As youвЂ™d expect, thereвЂ™s nothing in the redesigned layout on the 3000 that would cause too much confusion for anyone familiar with the CDJ-2000 (or pretty much any other CDJ). Learn to play on a budget DDJ controller, for instance, and youвЂ™ll have very little difficulty making the step up to CDJs. One of the strengths of Pioneer DJ gear has always been the consistent approach from one model to the next. WeвЂ™d always thought of the 2000 as being pretty well built, but dare we say that the 3000 actually makes it feel a little bit flimsy by comparison, thanks to a new aluminium top panel and uprated controls (the play and cue buttons are said to be rated up to one million pushes each). For a start, this is the first CDJ without a CD drive (previous CD-less players from Pioneer have been badged as XDJs), but itвЂ™s also notably bigger, largely thanks to the giant touchscreen, and, perhaps surprisingly, much better built than the 2000NXS2. There are a few obvious differences when placing the new 3000 alongside a 2000NXS2. The previous top-of-the-range model, the CDJ-2000, was originally released way back in 2009 and, despite being upgraded to the more advanced NXS2 spec by 2016, its features were starting to feel limited in some ways. The CDJ-3000 is PioneerвЂ™s first all-new flagship player in 11 years. (Anecdotally, I know of at least two equipment hire companies who sold off their entire stock of CDJ-2000s and placed large orders for the new model as soon as it was announced.)

OK, a lot of clubs might not need new CDJs yet, but when things go back to normal, whenever that might be, the 3000s will be ready and waiting.

ThereвЂ™s a sense that PioneerвЂ™s attitude wasnвЂ™t cynical or ill-judged so much as just sticking to the original plan. The timing may have been unfortunate at best, but the actual release of a major product like the CDJ-3000 is only the final, most public moment in a development process that typically takes years. Eyebrows were raised on the faces of DJs who questioned whether it might be slightly tasteless to try and sell CDJs costing thousands of pounds a pair at a time when most DJs around the world were struggling for income as a result of lockdowns and club closures. Launching an expensive new piece of DJ equipment in the middle of a pandemic certainly wouldnвЂ™t have featured in PioneerвЂ™s plans for 2020, but thatвЂ™s exactly where the brand found itself in September, with the announcement of the new CDJ-3000. The timing might not be ideal, but PioneerвЂ™s new flagship CDJ looks set to be the new industry standard once nightlife resumes.

Pioneer cdj 2000 reviews