Help - S3500 v cdj 1000mk2

[stoooge]

okay sorry for the repetitive thread/topic - but im in desperate need in advice to help me make up my mind. Im tossing up between Denon and Pio (S3500 and 1000 mk2 mainly)

Like everyone ive got a budget, if i can get both decks for under 3k ill be happy....
which is pretty much why the 1000mk3 is out of the equation. I think its RRP is around the 2500 price point. PLus its a pretty basic upgrade from the mk2; apart from the MP3 capability.

Im a mix dj - so i need a good slider (prob Pio) and a good jog mode to assist in beatmatching (prob denon).
Also ill be playing mainly house, but would love to throw in loops/samples of 70's and 80's stuff, as well as using those features to assist in mixing from the house and old stuff bpm range... (which denon would probably be better for)

Now Pioneer has the quality and simplicity benifits..
and denon has the features, and the ability to just mess around with tracks - although seems very complicated and difficult...

Im confused.. :(

[Bracko]

have you even tested the gear yet? hired it all out for a night or 2 midweek?

[stoooge]

ive quickly tried the gear, but i have knowone who uses the stuff, and my 'local' dj gear shop is 2.5hrs away. i know you have to try before you buy - but with work i wont get up to the shop for about another 4 months atleast.
I know it sounds risky but im relying more on opinions, experience, reviews and the helpfullness of itm people :P

[Bracko]

buy one of each.

[stoooge]

nah dont want that. that would end up being a pain in the rectum; having two decks with different features and capabilities; also means twice as much to learn...

[Neo_]

Buy whatever the fuck makes you happy in pants, then come back and whinge in a few months time that the pitch resolution is the reason why you cant keep a beat in time... Then after the flaming you get on here actually spend some time with the bloody things and learn how to use them.

/end jaded rant.

In all seriousness they are both as good as one another. The denon has a lot of flashy features and gimmicks but in all respects a rock solid unit. The pioneer is a more simple do one thing and make sure it works well with less fuss kinda unit.

Both do one thing well and thats play cds.
If your concerned about resale if you find after 3 weeks that it aint for you. If and thats if you can get some MKII's they will walk out the front door quicker than a fat chick chasing an icecream van. The denons may, not be as easy to move but i seriously doubt that to be the case.

If your nearest gear shop is 2.5hrs away see if you can hire two of them, find a place to stay
and fuck with them till you get dry mouth. Obviously you will be needing a mixer to do this. Its not a cheep option yes, but you will be safe in the knowledge that after you have handed over your first uni semesters course fees on some flashy DJ gear you have got the right gear for you.

[djboganofbeatz]

if u hear anything bout the denon's cue issue it has been resolved with the latest update...and made the player better with serato

[stoooge]

ive also heard about denon's cd reading errors. Know about any future updates with that?

ps; thanks to neo for your rant.. i mean feedback

[Bracko]

ps; thanks to neo for your rant.. i mean feedback

you fucking idiot, eveything he's said is 100% correct. If you've read anything on stupid n00bs wanting people to tell them the perfect mixer/cd player/deck to buy you've heard everyone tell them they have to make up their own mind, look at the information and buy what they think is right for their own purposes. we CAN'T MAKE THE DECISION FOR YOU BASED ON <200 WORDS AS TALENTED AWESOME, SUPER COOL PEOPLE AS WE FUCKING ARE.

if you're too lazy to go and test the units for a few days then so be it, just eni meni minei mo and pick them.

[stoooge]

i was actually thinking him for the feedback, with just a touch of sarcasm.
And no i wasnt expecting someone to make up my mind, or even read my mind on what im looking for, just simply helping out with opinions and experience on the two units.

[richcur]

Buy whatever the fuck makes you happy in pants, then come back and whinge in a few months time that the pitch resolution is the reason why you cant keep a beat in time...

