900 is so high is because of a few main things, 1. the precision jog wheel, 2. lcd screen with colour and wav display, disk drive with mp3 readability and sd and usb drive capability,and maybe high quality sound card and usb port are up there but i dont believe there worth that much, the buttons, are they really that great, because the count vs the 400 istn a significant gain at all, so if you get where im coming from as a pure midi controller in my opinion the cdj 900 is not that amazing, personally, i believe something like the otus or otus raw wich is for preorder on djdeals.com would be a much better decision, both feature dual channel soundcards, and dual deck functionality, alowing him to use them for decks a and b only, or potentially A,C and B,D , opinions/sugestions/idea's/thoughts appreicated, i just dont want my buddy to spend way more than nesesarry and also make sure im not the only one that believes it | |
| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Keith Mermer 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Yevette Matatall 22.06.2010 | Ok Guys, I have a pair of CDJ900's. Part reason for my purchase is that since the getgo of my DJing aspirations I have always wanted to learn how to beatmatch. Whilst I own a VCI and enjoy its use, I couldnt resist the charms of the semi tradiotonal approach. I was kind of sitting on the fence for a while when deciding to splash the cash but when i read that the cdj's had an inbuilt soundcard which made for easy intergration with Tpro without the need of timecode, well i was sold. Anyway, after having spoken to a friend at home who has the cdj2000's I was somewhat dissmayed after him telling me that the soundquality via cdj's soundcard was easily heard as being less of a quality than that of the audio8, for this reason he was reverting back to timecode operation. These claims of a lesser sound were confirmed by members here and various other readings on the net. So, keen to get answers I was reading through the pionner community s and yesterday I joined and posted asking if there were to be any updates with the firmware or drivers that might improve sound. Its proberly clear from my posts that im not completly clued up on all things to do with D/A converters or the difference between 16/24 bit. (this is something a plan to remedy having finished this post, google you are my friend) So for the benifit of our readers here I have copied my post and relies from the pioneer community below. Jukai Pioneer Newbie Location: 2009 Registered: 22 June 2010 Posts: 2 Posted 22 June 2010 12:43 AM IP After having heard that the inbuilt soundcards with the cdj900 arnt yet of the same quality as say an Audio 4 I was dismayed. My primary reasoning for moving from a pure digi dj setup was to learn how to DJ in the traditional sense. This led me to the cdj900's. Not only could I learn to beatmatch but at a later time when i wanted to incorperate my dj software it could easily be done without having to use timecode. As i said, I have read bits an pieces here and there, as well as having a good friend with cdj2000's who also said he could tell a distinct difference in soundquality, as such was reverting back to a timecode sysytem. I also read this; There has been some confusion as to the quality of the soundcard in the CDJ-900 and 2000s. Despite Pioneer |
| Kandra Fagler 24.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by Bang the DJ
i use audio4dj + TSP and cdj 900s, when i tried using the 900s by itself without traktor and i instantly hear the difference - audio4dj sound is much much much better |
| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Keith Mermer 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Yevette Matatall 22.06.2010 | Ok Guys, I have a pair of CDJ900's. Part reason for my purchase is that since the getgo of my DJing aspirations I have always wanted to learn how to beatmatch. Whilst I own a VCI and enjoy its use, I couldnt resist the charms of the semi tradiotonal approach. I was kind of sitting on the fence for a while when deciding to splash the cash but when i read that the cdj's had an inbuilt soundcard which made for easy intergration with Tpro without the need of timecode, well i was sold. Anyway, after having spoken to a friend at home who has the cdj2000's I was somewhat dissmayed after him telling me that the soundquality via cdj's soundcard was easily heard as being less of a quality than that of the audio8, for this reason he was reverting back to timecode operation. These claims of a lesser sound were confirmed by members here and various other