Pioneer CDJ-2000 Digital Turntable [6.1-in WQVGA Full-Color 480x234 LCD, rekordbox Digital Music Database, Built-In 24-bit/48 kHz Sound Card]

It’s been nearly 15 years now since Pioneer revolutionized the professional DJ experience with the introduction of its first fully digital electronic DJ turntable system the CDJ-1000 and we have been anxiously awaiting the next iteration in the series. Well, the wait is over. Pioneer announced today that it is ready to launch its next generation digital turntable, the CDJ-2000, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. They’ve taken one of the best digital turntables on the market and made it even better.

Back in the day it was all about spinning vinyl. Professional DJs manipulated the black disks in clubs all over the world churning out their art for millions to enjoy. With the advent of digital music, it seemed that the world of the DJ would change forever. Would the result be the same without the tactile nature of old-school LPs? Would DJs be able to work their magic with CDs and MP3s? With Pioneer’s digital turntables you can work CDs like LPs and forget about lugging along your laptop to access your digital music. This thing is heavy on accessibility. You can get to your music whether it’s on CD, DVD, portable hard drive or flash memory device and in formats like MP3, AAC, WAV and AIFF.

The Pioneer CDJ-2000 represents a step-change in digital DJ equipment. This latest version sports a huge 6.1-in WQVGA color LCD panel for displaying song titles and jacket art as well as detailed track information so DJs can select songs at a glance. The wave data of each song is also illustrated on screen, showing high and low amplitude to further assist DJs. Two additional new features on the CDJ-2000 include the Needle Search function, which gives DJs instant access to any part of a song just by touching the Needle Search pad (it’s like moving the LP under the needle, get it?) and a new enhanced jog dial that gives the user the ability to adjust the tension and feel of the dial from light to heavy while being guided by integrated illumination in darkened environments.

You also get several of the tried and true features from the original CDJ-1000 like Pioneer’s rekordbox digital music management software, the ability to link together up to four CDJ-2000 units with integrated DJ-Link, and up to 35 controls on the surface of each player to trigger other devices, like DJ effecters and software by way of HID and/or MIDI. The CDJ-2000 will be available in November with a suggested retail price of $2,150.