A media player is a small computer with a jog wheel bolted to it, which makes it easier to check than most people expect: most faults worth worrying about show up in ten minutes with a USB stick you trust, headphones and a methodical run through the controls. This guide covers the Pioneer CDJs you will see most on eBay, from the CDJ-850 and the original CDJ-2000 through the CDJ-2000NXS, CDJ-2000NXS2 and CDJ-3000, the XDJ-RX2 and XDJ-RX3 all-in-ones, and Denon DJ's SC5000 Prime and SC6000 Prime.
Know which generation you are looking at
Check the faceplate in the photos against the listing title.
- CDJ-2000 (2009): the flagship that replaced the CDJ-1000MK3. The CDJ-850 followed in 2010 as a lower-priced rekordbox-ready player.
- CDJ-2000NXS (2012): a higher-resolution screen and Beat Sync over Pro DJ Link.
- CDJ-2000NXS2 (2016): a 7-inch colour touch screen, FLAC and Apple Lossless playback, a disc drive plus USB and SD, two banks of four colour hot cues, a 96 kHz/24-bit sound card and HID control for Serato DJ Pro, Traktor Pro and djay Pro.
- CDJ-3000 (2020): no disc drive, a 9-inch touch screen, an LCD in the centre of the jog wheel, eight hot cue buttons in a row and gigabit Pro DJ Link for up to six units with a compatible mixer.
- The 900 series: Pioneer's mid-range player went from the CDJ-900 to the CDJ-900NXS, a disc player with Pro DJ Link and a colour screen. Pioneer's own compatibility lists name the CDJ-900NXS and no NXS2 version of it, so if a listing says "CDJ-900NXS2", look closely at the faceplate.
- XDJ-RX2: a two-channel all-in-one with a 7-inch touch screen, eight pads per deck, USB playback and effects taken from the DJM-900NXS2. The XDJ-RX3 moves to a 10.1-inch touch screen, adds colour displays in the jog wheels and a Jog Adjust control, and has three USB ports.
- Denon SC6000 Prime: a 10.1-inch touch screen, an 8.5-inch metal platter with a 2.2-inch display in the middle, dual-layer playback (two tracks on one unit), three USB-A ports, an SD slot, a bay for a 2.5-inch SATA drive, Wi-Fi and an Ethernet link port. Denon lists a separate SC6000M Prime, so make sure the title matches the unit pictured. The older SC5000 Prime runs the same Engine DJ operating system.
Jog wheel
The jog wheel is the part you will touch most, and its feel is what you will notice first. Load a track in vinyl mode and check three things.
- Movement. Spin it by the edge. It should turn smoothly and quietly with no scraping, grinding or wobble, and the gap around it should look even all the way round.
- Touch detection. Rest your hand on the top plate: playback should stop and follow your hand. Let go and it should resume at once. Then nudge only the outer ring: the track should speed up or slow down without stopping. If touch detection is intermittent, or it only works with a firm press, walk away or price in a repair.
- Tension and displays. On players with a tension control, such as the XDJ-RX3's Jog Adjust, turn it through its range and feel the weight change. On players with a screen in the jog (CDJ-3000, XDJ-RX3, SC6000 Prime), check the display shows the playhead and artwork without flicker, dead areas or a dim backlight.
Buttons, pads and the pitch fader
Play and Cue get pressed more than anything else on the unit. Press each one a dozen times. Look for buttons that need a hard press, trigger twice, stick down or have lost their light. Then do the same for every hot cue button or pad (check every colour lights up), loop in and out, beat jump, the pitch range button, master tempo and the browse encoder, both turning and pushing.
Move the tempo fader slowly from one end to the other while watching the BPM readout. The number should change smoothly, with no jumps, freezes or values that flicker while the fader is still. Return it to the centre and check the readout shows zero.