readings on the net. So, keen to get answers I was reading through the pionner community s and yesterday I joined and posted asking if there were to be any updates with the firmware or drivers that might improve sound. Its proberly clear from my posts that im not completly clued up on all things to do with D/A converters or the difference between 16/24 bit. (this is something a plan to remedy having finished this post, google you are my friend) So for the benifit of our readers here I have copied my post and relies from the pioneer community below. Jukai Pioneer Newbie Location: 2009 Registered: 22 June 2010 Posts: 2 Posted 22 June 2010 12:43 AM IP After having heard that the inbuilt soundcards with the cdj900 arnt yet of the same quality as say an Audio 4 I was dismayed. My primary reasoning for moving from a pure digi dj setup was to learn how to DJ in the traditional sense. This led me to the cdj900's. Not only could I learn to beatmatch but at a later time when i wanted to incorperate my dj software it could easily be done without having to use timecode. As i said, I have read bits an pieces here and there, as well as having a good friend with cdj2000's who also said he could tell a distinct difference in soundquality, as such was reverting back to a timecode sysytem. I also read this; There has been some confusion as to the quality of the soundcard in the CDJ-900 and 2000s. Despite Pioneer |
| Kalyn Billodeau 17.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by mmauve
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| Kalyn Billodeau 17.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by Dj.You.S.Bee
But still. Talk normal to fellow board members. No need to act like a jerk, even though someone is wrong |
| Lilliana Perris 17.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by sarasin
Checked out the 900's last evening . VERY NICE! I then also heard we getting the DJM800!!! SO STOKED! We needed an upgrade. We had sick A&H and Pioneer mixers but due to it being used outdoors....and being the 'house' gear ....they get banged up pretty good. |
| Kandra Fagler 24.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by Bang the DJ
i use audio4dj + TSP and cdj 900s, when i tried using the 900s by itself without traktor and i instantly hear the difference - audio4dj sound is much much much better |
| Roselle Mcnaul 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Yevette Matatall 23.06.2010 | I nealy just posted a personal email to the missus here by accident as I had copied it by mistake..... if that was posted it would have gone straight to the WTF thread.. Anyway, I have since hads more replies on the Pioneer community as seen below. Maybe I should have just provided a link, but ill just stick to what I did ^^^ Wjat I plan to do when I get home is test it for myself on a decent club system and maybe have a few friends there to see if they really can tell the difference between to 2.... then ill post results here. FROM PIONEER FORUMS Pioneer Product Specialist Location: Vancouver, Canada Registered: 24 October 2006 Posts: 28924 Posted 23 June 2010 12:39 AM IP @Jukai > Mac's don't require a drivers; CoreAudio is built-in and supports it without need for drivers. No, the WAVs from Beatport are NOT 24bit. They're 16bit / 44.1kHz. 320kbit MP3s are well below that also. I'm not taking your posts as bashing, no worries there. The CDJ-900 and CDJ-2000 both use Wolfson DAC's, which, if you do a bit of Googling, are regarded as some of the best available. The whole idea of a high-quality DAC is to be as transparent as possible, providing an accurate and colouration-free translation of the audio from digital to analog. It could be, much like an older tube amp, or a vinyl, you and your friends prefer the "warm" sound colouration of the other soundcards whereas the CDJs are so clear that they sound "cold" or "crisp". Pioneer National Trainer // Product Specialist Ignored post by Pulse posted 23 June 2010 12:39 AM Show Post Jukai Pioneer Newbie Location: 2009 Registered: 22 June 2010 Posts: 3 Posted 23 June 2010 05:23 PM IP Pulse, I appreciate your replys... this si reasurring. My problem is I havnt yet comparred myself because I was 2 busy learning to beatmatch when I first got my cdj's and DJM800. For now I will be away from my gear another three weeks. When I get home ill run them both my audio4 and straight out of my cdj's on a good club syystem and see what all the fuss is about. I can see what your saying, maybe it is just a matter of what people are use to hearing and subsequently percieve a different sound as a loss of qualitY. Ive heard the same argument made between guys who like to run thier tracks via PN and those against it. In 3 weeks time ill give them a test and ill tell you what i believe. Cheers! Ignored post by Jukai posted 23 June 2010 05:23 PM Show Post Pulse Pioneer Product Specialist Location: Vancouver, Canada Registered: 24 October 2006 Posts: 28924 Posted 23 June 2010 05:35 PM IP No worries, and if you find out otherwise, I'm certainly willing to learn that something I've said is incorrect so I can be correct in the future! |
