Pioneer CDJ 800 mk2: 10 months down the road.

I bought these units to replace my Serato Scratch Live system. Not because I hated Serato, but because I needed to out of necessity at gigs – many DJs I work with use both vinyl and cd.

Before this set of cdjs and before my Scratch Live system, I owned the original CDJ 800. The layout is pretty much the same, but the cue and pause/play buttons had been changed from plastic to metal. The platter of the mk2 has a better feel to it and it feels just like the platter of the CDJ 1000 mk2. Also, there is now mp3 capability and the display has been brightened up a bit.

Now that I got that out of the way, here’s what I think about the unit after 10 months of use:
*note that this unit has seen plenty of time at very smoky venues to include a hookah lounge*

Mp3 capability:
I really don’t play too many mp3s, maybe about 10% of the cd’s I may use in a set are mp3s. The feature is nice though. Only real drawback is a slightly slower load time, versus an audio cd, after you insert the cd. This is due to the unit having to decode the mp3 before if fully loads up.

Layout/Feel:
Since I used to own an original CDJ 800 the layout of this unit did not surprise me. I enjoyed the changes made to the cue and pause/play buttons. The metal buttons feel better than the plastic buttons did on the previous generation. Pitch bending on the platter also feels better than the previous generation did. With more “friction” when turning the platter, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to fly off with a slight touch. The drawback here is it takes a little more force with your hand when you’re scratching a cd in vinyl mode.

Display:
I love the brightened display. Everything is so easy to read and I don’t have to be directly above the unit to see anything, when I just want to quickly glance at it. The cue marker area, which also features a brightened display, in the center of the platter was slightly raised compared to the previous model, which makes it easier to read when you’re looking at the platter from an angle.

Reliability:
This unit will play all but the most heavily scratched cd. With cd’s that aren’t scratched, it has never rejected the cd and always loads quickly. To repeat what I mentioned near the beginning of this review, this unit has seen plenty of time at very smoky venues to include a hookah lounge.

Overall:
Great unit, well worth the money invested.

Written by: Jason Cerna