If you’re considering getting CDJs/media players, you don’t want to make the wrong choice. In a perfect world, you’d have a pair of each to play with for a few months, discuss with your friends and then make your decision. Unfortunately, this test would run you a cool $10,000+.

That’s why we sent David Michael, host of the Passionate DJ Podcast, a pair of each the current flagship media players. He’s been playing with them since September, had in depth discussions with other pros and synthesized his findings about how these players stack up and which one is right for you in this review.

Disclaimer: this isn’t just a feature dump. It’s a detailed consideration of features that actually affect your workflow & experience as a DJ. He goes deep into hard-to-see, “you have to get your hands on them to understand” differences that you’d need to spend hours in a showroom to appreciate.

If you’re totally content with your current non cdj-style setup, you probably want to skip this one. But if a new set of CDJs/media players is on your horizon, you definitely want to check it out.

Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 vs. CDJ-2000 NXS2: Just the Facts

	Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000	Pioneer DJ CDJ-2000NXS2
Base Price	$2,299	$1,999
Available Discounts	Click Here to Request by Live Chat	Click Here to Request by Live Chat
Media Supported
USB device	1x USB 2.0	1x USB 2.0
SD card	1x SDHC	1x SDHC
CD	ー	✔
DJ software HID support	rekordbox, Serato coming soon.	✔rekordbox/Serato/Traktor
rekordbox mobile support	✔	✔
Hi resolution audio support	✔	✔
FLAC/ALAC support	✔	✔
Browsing
Display size	✔9inch, Single Touch	7inch, Single Touch
Display spec	✔HD 1280×720	WVGA 800×480
Tracks on Screen	✔10-12	8
Customizable Text Size	✔	ー
Track Filter/Short Cut	✔	✔
Track Preview	✔	ー
Browse By	✔Category, Waveform, Full Artwork, Name, BPM, Key	Name, Half-Artwork
Rotary Selector	✔	✔
Playlist Button	✔	ー
Search Button	✔	ー
Mixing Features	CDJ-3000	CDJ-2000 NXS2
Enlarged waveform	✔Blue/RGB/3Band	Blue/RGB
Phase Meter	✔	✔
Touch Cue	✔	ー
Stacked Waveform	✔	ー
Key Sync/Key Shift	✔	ー
Performance Pads
Hot Cue	✔8 buttons	4 buttons ×2 bank
Auto Beat Loop	✔4 & 8 beat buttons	4 beat button
Dual-layer playback	ー	ー
Beat Jump	✔Button	✔ On Screen
Quality of Life / Reliability
High performance CPU	✔	ー
High Qualty Jog Wheel	✔	ー
On-Jog Display	✔LCD	FL
Gigabit LAN	✔1000BASE-T	100BASE-T
Locking IEC Power Cable	✔	ー
High Brightness Display	✔	ー
High durability button (PLAY/CUE/HOTCUE)	✔	ー
Aluminum design	✔Full top panel	Partial top panel
Digital cable included	✔	ー
Sound Quality	CDJ-3000	CDJ-2000 NXS2
DAC	✔Asahi Kasei DAC AK4490EQ	✔Asahi Kasei DAC AK4490EQ
44.1kHz/16bit	✔ Internal processing at 96kHz/32 bit float ✔ Digital output at 96kHz/ 24bit (SPDIF) ✔ Analog output by using 256x Over sampling/32bit DAC	- Internal processing at 44.1kHz/32 bit float - Digital output at 44.1kHz/16bit (SPDIF) ✔ Analog output by using 256x Over sampling/32bit DAC
96kHz/24bit	✔ Internal processing at 96kHz/32bit float ✔ Digital output at 96kHz/24bit (SPDIF) ✔ Analog output by using 256x Over sampling/32bit DAC	✔ Internal processing at 96kHz/32bit float ✔ Digital output at 96kHz/24bit (SPDIF) ✔ Analog output by using 256x Over sampling/32bit DAC
Lighting and visual FX
ShowKontrol support (Inc: Phrase Analysis)	ー (To be supported 2021)	▲(ShowKontrol support, but No Phrase analysis)
Pro DJ Link Lighting support	✔	ー
Other
×6 CDJ PRO DJ LINK for the DJM-V10	✔	ー
Improved Load Times, Powered by Improved MPU Processor
File Load (From USB Rekordbox Database)	CDJ-3000	CDJ-2000 NXS2
WAV (16-bit 44Khz)	0.5 seconds	0.7 seconds
MP3 (16-bit 44Khz)	0.6 seconds	0.7 seconds
WAV (24-big 96Khz)	0.4 seconds	0.8 seconds
FLAC (24-big 96Khz)	0.4 seconds	0.8 seconds
ALAC (24-big 96Khz)	0.5 seconds	1.0 seconds
Hot Cue Auto Load (8 Cues)
WAV (16-bit 44Khz)	1.6 seconds	3.7 seconds
MP3 (16-bit 44Khz)	1.7 seconds	4.1 seconds
WAV (24-big 96Khz)	1.7 seconds	6.2 seconds
FLAC (24-big 96Khz)	1.0 seconds	7.1 seconds
ALAC (24-big 96Khz)	1.5 seconds	9.0 seconds
	See Full CDJ-3000 Details	See Full CDJ-2000 NXS2 Details