| Marylou Harney 24.06.2010 | I will buy a steak dinner to anyone who can reliably (ie greater the 60/70%) spot the difference between the audio interface on the CDJXXX and any other high ends system. |
| Keith Mermer 23.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by xolunt
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| Yevette Matatall 22.06.2010 | For what it’s worth, anyone contemplating going for the CDJ2000 or 900's, you should have a read over on the Pioneer community
s. As with any new gear
(or most anyway) they are having some problems. One worth mentioning is that the BPM indicator on the new 2000 and 900's aren’t accurate. This is something I noticed with mine, For example, if I have the exact same track on both decks perfectly beat matched they might display BPMS 1 BPM Apart. This didn’t bother me so much for at the time I was just concentrating on using my ears. However avid CDJ users were saying that the CDJ 1000 mk3 were perfect for BPM indication and the newer versions were way off, this was also true for the master tempo.... people were saying that the new master tempo was horrible in comparison to the earlier models. This I found concerning as surely any new models in any technology should be an extension and improvement of earlier models. Even more disconcerting were the replies made by the CDJ reps... They seemed a little arrogant in their retort, saying that these guys shouldn’t be relying on BPM for beat matching and real DJs use their ears. But wait a minute, these guys have paid thousands of dollars for the new models, shouldnt they at least be expected to perform better that the older models. Pioneer have since brought out updates to the firmware that hopefully fix these problems, but how is it that such a reputable company can bring out a "new species" and expect people to drop heaps of cash, then only to have them perform subpar, aren’t they playing these things before they leave the workshop. Just my 2 cents, I still love my CDJ’s I just hope pioneer get their shit together as far as support is concerned |
| Yevette Matatall 22.06.2010 | Ok Guys, I have a pair of CDJ900's. Part reason for my purchase is that since the getgo of my DJing aspirations I have always wanted to learn how to beatmatch. Whilst I own a VCI and enjoy its use, I couldnt resist the charms of the semi tradiotonal approach. I was kind of sitting on the fence for a while when deciding to splash the cash but when i read that the cdj's had an inbuilt soundcard which made for easy intergration with Tpro without the need of timecode, well i was sold. Anyway, after having spoken to a friend at home who has the cdj2000's I was somewhat dissmayed after him telling me that the soundquality via cdj's soundcard was easily heard as being less of a quality than that of the audio8, for this reason he was reverting back to timecode operation. These claims of a lesser sound were confirmed by members here and various other readings on the net. So, keen to get answers I was reading through the pionner community s and yesterday I joined and posted asking if there were to be any updates with the firmware or drivers that might improve sound. Its proberly clear from my posts that im not completly clued up on all things to do with D/A converters or the difference between 16/24 bit. (this is something a plan to remedy having finished this post, google you are my friend) So for the benifit of our readers here I have copied my post and relies from the pioneer community below. Jukai Pioneer Newbie Location: 2009 Registered: 22 June 2010 Posts: 2 Posted 22 June 2010 12:43 AM IP After having heard that the inbuilt soundcards with the cdj900 arnt yet of the same quality as say an Audio 4 I was dismayed. My primary reasoning for moving from a pure digi dj setup was to learn how to DJ in the traditional sense. This led me to the cdj900's. Not only could I learn to beatmatch but at a later time when i wanted to incorperate my dj software it could easily be done without having to use timecode. As i said, I have read bits an pieces here and there, as well as having a good friend with cdj2000's who also said he could tell a distinct difference in soundquality, as such was reverting back to a timecode sysytem. I also read this; There has been some confusion as to the quality of the soundcard in the CDJ-900 and 2000s. Despite Pioneer |
