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CDJs vs Turntables (Which DJ Setup is Actually Best?)

CDJs vs Turntables. The age old debate! There’s been a debate within the DJ community that has gone on since CDJs & Turntables were invented. Is there a winner?
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CDJs vs Turntables! Yes, it’s 2022 and this argument within the DJ community is still going on!

There’s consistently been a debate within the DJ community between CDJs and Turntables that has gone on since CDJs and turntables were invented. While turntables are the OG originals, often being argued to have a better overall sound quality, CDJs are easier to use and much less costly to maintain. As a result, the two sides have been making their case over which is objectively the best option for years.

If you’re someone that is just starting your DJ journey or are interested in stepping up from a standard controller to something that focuses more on the CDJ or the turntable experience, You’ll want to keep reading this breakdown overview of the two devices. Here, we’ll be going over their different features and options as well as talking about how difficult either one is to use professionally, their overall price range, portability, and sound quality.

CDJs vs Turntables: Which is Considered Essential For DJs?

When it comes to what is considered “essential” for the DJ, there are a lot of different answers I can give you. The reality is that each tool (from CDJs to turntables, to regular DJ controllers) has its own merits and can all be considered an “essential” part of the DJ experience. If you plan on performing, all you need is a pair of twin decks with a mixer. Everything else is just personal preference.

Over the years, the industry standard has always been set for the turntables as the “official” DJ performance tool. However, with time (and as technology progressed), the bulkiness and difficult-to-maintain turntables were exchanged out for the smaller and easier to use and maintain CDJs. Interestingly enough, that pendulum seems to be shifting back in favor of turntables, as the newer younger generation has recently started showing a keener interest in some of the merits that come with turntables.

Again, all DJ methods of performance seem to be good or to be recognized as the “official” option. As stated earlier, the only thing that is regarded as being an “essential” aspect for a DJ is whether what they’re playing with has a pair of decks and a mixer. Do that, and you can pick all the other things based on what you like the most.

Turntables vs CDJ – Which Is Better?

Ok, so that you now know that both options are equally viable as being “essential” or “official” items for a professional DJ, let’s go over both options so that you know the pros and cons of either device.

Turntables

Of the two, it’s undeniably true that, while CDJs were made to be more popular and convenient when people think of DJing, they think of using the turntable. And with good reason! The turntable is pretty much the grandfather of all DJing, right up there with vinyl records themselves. Back in the 80s and 90s, there were no options outside of the turntable. As a result, whenever DJing has ever been portrayed or presented (especially back then) it was always with turntables.

Whereas older turntables were largely analog options, the more recent iterations of turntables have an in-built set of preamps that are used to convert analog sound to a phono output signal. This essentially makes a turntable something of a digital device, especially as you’ll need to connect it to your DJ mixer for the signal to be sent out to your speakers, studio monitors, or audio interface.

Turntables are known for being notoriously difficult to master for beginner DJs. And while this is certainly true when compared to CDJs, it’s also true that they can produce some stellar music and sound quality while feeling truly incredible once you understand what you’re doing.

CDJs vs Turntables
The legendary Technics 1210 Turntable. Still top of the tree after 30 years.

The Pros & Cons Of The Turntable

Pros

  • Top-Tier Sound Quality: There are a lot of things that are up for debate when we’re talking about which of the two methods is better between turntables and CDJs. One area that isn’t open for debate at all, however, is the level of sound quality offered by the turntable. Whether you are using strictly old-school records or the more updated turntables, with largely digital options, there is no comparison with just how unmatched the sound quality is.
  • Scratching Accessibility: If you’re someone that loves to bring scratching into your mixing style, you’re pretty much going to have to get a turntable. Yes, you “can” use a CDJ or a DJ controller to scratch, but these are pretty much poor imitations to the real thing. Put simply, if you want the most natural resistance and the best feel overall (when scratching), you’re going to want to invest in a solid turntable system.
  • Incredibly Durable Build: Turntables, much more than CDJs are built with longevity and durability in mind. Since their initial appearance in the 80s, turntables have been made with the expectation that they’d be used by a performing DJ for a long time. As a result, many devices are over 30+ years old that still function like brand new. That’s something you just aren’t going to get with CDJs.

Cons

  • Very Heavy & Difficult Mobility: The average weight of a standard turntable that is reasonably sized and of good quality is going to be between 15 and 20 pounds. Again, that’s an average weight of a standard turntable. If you’re getting something bigger and more powerful, prepare to deal with something even heavier. This is all to say that the actual transportation and movement of the turntable is going to be a hassle no matter the type of gear setup you get.
  • High Maintenance Costs: The fact of the matter is that turntables are incredibly delicate, with needles and tonearms that require an incredible amount of care and handling. They need to be groomed and cared for on an almost daily basis or else they’re likely to be easily damaged. This isn’t even going into the costs for maintaining these components, which can potentially be quite high, and the components becoming harder to come by.
  • Not Particularly Versatile: When people think of turntables, while they are often revered for their sound quality and impressive scratching abilities, there isn’t that much more they can do. Unless you use a DVS (more on that in a minute), you’re pretty much relegated to just scratching and beatmatching. That may have been fine “back in the day”, but today, versatility is pretty much a requirement.
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Old-school turntablists will find it easy to get used to the Pioneer DJ PLX-1000.

DVS System

Also known as the Digital Vinyl System, the DVS system, along with DJ software systems like Serato DJ or Traktor, offers a unique ability to use aspects of vinyl to allow you to control digital files. This is a very cool feature, as it allows you to have the best of both worlds while using a largely analog player. Not only can you enjoy the largely authentic feeling that comes from vinyl, but you can do so while also enjoying the various aspects that come from a modern device.