Screens
Check the main screen at full brightness for dead pixels, bands, an uneven backlight and cracks. On touch screens (CDJ-2000NXS2, CDJ-3000, XDJ-RX2, XDJ-RX3, SC6000 Prime), tap all four corners and drag the waveform; a screen that misses taps near the edges needs calibration at best and a new panel at worst.
USB, SD and LAN ports
Test every slot with your own media, not the seller's. A USB socket that only reads when the stick is held at an angle, or an SD slot that won't latch, is easy to miss in a quick demo. If you are buying two players, connect them with an Ethernet cable (or through a compatible mixer or hub) and check the second player can browse the first one's USB stick over Pro DJ Link. On the CDJ-2000NXS2, Pro DJ Link connects up to four players or laptops; on the CDJ-3000 it is gigabit and connects up to six units with a compatible mixer. Denon's X1850 Prime mixer has a LAN hub for up to four SC players. Finally, listen to both the analogue and digital outputs if the player has both.
The disc drive
The CDJ-850, CDJ-2000, CDJ-2000NXS, CDJ-2000NXS2 and CDJ-900NXS all have slot-loading disc drives. The CDJ-3000 dropped the drive. If the player has one, try a pressed CD and a burned CD-R. Listen for slow loading, skips, grinding and discs that won't eject. If you never play discs, a weak drive matters less, but price it in rather than ignoring it.
Firmware and software support
Note the firmware version shown in the player's settings or utility screen and compare it with the current version on AlphaTheta's support site (Pioneer DJ's support has moved there) or, for Denon players, Engine DJ's download pages. A unit that can't finish an update is a warning sign.
Software support matters more than firmware. When we checked:
- USB export. rekordbox's USB export page lists the CDJ-3000, CDJ-2000NXS2, CDJ-2000NXS, CDJ-900NXS, CDJ-850, XDJ-RX2 and XDJ-RX3. The original CDJ-2000 is not on that list, so confirm it reads your rekordbox exports before buying one.
- Connecting to a computer. AlphaTheta's macOS Tahoe 26 compatibility page lists the CDJ-3000, CDJ-2000NXS2, CDJ-900NXS, XDJ-RX2 and XDJ-RX3, and says models not listed are no longer supported. The CDJ-2000NXS, CDJ-2000 and CDJ-850 are not listed. That matters if you want to use a player as a controller or sound card with a laptop; it does not stop it playing USB sticks.
- Retired products. The rekordbox FAQ says some products discontinued for a long time may no longer be supported, naming the XDJ-R1 and several older DDJ controllers.
- Stick formats. The rekordbox FAQ lists the CDJ-3000 and XDJ-RX3 (and newer units) as reading exFAT. Older players are not on that list, so if you mix generations, format your sticks the way rekordbox's file system chart recommends for the oldest player.
- Library formats. AlphaTheta's notice on USB devices says newer units such as the CDJ-3000X read the newer OneLibrary format while the CDJ-3000 and CDJ-2000NXS2 read Device Library, and recommends exporting with rekordbox 7.2.11 or later so your playlists appear on both.
- Denon. Engine DJ's hardware page lists the SC5000 Prime and SC6000 Prime as Engine DJ OS players. Prepare a test stick in the current Engine DJ desktop software and make sure the player reads it, playlists and cue points included.
Buying a matching pair
Two of the same model running the same firmware will feel identical under your hands and share every Pro DJ Link feature. Mixing generations works, but the jog feel and screens differ and you only get what both players support. Ask for both serial numbers and both firmware versions, and ask for a short video showing the two players linked, one browsing the other's stick.
Usage and history
Ask where the players lived: a bedroom, a mobile rig or a club install. Then look for shiny, smooth patches on Play and Cue, a worn jog surface, scratches around the media slots, missing feet and cracked corners from drops. If the seller quotes a number of hours, ask how they measured it. Ask whether anything has been repaired or replaced and by whom.
If you are pairing players with a mixer, read our mixer guide, and before paying anyone, read how to spot fakes and test gear remotely.