Both these units have 0.02% step? or are you raising a non-CDJ purchase-choice issue lol

I've used both, ended up buying the Pioneers due mainly to the fact I just HATE the bloody pitch-bend buttons offered up by Denon... I do, however, tend to usually take the easy way out in any difficult life-task :lol:

Anyway I just had a refresh look at the Denon spec sheet -Pretty PDF (http://www.denondj.com/admin/assetmanager/files/DataFile.asp?assetid=143&assettype=Product%20Sheets)- and it's a bloody impressive unit with masses of features... makes its purchase price all the more inviting.

[Spectrum]

Someone say, "pitch resolution"?

:stroke:

[stoooge]

I've used both, ended up buying the Pioneers due mainly to the fact I just HATE the bloody pitch-bend buttons offered up by Denon... I do, however, tend to usually take the easy way out in any difficult life-task :lol:

Cant you also either use the platter or spindle (like a tt), and the disc...?

Aren't the bend buttons just like giving a tt a little push/pressure to speed-up/slow down? If so i can see how that would be pretty hard to beatmatch using the buttons.

[Bracko]

yeah, you can use the platter or the pitch bend buttons.

personally i prefer the denon platter moving or non moving, it's smoother and rattles less (and feels less plastically) if it had a cdj/vinyl feature for under/on the platter it'd be a lot better.

in all honesty i think you decision should come down to price, you've picked the 2 best units on the market so it's not as if we're telling you either will be shit. the only piece of advice i can offer is buy the cheapest, and be careful of second hand units.

if you're patient wait for the pioneer if you think you'll like them more, if you're inpatient just put in an order for the cheapest denon's you can find (store DJ are pretty competitive if you ring them up or email them). either google other stores or look in the thread titled "complete listing of all things musical" in the production equipment buying and selling forum

[Neo_]

Just because the buttons are there doesnt mean you have to use them...

You can set the denon up to behave like a 1000. Ie: stop the platter from rotating.

[stoooge]

Thanks Bracko.

Also this isnt at all related to the thread...but what blank cd's do you find works best?
(brands, MB/minute sizes etc)

Ive heard that cdr/cdrw's also come in different colours (on the bottom of the cd); which shows what quality they are.
(i cant remember the correct order, but it goes something like;

gold - best quality
blue - 2nd best
greenish/silver - lowest quality

- has anyone heard of this, or is it ust garbage?

[Bracko]

stick to the named brands and you're fine.

reading problems are more likely due to scratches than data errors.

[creagh1986]

i used to have denons but my mate bought some cdj 1000's which i think are a lot better to use. myt denons often would not read cds and u would have to put them in a couple of times to get it going even if they had absolutely no scratches and correcting the pitch by the cdj's was a lot smoother using the pioneer as well. i would definatley say get the cdj 1000's mate

[Bracko]

Iv'e burnt over 100 CD's and never had a problem on various speeds, writers, software, brands, CDR and CDRW.

i think you're just spashal.

s and correcting the pitch by the cdj's was a lot smoother using the pioneer as well.

p.s. see this thread (http://www.inthemix.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=182710) for reference.

[stoooge]

Iv'e burnt over 100 CD's and never had a problem on various speeds, writers, software, brands, CDR and CDRW.

Is that using the Denons' or the Pio's?

Ive heard alot of cd reading issues with the denons; is it mainly the 3500, the 5000, or both?

[Garthyboy]

Never had an issue with mine not playing any sort of CD
MP3 discs do take longer to load, but normal CDs are nice and fast
I prefered the denon because of the platter
Its metal with a plastic "record" on top and more TT like.
The pioneer lacks weight in my opinion
Both awesome units though

[stoooge]

Good advice Garthy.
Those plus a few other reasons is why ive just ordered a pair of the denon's earlier today....yay.

Does anyone actually use the MP3 feature? if so, experienced any problems with it apart from load times?

[Bracko]

Is that using the Denons' or the Pio's?

Ive heard alot of cd reading issues with the denons; is it mainly the 3500, the 5000, or both?

denon.

before this thread I had no idea about the problems with reading CD's and i still don't after a quick look... the only people seem to be whinging on forums are n00bs who wouldn't know what the fuck they were doing in the first place.

stick to named CD's
stick to main burning software
stick to decent burners


and you'll never have a probem with even the oldest of CD players in venues. i know about 5 people with varying players (3000 3500 and the 5000) none have complained of errors.

the only error I've had is from my other CD player which is vestax (TEAC made) CD player which happens on a non regular occassion with some CD's...