| Kalyn Billodeau 17.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by mmauve
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| Roselle Mcnaul 17.06.2010 | it's the internet. that's always too much to ask. lol |
| Kalyn Billodeau 17.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by Dj.You.S.Bee
But still. Talk normal to fellow board members. No need to act like a jerk, even though someone is wrong |
| Lilliana Perris 17.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by sarasin
Checked out the 900's last evening . VERY NICE! I then also heard we getting the DJM800!!! SO STOKED! We needed an upgrade. We had sick A&H and Pioneer mixers but due to it being used outdoors....and being the 'house' gear ....they get banged up pretty good. |
| Victor BlueDragon 17.06.2010 | the platter feels crappy on the 900 |
| Marylou Harney 17.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by addictive
But with an SD to USB converter, no biggie. |
| Darryl Landaiche 16.06.2010 | ok if you dont have that great of an understanding what he is talking about it might seem like that but i can garauntee its not true, i dont know how long the trigger finger has been around but somehow i doubt longer than pre 2004, wich is around when deadmau5 came about, i believe it was accually more like mid to late 2005, but maybe im wrong, anyway, he is most likely refering to when he started using ableton live he started out with a trigger finger, because that makese sense, but i can still almost garauntee he started on pioneer cdj's |
| Chadwick Ringrose 16.06.2010 | Deadmau5 is quite the wizard when it comes to tech. The following video quotes him saying he did indeed start out using a trigger finger and live. 1:40 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to9zMVlyrV8 |
| Darryl Landaiche 16.06.2010 | deadmau5 did not start on live and trigger finger, he started on pinoneer cdj's and a mixer, wich exact ones i have no idea but he did not start on live and trigger finger LAWL, anyone who starts on live is lost |
| Chadwick Ringrose 16.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by diezdiazgiant
The thing is GAS has as much to do with what you said as it does with materialism/consumerism. In response to the thread, I believe CDJs will soon wear out anyway. The majority of the best DJs out there grew up on CDJ/Vinyl and are consequently reluctant to buck the trend. Once they do, Pioneer and the likes may just have to face the flames and do something entirely different :eek: |
| Darryl Landaiche 15.06.2010 | your an idiot, they are on both, and to say there not on 900 only makes me believe you have no idea what ur talkin about. LAWL |
| Kalyn Billodeau 15.06.2010 |
Originally Posted by Dj.You.S.Bee
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| Lilliana Perris 15.06.2010 | My crew (Beartrap Productions) have just bought a pair of 900's to compliment the 1000's we already have. Beartrap have a gig coming up in the Mafia Islands (15 day party in Tanzania) and needed 4 decks. So I am stoked! Not that I will be using em....as I have my own rig I play on.....but will give em a go.....forsure!!! |
| Kandra Fagler 15.06.2010 | i just sold off my cdj400s (previously used cdj800mk2s beforehand, and technics 1210 before that) and got a pair of cdj900s - they are bloody awesome as much as i love traktor, m really loving the rekordbox feature - one day in the future this might become a standard thing with cdjs (just like how most clubs got the 1000mk3s and use sdcards to store cuepoints/waveform data) mixing off a single usb stick - no laptops - is really awesome, it puts the focus back in "mixing" - when you eliminate the laptop suddenly it feels really natural again i know the quantised loops arents as good as traktor - and cdj900s dont have hot cues (it does have cue markers tho - just not as good as the 2000s) but if i had the option of playing off usb/rekordbox alone compared to setting up my laptop in the club for traktor scratch - id go with usb/rekordbox anytime , for now it might still be not common in the clubs to see the 900s/2000s (but a lot of clubs have switched already! give it some time?) but one day in the future - it might be a good alternative to dvs |
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