Review: switch from 1000mk2 to 800

   

Some 4 months ago, after a lot of forum searching and many many doubts, I finally bought my first cdj after toying around with vinyl for more than 10 years. I decided to go for the shit and bought one 1000mk2. Unfortunately 2 was a bit overpriced for me.

A very solid piece a machine, though i have a couple of remarks.
First thing I noticed is that the 1000 is quite crowded in terms buttons/switches (I like a more simple layout, though this is of course very personal). A little example is the light/switch from cdj to vinyl mode on the 1000. Imho the 800 looks far better (with only one blue light and not 2 seperate lights). Same goes for reverse switch. Though I really did like the the looks and feel of the play/cue buttons. I did not see the point of having cd tekst so I never used it. The auto cue was also a feature that I did not use. On the other hand the wave data was very helpful and should really be obligatory for every cd player.
One thing that annoyed me was that I found it difficult to make 'seamless' loops, well at least doing it live without adjusting. 7/10 it was alright but the other times you would hear the 'click'.
Hot cues, well what can you say. Big thumbs up for people that can integrate it in their sets. It's really difficult to master and not really suited for long house mixes, but more for broken beats and hip hop styles.

And than I decided to switch.... why Well I found it increasingly annoying to only have one cdj and not be able to make a 'digital' mix. A 2nd 1000mk2 was above my budget. Plus after a lot of very good reviews of the 800, I was increasingly convinced that the extra features of the 1000mk2 were not worth an almost doubling of the price.So after 3 months, I sold my 1000mk2 with pain in my heart and bought two brand new 800.

A little smaller and a little less 'machine' but now at least two cdj's.
So what did I notice: After a couple of times mixing I really did miss the wave data. The auto loops work quite well and I think the manual loop even works better. The platter is looser than the 1000. It's a bit like a record that has a slightly bigger hole. It doesn't really bother me. The beatcutter is not really helpfull since it's not infinite like the 200. The MT definately works better than with the 1000mk2.

After a week of playing I noticed a couple of flaws.
With the MT on (vinyl mode), if you stop the record with the brake turned all the way to the right, it makes an awful sound. I cannot remember this happening on a 1000.
One time the cdj just stopped playing mid session...
One time the record skipped in a track
Two times the cdj locked while I inserted a new cd. Although I must say I was searching for the appropiate tune while it was loading. I had to turn the cdj off and restart. Luckely it worked again.
A couple of time I noticed that the cdj couldn't catch up with the platter and was behind the platter movements.
I noticed also that the platter was oversensitive while 'search scrolling'. I simply jumped from 2 to 10.

(These errors occured randomly at any of my two 800's)

For those in doubt what to buy;

My final verdict would be that the 1000 is a very solid, professional machine perfect for clubs but a bit over the top for home use.
The 800, with less unessesary features except for the wave data, seems to my surprise be more error sensitive. This could be a result of the buffer that is smaller than the 1000. I hope these errors don't get worse, otherwise I fear that the 1000 wins because of it's solid performance even though it costs almost twice as much.