I'm not saying people aren't having problems, but I'm saying that from my experience and from people around me, that the problem isn't so huge as some people would beat it up to be.

[Music_Pirate]

Just out of interest, is there a large feature and cost difference between the Mk2's and Mk3's?


..As the Mk3's won DJmags best cd mixer (again i think) and is industry standard at most larger clubs/events (mouth drops when you dozens of them around a big show :))

[electroanarchy]

I went through exactly the same thing recently Stoooge...

I ended up going with CDJ1000MK3's... Certainly haven't regret the purchase at all...

[DJ D one]

Probably the best CD players you can get wether a CDJ1000Mk2-3 or DNS3500 (Althouht see many swear by the DNS5000, and some the Numark CDX).

At the end of the day if you are disapointed with either of these units, get an ipod lol...the only reason I would go for the DNS3500 is the active plater, for some reason it makes me horny...if I had the money I would probably buy 2 units of each...just wonder if the MK4 will have active plater, lol they can call it CDJ1200...

DJD1

[Bracko]

technics have built a CD player that was pretty average except for the price tag which was full of oumph.

they're supposed to be releasing an mk2, but no word on it's release date has wafted my way...

[pfalzon]

Go For Verbatim Datalife CD-R. They are the blue ones. Shmikko CD's!!!

[DjReal]

i'm still yet to see why people steer away from the denon units purley because of the pitch bend buttons.

it still has a pitch slider, you can still use the jog wheel on top to adjust the pitch, if you dont like the pitch bend buttons, just dont use them, i dont see what the problem is personally.

[DJ D one]

Yeah DJ Real, I wonder what is the problem with the buttons when you can use the platter.
He probably does not know you can use the platter...lol
I have seen many you tube videos on the DNS3500 lately, they really look great, I just can get enough of watching the platters spinning, that is probably why I am getting them over CDJs.

DJD1

[Dj DeKay]

i got 2x3500's and love em.. have had them for a few months now and have gotten used to the features and beatmatching... never lookd back :)

[DJ D one]

Just got the DNS3500, took me a day to get used too, for a moment I though I had loose my magic as I was not able to beat match...somehow it seems the sound was coming a bit different from my CDN90 so I had to adjust on the mixer, but then I though about it, I was thinking it must be me, I changed headphone but unfortunately the only other headphones I have is single, but it worked well, then re-switched to my shitty $30 headphones and it started to get better, I think it would have been the lurning curve and probably being may be a bit intimidated, on the CDN90 every thing is so small, unlike on the DNS3500. I love them coz you can either play normal, or then you can activate the platters and it is another experience, I am getting used to them very quickly though, the effect are also excellent. I do not know how the DNS compare to the CDJ1000, but I would say for sure I cannot regret getting them, they are so cool.

DJD1

[simvegas]

I would say it depends on what you want. If you eventually want to rock the clubs and get a residence and be a superstar DJ, get the pioneers. Even a set of cdj800mk2s
Ive never seen the denons in the clubs, but they are a mad unit.
Mind you alot of the denons features like dump, echo/loop, flanger and filters are all taken care of if you get a decent mixer.
In a dark environment like a DJ booth too I like how you can see the light insight the pioneers platter, so you can go by visuals rather than having to look at the track time.

EDIT: by the way, if u are after a S3500 I have a brand new one sitting in the box unopened for $1100
Cheers

[Dj SteveWill]

Just out of interest, is there a large feature and cost difference between the Mk2's and Mk3's?


..As the Mk3's won DJmags best cd mixer (again i think) and is industry standard at most larger clubs/events (mouth drops when you dozens of them around a big show :))

The best thing I like about my MK3's is the much better resolution of the wave display (and the inner display for that matter) and the hot loops.
The adjustable jog wheel is also another great addition and the fact you can edit the SD-Card info on the computer to combine cards etc is also a bonus.

I don't really care for the mp3 playback.

But they are the main differences.