help a newb out : )

Welcome radoo....
You just asked this a djforums too right?

Well honestly. I own CDI-500's, and the only pitfalls to it compared to the DNS1000 is that it didn't have a slot drive, it didn't have as good of an internal preamp, and it didn't have MP3 capabilities.

Well now the CDI-500mp3 has addressed all of those issues.

Radoo, it's kind of hard to form an opinion on what CDJ to get unless you've actually used/tested one. I'm of the try-before-you-buy school and nothing beats physical live testing over just reading specifications. If cannot get to a store or if you don't know anyone whose already got one I guess you've got to rely on others opinions.

You need to make an informed decision before purchase. I recommend you don't limit yourself to just Dennon and AA products. There are tons of manufacturers out there with their own product that might suit you better. You should go to their web sites and forums and review and compare specifications and ask questions like the one you did here.

Have a look at what CDJs (not turntables) are being used in Night Clubs in your area to get an idea what the professionals are using. If you ever get to see a mobile rig in action, go ask the DJ what he thinks about his CDJs and his history.

A couple of things to consider as well;
- Don't go for the cheapest
- Don't purchase just on tacky gimmickry devices (eg. spinning platters, effects etc), more does not necessarily mean its good.
- Consider your useage:- Bedroom or Professional
- Look at the manufacturers return and warranty policy
- Buy Right, Buy Once! Good luck

ROQ out.

Thanks for the input
I think i'm gonna go with the cdi 500 mp3. I'm actually going tomorrow to test out the denon and if i don't like the feel of the denon i'll go with the AA. I, too like to test out before I buy but right now there is no way I can test the AA. I'm going for the AA because from what I read, apparently there are some problems with the denon (i don't like problems), and right now I do not need too expensive equipment since i plan on being a bedroom dj for now and later i'll upgrade if i decide to do some gigs. I also heard that AA comes with a 2 year warranty and if i'm not mistaken denon comes with only 1.
I did look around for quite some time for other players, read forums and opinions and I had a lot of chices Vestax CDX 05 and the CDJ 200 were other options but i concluded that the AA would suit me best. I do not need really expensive players but i also don't want to go really cheap, i'm just a beginner at the moment. Of course that I whish to try out before i buy but i don't have the ability, there are no stores nor do even know a person that knows a person that has this type of equipment.
Also i noticed that this is a pretty friendly forum, i got the best and quickest answers out of denon, djforums or harderfaster.net forums.
Thanks for the help

Radoo you will probably find American Audio's customer support better than Denon. The 500 is a bit bigger and may be more comfortable to work with than the s-1000. I personally have used American Audio/ American Dj products for 4+ years and still using them. They are good products.

Hey ROQ, what's wrong with a spinning platter?
ROQ is right. If you can't try'em, ask. Of course, you will want to also check out "vendor neutral" sites like prodj.com for more unbiased views.

I've had a chance to touch both units...uh..that doesn't sound right...
Anyway...

The 500's platter feels/responds better than the D1000's. The touch sensative 500 yields more accurate scratching.
I think the 500's sampler is better. More features, more banks, etc.
I like the 1000's effects better (well, one effect, Echo Loop), and the way you control the effects. But I don't use effects on the CD players much. My mixer handles that job.
I like big butts and I cannot lie..whoops.

Plus, we're a friendlier forum.
What other company throws a party for our Armed Forces?

Good luck!

Bill, Dennon tried and failed with their spinning platter technology. I've used it and it feels very flimsy, it also looks tacky - bottom line I wasn't impressed. Don't get me wrong Dennon make a good product, but I think they lost the plot when it came to understanding the needs of todays DJ.

The Technichs design and spinning platter thing is a step in the right direction but the latency problem fails the product. Only Nuumakrs CDX have got the spinning platter thing right. I still like my CDJ1000s, they cost a mint but worth every cent.

ROQ out.

The company I work for uses 5000's and 3500's. And although they did improve the platter very much on the 3500's, I still prefer a static platter, and started on and spun on Vinyl for 12+ years. I just actually feel that the touch platters respond better. I do think the S1000 is a decent unit, but I do think that they missed the mark a bit with their static platter. I think the (CDJ)1000's are a great deck, and IMHO are probably the best deck in the world, but the CDI-500's are not that far behind, and for a DJ who cannot afford to pay $1200 for one deck, it is my opinion, that you are not selling yourself short getting the CDI's. If I didn't believe that the decks were not worth it, I wouldn't own the 500's currently, and I will be getting the mp3 version shortly.

<edit>Sorry I forgot to put CDJ in front of the 1000 on my one line, added in to avoid confusion with the S1000</edit>

If I only had a choice between Dennon and AA, I would probably get the AA product. AA CDJs layouts and designs have been thought out better than the D's. i.e Buttons are large, easily visible and where they should be. I also like the logic in the AA product and ease of use. Denon has done the opposite with their product.

Another thing to consider when asking questions about products from non-manufacturer, non-affiliated sites is that you'll get a lot of pimple-faced wannabe and inexperienced DJ's giving an opinion of a product that they've probably never used or just read the manual and think they know probably because one of their friends said so. Be careful of this! They're everywhere. Good luck

ROQ out.