You are on the Desktop website, Click here to go back to our mobile website
REVIEWED
REVIEWED: Alphatheta CDJ-3000X
Settle down everyone! I know it feels like it’s been a whole 12 minutes since the CDJ-3000 burst on to the scene. However, I can assure you it was as far back as 2020. Do you remember? Times were different then; the CDJ had a Pioneer DJ badge, and we all played music in our houses, using our pots and pans as percussion once a week for the (genuinely amazing) NHS.
When we put into perspective that we have been graced by the CDJ-3000 for five whole years, we are due an upgrade to suit this even more digital era. Much like all the other tech in our lives, we want more powerful processors, a crystal-clear screen, and a layout refined by years of club feedback.
That’s what everyone said when the CDJ-3000 came out in 2020 and became the standard bearer. The new CDJ-3000X is a clear and confident step into the future. It’s more than just a refresh, however. AphaTheta, the organisation responsible for the sales and marketing of Pioneer DJ, calls the ‘X’ a symbol of transformation, and after spending a little time with them, I can see why they went with an ‘X’ rather than a ‘v2’. The nod to expanding connectivity, adding more performance tools, and a greater focus on sound and industrial-level reliability are all evident. For those who adopted the CDJ-3000 as their weapon of choice to DJ digitally, the CDJ-3000X basically straps a jetpack to the user for streaming and both cloud and physical connectivity for the DJ universe.
Design
Before I talk about the huge screen, which is the obvious change, I’m happy to report that the buttons are all in the ‘right’ places. By this, I mean it’s familiar enough to get on and use right away. The top panel is now an anodized black aluminium for a more premium look and feel (time will tell on the fingerprints!). The ‘play’ and ‘cue’ buttons feel firmer, and I am informed they can now withstand a staggering three-million presses, so you can try to be like DJ EZ in your bedroom or down the local club to your heart’s desire. The jog wheel was already a buttery upgrade from the players which started with a ‘2’ many years ago, but the tension adjust now has a wider range of resistance, meaning wider appeal to scratch DJs for those spin backs and micro-precision for the chin-stroking techno DJ! Some backlighting in the unit has become RGB, such as the ‘cue’ button, and the browse rotary has an RGB ring to identify the music source.
More screen – more music?
The biggest and most noticeable upgrade is the screen, which is now a whopping 10.1-inch diagonally, compared to the CDJ-3000’s now seemingly tiny 9-inch diagonal. This gives it the capability to display up to 16 tracks at a time in browse mode. Combined with the speedy processor, flipping through large playlists and menus feels closer to using an iPad than any other DJ player on the market.
This, in turn, gives confidence in the digital music – if the experience is grainy or remotely wobbly, you wonder when it might all crash. With the CDJ-3000X, it didn’t even cross my mind.
AlphaTheta has also improved browsing on the CDJ-3000X. You can now copy a track text directly into the search bar (handy for a ‘save for the next one’ scenario or if you need to find a remix). You can also reorder or delete songs on a USB thanks to their ‘on-device playlist editing’, and you can also save your favourite playlist into a playlist bank for one-touch recall. The biggest browse feature to come on the 3000X is the Global Tag List, which allows you to chuck songs into one place, but from any source, be it USB, cloud storage, or your preferred streaming service. Thanks to the new pre-download feature, tracks you tag from the online sources immediately begin downloading (or caching, as the boffins call it) to minimise your load time.
For the DJs who play across different setups, this is pretty transformative. With the rekordbox Creative or Pro plan, playlists and edits sync automatically via the cloud, meaning no more ‘update or accidentally corrupt a USB stick’ issues – your set will always be ready even if all you bring is your phone.
Connectivity – built for streaming
Before I scare everybody off with phrases like ‘modern connectivity’ and ‘using Wi-Fi in the club for your tunes,’ I will say this: it has traditional USB-A ports for memory sticks, a LAN link to the other decks, and some RCAs on the back for doing it like you’ve always done it!
For those ready to embrace modern connectivity, the CDJ-3000X is more than ready to take the leap:
All of this connectivity means you don’t need a pile of USB sticks, or hours of warming up and checking things at a venue. Now we can touch our phone to any set of CDJ-3000X in the world, and our music will be there waiting.
AlphaTheta has addressed the worries of gear/internet failing, however; the CDJ-3000X offers full track caching – so once it’s loaded, the entire song is saved on a memory inside the player – this is even if the USB gets pulled out, or if Wi-Fi drops.
