Pioneer DDJ-1000 phono audio quality really poor

No I get it, and it was my cynical assumption when I first saw the DDJ-1000.
Having said that, I understand that since Pioneer Electonics sold off Pioneer DJ, the aim of the game has been to raise the value of the company by diversifying the product line. I get that they pack a lot in to their high end controllers and build quality, perhaps longevity will be the trade off.
But actually, when you cost down the system, the fact that external hardware does most of the work, that takes a huge part of the build cost away vs a standalone unit... it’s still an attractive proposition since it delivers the CDJ DJM experience at a price point...
It’s a popular product for that very reason, and I’m sure it’s delivering a good profit margin.

It’s also clear that many of the Pioneer DJ lineup share components with each other, externally and internally, so whilst not expecting the same performance as a DJM900, I’d still expect the lower end products with less features to deliver the critical stuff well. Audio is just that. The nuts and bolts.
As you know, Pulse, others on here have derided the DJM 250K for having phono stages that share the muffled, flat, tinny audio characteristics of the DDJ-1000 phono stage. Maybe they share components?
I think Pioneer DJ assumed the majority of customers won’t use it in this capacity so they let it slide.

To be clear, I wasn’t expecting amazing, but as others pointed out about the DJM250K, there are far cheaper mixers, current and old... ancient, which can outperform these units when it comes to analogue vinyl.
I’m sure a passible phono stage could have been sourced for relatively little extra, given the volumes Pioneer DJ require. Its fairly primitive technology we are talking about.

I appreciate your suggestion of external phono stages, which ultimately should be a better solution. I just think the stock solution is so poor that it sucks balls.

Thanks for understanding and sorry the solution sucks as much as the internal option!

It would have been better if in the specifications was mentioned that the phono inputs are designed for DVS. For my purchase I have read the specs and the manual. Nowhere I could find that the phono inputs are only intended for DVS. If I had known that, I might have chosen another controller. At the price point of the DDJ-400, I can imagine that quality has been cut. I know that the DDJ-1000 is not the top model, but at least I'd expected a reasonable quality. I am really disappointed in Pioneer.

4 times a year a play a gig with vinyl. I hope the phono quality can be inproved with the next firmware release.

I had the same issue.. You have to switch the toggle switch on the back panel of the DDJ-1000, near the RCA inputs from Line to Phone for each deck. This phono / line switch is different from the channel switch on the top panel of the unit for each channel.

Then you will get the normal volume from your turntables.:)

Hi guys new to this forum so be kind... looking to buy the ddj 1000 and have been doing a lot of research into it and came across several threads here mainly and reddit... Is there still a problem with this preamp/grounding issue people have been reporting or is this sorted now? Been mixing vinyl for 30 years and looking into getting this setup to go with my 1200's this setup is aimed at people like me who want to plug there decks in aswell as getting to grips of mp3 mixing at tje same time .. best of both worlds right?!!... was all ready to go ahead and buy and then this story pops up!!! Now I can understand both sides of the argument but I am siding with the punter if this is a issue. First of all i thought this might be 'apple' syndrome ie locked into using all of the same companies software and devices... I thought ok if thats the way it is then fine will buy the DVS and No 2 box thingy to go with it surely that will be set up to play my old vinyl and also use the time code vinyl supplied to boot... but no there is a problem with that setup too apparently ... it will play your time code vinyl but when it comes to playing old vinyl all sounds muddy or low level.. but if you want to rip your vinyl to the software that works fine (weird)... Ok so ive done the rounds and cant find anymore information. Can someone please let me know the latest on this a need to make a decision on buying soon thanks in advance ... oh ps if there still is a problem whats thr best workaround? cheers

As mentioned in the official comment, the phono input stage is designed for DVS. For DVS the sound quality is less important. For the best sound quality you should buy a pair of CDJ's and a separate mixer. This is much more expensive but sounds better. 

Another solution would be, go for the DDJ-1000 and buy an extra pair of phono preamps. You connect your turntable to the phono preamp input and connect the phono preamp output to the DDJ-1000. Be sure to set the DDJ-1000 input switch to line. Because the sensivity of the DDJ-1000 line inputs is low, you must use a phono pre amp with a high gain. For example the Pro-Ject S2 ultra, which you can set to a gain of 43 dB. I think the sound quality of the Pro-Ject S2 ultra is even better than a Pioneer DJ mixer.

Pioneer has the Interface 2 for Rekordbox, which has 2 phono preamps inside. They claim good sound quality, but I don't know if this unit works stand alone. If it doesn't work stand alone, it connects to Rekordbox and I don't know if that works well with the DDJ-1000.

I personaly own a DDJ-1000 and have build a pair of phono amplifiers myself.