DVS systems are a great option as they allow turntable users to have some much-needed flexibility and variety when it comes to their performances, something that would otherwise be quite difficult.

CDJs

Now that we’ve gone over much of the turntable and what it has to offer, we’ll now talk about the CDJs and what they have to offer today’s performing DJ.

While turntables and records were once the standards for DJs, over time the high price tag and the perpetual stagnation in technology compared to the world caused people to move further into the digital era with CDs. Companies, such as Pioneer DJ, soon began creating, designing, and releasing items that offered a largely similar listening experience, if more digital than not.

For many fans of the local club scene or frequent visitors to weekend parties, the CDJ was a very prevalent unit, easily becoming one of the most commonly used and popular devices for a DJ over the past few decades. With the first CDJ hitting the market during the mid-90s, it was only a matter of time before the world of DJing was irreversible changed forever, with DJs going from lugging around huge and cumbersome turntables with a large bag of vinyl records to a much smaller CDJ and an even smaller carrying disc case.

Today, modern CDJs cater to not only standard CDs but also flash drive and laptop servers as well. This has made the process incredibly easy as a result. Simply put, the CDJ offers incredible convenience and is much less of a hassle to deal with when compared to turntables. They’re smaller, easier to use, and much more technologically relevant.

spinning on turntables vs CDJs
The iconic CDJ-1000mk3. A CDJ that helped kickstart the revolution.

The Pros & Cons Of The CDJ

Pros

  • Ease Of Use: When it comes to mixing music, there are infinitely more and easier options for the CDJ than the turntable by a country mile. CDJs have loops, cue buttons, BPM readers, different effects, and so much more. All of these things, not only make playing with a CDJ much easier than a turntable but offer a larger variety of ways to mix and play with a track.
  • Very Easy To Maintain & Care For: Between the two, CDJs are both easier to fix as well as maintain and care for than turntables. Whereas a turntable often has parts that must be cared for regularly, often requiring difficult to find pieces if there is ever a need for repair, CDJs can be left alone for months on end without any real maintenance, requiring only a quick trip to an electronic shop if there is ever any need for repair.
  • Industry Standard: When you go to most clubs and venues today, if they don’t have a high-end DJ controller available, odds are you’re going to be playing with a CDJ. This is not only because of the aforementioned traits listed but also because you only need a USB and you can load a CDJ with everything you need to get performing. It’s a “plug-and-play” experience, which is why so many gigs will use them over the previous turntable system.

Cons

  • Can Be Expensive: There is a very common misconception that CDJs are less expensive than turntables. While this may technically be true if you’re talking about the cheaper, CDJs out there, that is thrown out the window when you realize that higher-end quality CDJs can cost more than a good set of turntables. Especially when you go to the clubs or festivals, you’ll see that these are priced incredibly high and often as a single piece. This means that if you want a good setup, you’re going to be paying a fortune… twice.
  • Not As Durable: Remember when we said that CDJs were easily repairable and didn’t need that much to take of? Well, the other side to that is that they’re also notoriously easy to break. The two points kind of go hand-in-hand. The parts that make up a CDJ are easily replaceable. The reason they can be replaced so easily is that they are relatively cheap and easy to make. Because they are easy and cheap to make, this means they are easier to break. It’s a question of whether you want something that lasts a long time but is a pain to replace or something that can easily be fixed but will have to go through that process almost routinely.
  • Not As Natural To Mix With: CDJs, quite simply, aren’t going to give you the same comfortability and naturalness that a turntable can, when it comes to mixing tracks. Whether it’s an old DJ vet who’s been mixing since the 80s or a relative newcomer who’s grown up on CDJs, they’ll both tell you the same thing. When it comes to how “natural” it feels to play with a CDJ compared to a turntable, the turntable wins every time.
turntable cdjs
The latest CDJ-3000 is nothing short of a modern-day musical instrument! Pure wizardry from Pioneer DJ.

CDJs vs Turntables: The Verdict

When it comes to which is better, there isn’t a “right” or a “wrong” answer. Both devices have their respective pros and cons that would make a person opt for one over the other. While turntables have a durable build, incredible sound quality, and a much more natural organic flow to them, CDJs are easier to use, much more flexible with a higher variety of features, and ultimately easier to take with you.

If you are willing to forgo much of the modern digital aspects of DJing, the turntable will be right for you. It throws out a lot of the newer bells and whistles, and instead focuses on the core key aspects for playing and mixing music, namely speed control, pitch fader, and a tonearm. You likely won’t have all the new additions the same way you would with a CDJ (not to mention the eventual component replacements over time). However, you will ultimately have a much nicer sound setup between the two.

On the flip-side, if you’re more interested in said modern add-ons, and aren’t interested in something that is excessively hard when you don’t have to deal with it, you may be better off with the CDJ. This option comes with many of the same things as the turntable (including a set of jogwheels, which simulate the turntable experience) as well as a number of additions, like a set of performance features, different display trackers, and several effects that you can play with.

By knowing what you are interested in, and knowing how much time, money, and energy you are willing to invest in either device, you can know which will be the best for you and your DJ-based situation.

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Written by
Dexter has worked in the music business since the early 1990s. He has been a keen tech writer for many years and is still regularly involved in promoting prominent electronic music events in Ibiza and the UK. Dexter also specializes in managing and growing digital marketing platforms for leading international DJs, event brands, and venues. He relocated to Croatia from Ibiza six years ago but has continued his industry involvement whilst living on the electronic music party Island of Pag. Alongside music, Dexter is a cat nut and a through-and-through family man!

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