And for those who swear by other software, it’s good to know that the new unit supports USB-HID control for both Serato DJ Pro and djay Pro.
Performance – deeper creativity
The CDJ-3000X has also increased its creative performance arsenal, too – for the discerning DJ wanting to push their music further.
I know the performance additions don’t look like a ginormous list, but they are a welcome upgrade on the current CDJ-3000 without upsetting any of the workflow – an important trait of the CDJ-3000X!
Sound quality – better late than never!
The most exciting feature is hidden deep under the hood – the CDJ-3000X features a new ESS Technology ES9017S DAC which has a much better signal-to-noise ratio than the previous CDJ-3000 (120dB on the X vs 116 dB on the 3000) and also has a redesigned power supply to reduce noise and bolster the low-end. The result of the changes on board makes it sound cleaner yet warmer. Time will tell in the big clubs and festivals around the world whether this change will have an impact, however! All in all, I must say this has been some of the most enjoyable gear to review. This is because the workflow feels more than familiar and the capacitive screen makes searching and hunting a pleasure. The only gripe I had was that the unit is fractionally larger than the current 3000, so I can’t use my existing cases.
Other than that, this flagship is a lovely little microcosm of the best way to straddle between the traditionalism of the CDJ but with cloud libraries, one-tap logins, wireless connectivity, and more creative cueing. It’s weird having something so seemingly space-aged that is so easy for me to adapt to – so hats off to the team at AlphaTheta for raising a bar set by its older brother.
It’s left me wondering two things:
1. Is this the start of streaming becoming commonplace in the DJ booth?
2. Do you think my business partner will notice the purchase of a couple of these?
Answers on a postcard.
When we put into perspective that we have been graced by the CDJ-3000 for five whole years, we are due an upgrade to suit this even more digital era. Much like all the other tech in our lives, we want more powerful processors, a crystal-clear screen, and a layout refined by years of club feedback.
That’s what everyone said when the CDJ-3000 came out in 2020 and became the standard bearer. The new CDJ-3000X is a clear and confident step into the future. It’s more than just a refresh, however. AphaTheta, the organisation responsible for the sales and marketing of Pioneer DJ, calls the ‘X’ a symbol of transformation, and after spending a little time with them, I can see why they went with an ‘X’ rather than a ‘v2’. The nod to expanding connectivity, adding more performance tools, and a greater focus on sound and industrial-level reliability are all evident. For those who adopted the CDJ-3000 as their weapon of choice to DJ digitally, the CDJ-3000X basically straps a jetpack to the user for streaming and both cloud and physical connectivity for the DJ universe.
Design
Before I talk about the huge screen, which is the obvious change, I’m happy to report that the buttons are all in the ‘right’ places. By this, I mean it’s familiar enough to get on and use right away. The top panel is now an anodized black aluminium for a more premium look and feel (time will tell on the fingerprints!). The ‘play’ and ‘cue’ buttons feel firmer, and I am informed they can now withstand a staggering three-million presses, so you can try to be like DJ EZ in your bedroom or down the local club to your heart’s desire. The jog wheel was already a buttery upgrade from the players which started with a ‘2’ many years ago, but the tension adjust now has a wider range of resistance, meaning wider appeal to scratch DJs for those spin backs and micro-precision for the chin-stroking techno DJ! Some backlighting in the unit has become RGB, such as the ‘cue’ button, and the browse rotary has an RGB ring to identify the music source.
More screen – more music?
The biggest and most noticeable upgrade is the screen, which is now a whopping 10.1-inch diagonally, compared to the CDJ-3000’s now seemingly tiny 9-inch diagonal. This gives it the capability to display up to 16 tracks at a time in browse mode. Combined with the speedy processor, flipping through large playlists and menus feels closer to using an iPad than any other DJ player on the market.
This, in turn, gives confidence in the digital music – if the experience is grainy or remotely wobbly, you wonder when it might all crash. With the CDJ-3000X, it didn’t even cross my mind.
AlphaTheta has also improved browsing on the CDJ-3000X. You can now copy a track text directly into the search bar (handy for a ‘save for the next one’ scenario or if you need to find a remix). You can also reorder or delete songs on a USB thanks to their ‘on-device playlist editing’, and you can also save your favourite playlist into a playlist bank for one-touch recall. The biggest browse feature to come on the 3000X is the Global Tag List, which allows you to chuck songs into one place, but from any source, be it USB, cloud storage, or your preferred streaming service. Thanks to the new pre-download feature, tracks you tag from the online sources immediately begin downloading (or caching, as the boffins call it) to minimise your load time.
