Pioneer CDJ-850The CDJ-850 multimedia player is a slightly smaller unit than the CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900 and is titanium in colour, as apposed to black. It replaces the CDJ-800MK2 deck.
The main differences with the CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900 are that the CDJ-850 does not feature ProDJ Link connectivity, S/PDIF digital output or the Quantize loop feature. It has a 74 p/sec cue / loop accuracy, compared to 149 p/sec for the CDJ-2000 / CDJ-900. The CDJ-850 is very similar in layout to the CDJ-900, the main difference being that it does not feature the tilted display. The CDJ-850 can play MP3, AAC, WAV (up to professional 24-bit) and AIFF digital audio formats recorded on USB storage devices or CD-R/RW discs. It also features MIDI, enabling the control of various DJ software packages on a laptop. The jog wheel is 206 mm, the same as on the CDJ-900 and CDJ-2000 decks. Platter controls include reverse button and vinyl mode, but the platter resistance cannot be changed, unlike with the two top-of-the-range decks. A significant improvement on the CDJ-800 is the addition of a 6% pitch range. The CDJ-850 also has ±10%, 16% and 100% (CD only) pitch ranges.
There is a useful "tag list" feature that enables you to plan a set up to 20 tracks ahead. The wave form display is similar to that on the CDJ-1000 MK3, but works best with tracks that have been analysed beforehand in rekordbox. The auto looper is the same as on the CDJ-900 and CDJ-2000 but, sadly, it does not have the Quantize loop feature that is found on the top-of-the-range CDJ-2000. Free rekordboxTM software is included. In summary, the Pioneer CDJ-850 is another great CD deck, suitable for both home and club work. It is a much better deck than the CDJ-350 and the CDJ-1000 players but is not in the same league as the flagship CDJ-900 and CDJ-2000 decks. See our CDJ comparison page to compare the features of the latest Pioneer CD DJ players. Available from: amazon.co.uk
Pioneer CDJ-850 review
CDJ-850-KDue to popular demand, Pioneer have now launched the CDJ-850-K, an all-black version of the CDJ-850 multimedia player. The new version matches the finish of the top-of-the range CDJ-900 and CDJ-2000 decks. The CDJ-850-K will be available in stores from December 2011.
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