Hi Guys.. had a look online tonight would this preamp work it has 4 channel inputs probs not best quality but would be a improvement "ANLEON MX200 Stereo Line Mixer 4 Channel Mixer" cheap but do the job? Cheers

The ANLEON MX200 is not a good choice because it does not have an MD
(Magnetic Dynamic) preamp. You can recognize such an amplifier by the
phono input. A Moving Magnet (MM) turntable cartridge provides an
output of 1 to 9 mV, a typical line input requires 300 mV voltage 
(the DDJ-1000 line input even more). To prevent high tones from 
drowning in the noise of a record, these are recorded at a higher 
level according to the RIAA standard. In an MD (phono) preamp, 
amplification takes place and frequency correction according to the 
RIAA curve. Moving Coil (MC) Cartridges are also available for HiFi 
and Hi-End. For DJ use there are only Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges.
The DDJ-1000 also contains 2 phono preamps, but they have cut back on
this because the phono input is only intended for DVS. 
I have been looking for a suitable solution. Although I haven't heard 
it myself, the ART DJpre II may be a good solution. It is inexpensive, 
has a high gain and has good reviews. The only negative thing I found 
is the bright blue power LED, but you can stick a piece of tape over 
it.

Jan Maas once again thanks i figured that preamp would be no good anyway as it would need to have 2 separate outputs to work for the setup I intended.. I will have a look at the ART djpre sounds promising also im looking to get one of those Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen audio interfaces for my new home studio setup will this be any use? Any help appreciated thanks ... oh one last thing anyone reading this with same problem a good place to start is to check your needle and headshell alignment... you can get a lot of distortion this way as most of us will be using spherical mm needles and these are prone to it... loads of good youtube videos out there.. this is a good starting point... cheers

Focusrite makes good audio interfaces. You can use them to record from microphone, from instument or from a device such as a phono amplifier. You can use them as improvement of your PC soundcard when prepairing your music. When you buy one with 2 separate headphones outputs, 4 mono output channels (or 2 stereo output channels) you can also use it as backup when during a gig your controller stops working. In such a case, connect your soundcard to your laptop and in Rekordbox select your USB audio interfacecard for main left and right. Configure output 3 & 4 for your headphone and plug your headphone to the second headphone output. In Rekordbox you select the virtual mixer and then you can continue to DJ with your mouse. Of course you can not DJ as with a controller, but you can play.

I fully agree with you that the stylus (needle) has a huge impact on the sound quality. It is the stylus that must be able to follow the grooves of a record. Correct sylus tracking is also important. Youtube has videos on that. For DJ use an elliptical shaped stylus gives you the most musical details. Ortofon Concorde CLUB uses a modified elliptical stylus, known as "special elliptical" which can stand up to heavy backcueing, unlike traditional elliptical styli.

To compensate  for the impact of the inductance of the coils in a phono cartridge you need a capacitor. In some phonopreamplifiers that capacitor has a fixed value. The Concorde Night Club MKII needs 200 - 600 pF. The ART DJpre has 2 options 100pF or 200pF. The cable capacitance is mostly somewhere between 50 - 100pF. So when setting it to 200pF, the total load capacity is 250 - 300pF which is in the range for that cartridge. Setting the capacitance is an option most DJ equipment doesn't have. 

Hi Jan Maas thanks again for that... got the 2i2 for my studio but that info worth knowing.. I have the Ortofon Concorde scratch in neon pink mrk 1s I believe... think that they have Spherical needles on... whats the ideal setup with those or would you still use Art preDJ 2?

Hey Pioneer, one more question about this. I have Technics 1200s plugged into the Pioneer Interface 2, then to the DDJ1000. If I get a preamp, would it interfere with the DVS? Also, would I add the Preamp between the decks and DVS, or between the DVS and controller? 

If you're only using DVS, then the audio quality of the built-in pre-amp is not an issue and it would be a waste of money. If you wanted better quality for analog vinyl, then yes, you could consider a separate pre-amp connected to the line input.

I'm a DJM 750mk2 owner who has purchased two separate Pre-amps so that I can have decent quality analogue audio. One of the things I don't get about Pioneer's stance in this, is why they lean heavily on the assumption that people with vinyl decks will be satisfied with DVS only. Who on earth has decks without vinyl? And why would they not want to appreciate them in as full a way as their digital counterparts? As I said, I have a DJM mixer, a decent one at that. These mixers have a heritage that should have been upheld - as a priority. If it is not the case on a DJM then it's no wonder it doesn't happen elsewhere in their line-up. Unfortunately it does smack of style over substance and it makes it clear about their target market throughout their range. Unfortunately for Pioneer DJ the vinyl market isn't going away, if anything it's getting stronger, so I would highly recommend that you address this issue as a priority. Having said that, I am aware that your latest product suggests this will be anything but the case.

I regret to say that the quality of the line preamps are not of great quality either. I have connected my technics 1200 to the line inputs through a quality NAD phono amp and despite that, the quality is still poor. I would like to know if there is any way to do some electronic DIY, some replacement modification of the op Amp of the controlle

We do not recommend modifying or altering your DDJ.