For the DJs who play across different setups, this is pretty transformative. With the rekordbox Creative or Pro plan, playlists and edits sync automatically via the cloud, meaning no more ‘update or accidentally corrupt a USB stick’ issues – your set will always be ready even if all you bring is your phone.
Connectivity – built for streaming
Before I scare everybody off with phrases like ‘modern connectivity’ and ‘using Wi-Fi in the club for your tunes,’ I will say this: it has traditional USB-A ports for memory sticks, a LAN link to the other decks, and some RCAs on the back for doing it like you’ve always done it!
For those ready to embrace modern connectivity, the CDJ-3000X is more than ready to take the leap:
- USB Ports are now USB-C, and there are two of them. One for your USB sticks/drives and one for PC/Mac connectivity. You still get the USB-A port, but as we move into the USB-C world, it means the 3000X will be easy to link with modern devices and drives.
Built-in Wi-Fi: As well as Ethernet connectivity, the addition of wireless internet means it’s easier as a DJ to connect wirelessly to their libraries or streaming platform.
NFC & QR login: An absolute game changer for all DJs – simply tap your smartphone against the front panel or scan a QR code and you get logged straight into rekordbox and linked streaming services like Beatport or Tidal! This was a cool feature to play with and I look forward to just being able to ‘jump on’ even if I don’t have any of my music with me physically.
Single sign-on: By logging in to rekordbox, you are automatically signed in to any streaming platforms you are subscribed to, making it even easier to get on and play.
All of this connectivity means you don’t need a pile of USB sticks, or hours of warming up and checking things at a venue. Now we can touch our phone to any set of CDJ-3000X in the world, and our music will be there waiting.
AlphaTheta has addressed the worries of gear/internet failing, however; the CDJ-3000X offers full track caching – so once it’s loaded, the entire song is saved on a memory inside the player – this is even if the USB gets pulled out, or if Wi-Fi drops.
And for those who swear by other software, it’s good to know that the new unit supports USB-HID control for both Serato DJ Pro and djay Pro.
Performance – deeper creativity
The CDJ-3000X has also increased its creative performance arsenal, too – for the discerning DJ wanting to push their music further.
- Touch cue and preview hot cue – this allows you to preview any part of a track through the headphones just by tapping the waveform, even if it's the track you are currently playing! Especially handy for times you aren’t too familiar with the material!
Smart cue – hot cues can now overwrite the current cue automatically (thus calling it a smart cue, I guess!)
Gate cue – a feature I look forward to using – the audio only plays while your finger is on the cue button itself, like a ‘non-latching sampler,’ opening up more performance capabilities.
Beatgrid double/half – you can now correct tracks which hadn’t been analysed properly or re-grid those pesky drum and bass, halftime, or broken beat tracks for better beat matching, cueing, etc.
I know the performance additions don’t look like a ginormous list, but they are a welcome upgrade on the current CDJ-3000 without upsetting any of the workflow – an important trait of the CDJ-3000X!
Sound quality – better late than never!
The most exciting feature is hidden deep under the hood – the CDJ-3000X features a new ESS Technology ES9017S DAC which has a much better signal-to-noise ratio than the previous CDJ-3000 (120dB on the X vs 116 dB on the 3000) and also has a redesigned power supply to reduce noise and bolster the low-end. The result of the changes on board makes it sound cleaner yet warmer. Time will tell in the big clubs and festivals around the world whether this change will have an impact, however! All in all, I must say this has been some of the most enjoyable gear to review. This is because the workflow feels more than familiar and the capacitive screen makes searching and hunting a pleasure. The only gripe I had was that the unit is fractionally larger than the current 3000, so I can’t use my existing cases.
Other than that, this flagship is a lovely little microcosm of the best way to straddle between the traditionalism of the CDJ but with cloud libraries, one-tap logins, wireless connectivity, and more creative cueing. It’s weird having something so seemingly space-aged that is so easy for me to adapt to – so hats off to the team at AlphaTheta for raising a bar set by its older brother.
It’s left me wondering two things:
1. Is this the start of streaming becoming commonplace in the DJ booth?
2. Do you think my business partner will notice the purchase of a couple of these?
Answers on a postcard.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 133, Pages 70-72.