David’s Take: Pioneer CDJ-3000 vs. CDJ-2000 NXS2, Is it Worth Upgrading?

David: Obviously, that’s a hard question for me to answer. That’s going to depend on your situation – your available budget, is it for you, is it for a production company, etc.? Do you need to fulfill riders?

The CDJ-2000 NXS2, as of the making of this video, is still available alongside the CDJ-3000. So, if you’re deciding which to buy, the price difference is almost non existent [editor’s note: the CDJ-2000 got a $200 pricedrop since the filming of this video]. So if you’re buying your first CDJ, whether it’s for home, nighclub or anywhere else, you should get the CDJ-3000. If you have riders that specifically require the CDJ-2000 NXS2, then obviously, you’re not going to want to get rid of these players.

But the the upgrades [from CDJ-2000 NXS2 to CDJ-3000] are great. They’re lovely. [The CDJ-3000] feels awesome. It feels like a premium, next level upgrade to [the CDJ-2000 NXS2]. But it’s not doing anything vastly different from the CDJ-2000 NXS2. And it’s not meant to. They’re both meant to be the best, industry-standard DJ players possible. And that’s what they both are for their time.

So like I said, if you’re getting into your first set of players, yeah, absolutely, I would consider getting the CDJ-3000s. If you already have the CDJ-2000 NXS2 and you’re generally happy with them, I’d say there’s no reason to mess that up. They’re probably going to hold their value for a while, because not every DJ is going to switch. Even touring DJs are still going to keep [CDJ-2000 NXS2s] on their riders for a while, so I imagine they’re going to hold their value, as Pioneer DJ players tend to do.

But the jog wheel definitely feels much better on the CDJ-3000. The screen is much better. I love the 3-band waveforms. And it does support higher-quality audio, though that’s only going to be relevant in very-specific high-end situations. I happen to like the placement of the hot-cue buttons [above the jog wheel]. I love that there are 8 of them now, instead of a 4×2 situation.

Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 vs. SC6000: Just the Facts

	Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000	Denon SC6000 Prime
Base Price	$2,299	$1,499
Available Discounts	Click Here to Request by Live Chat	Click Here to Request by Live Chat
Media
USB device	1x USB 2.0	✔ 3x USB 2.0/3.0
SD card	SDHC	✔ SDXC
CD	ー	ー
DJ software HID support	✔rekordbox, Serato Coming Soon	✔Engine Prime, Serato DJ
Reads rekordbox format	✔	✔
rekordbox mobile support	✔	ー
Streaming support	ー(only rekordbox HID)	✔
Wifi	ー	✔
Internal HDD drive	ー	✔
On-Board file analysis	ー	✔
Hi resolution audio support	✔	✔
FLAC/ALAC support	✔	✔
Browsing	CDJ-3000	SC6000
Display size	9 inch, Single Touch	✔10.1 inch, Multi Touch
Display spec	✔HD 1280×720	Unknown
Text size customize	✔	✔
Track Filter/Short Cut	✔	✔ (only SHORT CUT)
Track Preview	✔	✔
Mixing
Enlarged waveform	✔Blue/RGB/3Band	1 type
Phase Meter	✔	✔
Touch Cue	✔	ー
Stacked Waveform	✔	ー
Key Sync/Key Shift	✔	✔
Performance Features	CDJ-3000	SC6000
Hot Cue	✔ 8 buttons (above jog wheel)	✔ 8 buttons (below jog wheel)
Auto Beat Loop	✔ 4 & 8 beat buttons	✔ Rotary button
Dual-layer playback	ー	✔
Beat Jump	✔ Button	✔ Button
Quality / Reliability
High performance CPU	✔ 1x QUAD-CORE ARM® CORTEX®-A53 (1.2GHZ) CPUS + 1x DUAL-CORE ARM® CORTEX®-A57 (1.5GHZ)	Rockchip RK3288 (Quad Core) Same as SC5000
High Qualty Jog Wheel	✔	✔
On-Jog Display	✔LCD	✔LCD
Gigabit LAN	✔1000BASE-T	ー
Locking IEC Power Cable	✔	✔
High Brightness Display	✔Brighter	Bright
High durability button (PLAY/CUE/HOTCUE)	✔ Plastic	✔ Rubber
Aluminum design	✔ Full top panel	✔ Full top panel
Digital cable included	✔	ー
Sound Quality	CDJ-3000	SC6000
DAC	✔Asahi Kasei DAC AK4490EQ	Asahi Kasei DAC AK4413EQ
44.1kHz/16bit	✔ Internal processing at 96kHz/32 bit float ✔ Digital output at 96kHz/ 24bit (SPDIF) ✔ Analog output by using 256x Over sampling/32bit DAC	- Internal processing at 44.1kHz/(bit length unknown) ✔ Digital output at 96kHz/24bit (SPDIF) - Analog output by using 128x Over sampling/24bit DAC
96kHz/24bit	✔ Internal processing at 96kHz/32 bit float ✔ Digital output at 96kHz/24bit (SPDIF) ✔ Analog output by using 256x Over sampling/32bit DAC	• Internal processing at 44.1kHz/(bit length unknown) ✔ Digital output at 96kHz/24bit (SPDIF) • Analog output by using 128x Over sampling/24bit DAC
Lighting and visual FX
ShowKontrol support (Inc: Phrase Analysis)	ー (supported CY21)	ー
Pro DJ Link Lighting support	✔	ー
Other
×6 CDJ PRO DJ LINK for the DJM-V10	✔	ー
	See Full CDJ-3000 Details	See Full SC6000 Details

David’s Take: Pioneer CDJ-3000 vs. SC6000, Which do you choose going forward?

David: Again, going to be a tough question.

If you’re the kind of person that throws shows and a lot of people are going to use these players, then more DJs will want to play on Pioneers.

You get a lot more value for the money, feature-for-feature, on the Denons. They’re professional multiplayers that can work in the club/festival environment, but give you some of the performance options that you miss out on from controllers. If it feels a little unfair that you can’t have some of these [controller features] even though you’re spending more to get [media players] – I think you’re going to be a lot happier with the Denons.

I also really appreciate the screen, the interface, pinch-to-zoom, and all that kind of stuff on the SC6000. It just makes it feel a bit more modern. But the screen on the CDJ-3000 is just beautiful. That sharp resolution, it’s really bright. And the jog wheel is amazing on both of these, but the one on the CDJ-3000 is probably the best I’ve felt on anything, ever.

The decision between these 2 units is also going to depend on your budget, obviously. The Denon unit costs a lot less and can play twice as many tracks at once, so that’s definitely going to factor in. But, again, the Pioneer is the industry standard. It’s what people are going to be using for years to come in professional environments. So, as many waves as Denon has created in this space, the Pioneers aren’t going anywhere.

For that matter, [Pioneer] doesn’t want to rock the boat too much with the CDJ-3000. It’s an iteration. It’s not a revolutionary, super-crazy-whiz-bang device. It’s just the best CDJ that’s ever existed (well, besides the CD part). It’s a great unit. It’s buttery smooth. It feels great and it’s going to stand the test of time.

Final Thoughts: How Do You Work in the Industry Standard Rekordbox Environment When You Just Can’t Afford CDJs?

David: Fear not. Pioneer DJ has really answered this question for basically any price point. Whether it’s the DDJ-200, DDJ-400, DDJ-800, DDJ-1000. They have all these devices between [the flagship CDJs] and their budget lines.

So if you want to get into Rekordbox DJ Equipment, manage your crates, know what you’re doing when you get into the booth, you don’t necessarily have to buy a set of CDJ-3000s to do that. You can get a set of XDJ-700s, XDJ-1000 MK2s or the XDJ-RX2/XDJ-XZ, which are standalone all-in-one units. So Pioneer is giving you every reason in the world to into their ecosystem. But if you want the best of the best of what Pioneer DJ has to offer, the CDJ-3000 really impresses.