Denon DNS-3700- CDJ Killer?..
Denon are just about to release the very versatile looking DNS-3700 which is being hailed as a threat to the Pioneer CDJ series. It boasts a nine-inch direct drive vinyl platter, MIDI mapping, USB drive connectivity, hot cues and effects. All this sounds great, however it’s going to retail at £899, which is about £150 more than a Pioneer CDJ-1000 Mk.3. Back to the drawing board I think for Denon;).
Ed Mayes 
January 16, 2009 at 9:56 PM
Or they could just drop the price…
January 16, 2009 at 10:01 PM
They could but realistically they would need to drop them down to around £600-£650 to be a viable alternative to the CDJ-1000 Mk.3:). Can’t see that happening unless http://www.decks.co.uk are way out with the estimated price;).
January 18, 2009 at 4:04 PM
We don’t think that this is the end for the Pioneer CDJ-1000 because the Denon DND3700 is dedicated a different audience.
May 2, 2009 at 11:18 PM
The Denon DNS3700 is dedecated to a variety of audience like Dj’s and Producers.Anyone who has doubts about the DNS 3700 obviously has not originated from a vinyl backround.The pioneer CDJ is an excellent attempt at catering for a vinyl Dj and a CD Dj but was mainly aimed at trying to take over the vinyl market where as the Denon is aimed at all aspects eg Vinyl,CD,Digital,midi etc…The comparason between a CDJ and a Denon towards playing vinyl,The Denon comes out tops.(Hands Down).Pioneer have a hard job ahead at trying to compare there next CDJ with the quality and versatility of the DNS3700.
June 19, 2009 at 12:07 AM
people said the exact same things about the dns3500 and look where that thing is now.. i owned one. never a denon deck again.
October 16, 2011 at 6:39 AM
What alot of people do not know is Denon created the first compact disc player back in the early eighties. When i comes to audiophilia, Denon has about a 100-125-year history.
January 18, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Can see where you are coming from but it’s clear that Denon would love to be in as many clubs as the CDJ-1000. If the price is around £900 then clearly they are not going to challenge the CDJ-1000s as being the industry standard CD deck.
January 18, 2009 at 5:16 PM
Yeah, that’s one of Denon’s main problems! Pioneer have had the monopoly of the club scene for so many years now, Since 1999 I believe. Just the same as Technics with their Technics SL1210 Turntable, that was massive for what? 30 years?
Denon DNS3700 certainly has opened the eyes of some very pro DJs and showed them that they are really serious with the release of this player, but only time will tell if they can really break into the club scene.
What is interesting though is that if Denon do manage to really have a major impact with this one, will Pioneer be forced to make a Pioneer CDJ1000 MK4 which possibly incorporates the use USB functionality into a CDJ-1000?
Now that would be interesting!
May 2, 2009 at 11:25 PM
Never mind the usb function in a CDJ 1000 MK4,Is pioneer going to launch an industry standard CDJ which caters for all types of Dj eg:Vinyl,CD,Digital,Midi etc…and will it have a direct drive spinning platter like Denon.(they haven’t mastered it yet).Technics lasted 30+ years for a good reason.
January 18, 2009 at 5:24 PM
The Mk.4 will have USB functionality as the CDJ-400 has for about half the price, not sure what else Pioneer could add though;).
January 23, 2009 at 7:52 AM
I have been looking this DNS3700 and sh*t they look real nice. I have a DNS 1200 and I am happy with it. I cannot see why the Pioneer CDJ has been an industry standard while Denon has been in it for quite a long time with their CD-DJ Racks.(sorry for pio fans).
The reason why it is expensive is because it is included with a dd motor. and yes it is catered to a different market. but still both are mm players and it will depend on the dj’s preference.
but i am excited on this one, and i want one.
January 23, 2009 at 12:36 PM
The advantage that the DNS-3700 has over the CDJ-1000 is it will take USB devices- thats a big selling point for Denon;). I think the price will be a lot cheaper elsewhere in the world (I’m in the UK), prices are being quoted as low as just over $1000 in the US, which brings it into line with the rest of the CDJ series;).
January 23, 2009 at 12:41 PM
We always get stitched on price in the UK. The problem is that we have a greedy government!
Once the Denon DNS3700 has been out for a while, the retailers will have no choice but to knock a few pounds off and brong it in line with the rest of the CDJ players on the market.
January 23, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Totally agree- Denon usually do drop their prices after a few months of the products being out. If it were to retail for slightly less than the CDJ-1000s then clearly DJs have a better choice in the market;).
January 24, 2009 at 3:41 AM
!? in the us the cdj1000mk3 are 1500$ EACH ! but the denons are the same (899$) from where ever you guy are from, thats crazy and thats the lowest price i could find ? wtf
January 24, 2009 at 1:46 PM
Well I’m not sure about the prices apart from those in the UK- however if they are $899 in America then I’d say they certainly are worth a look;).
January 24, 2009 at 7:10 PM
ive seen them for $749 at djdeals.
January 25, 2009 at 9:46 AM
I have a question as far as concerned about the denon dns 3700 . Is the dns 3700 able to hold memory of the cds like the hot cues A,B,C that pioneer provides with an sd card? Well if this is possible then we should be talking about the best new cd/mp3 player.I ‘d love to have one
January 26, 2009 at 5:08 AM
In the US, they sell for $900, which is about 450 quid. So decks UK is selling em way more expensive!
February 15, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Well.Ive been waiting for new version of 3500 which I have got and…it is too expansive.What if wait few months and price will be still the same?Waste of time for me.They should drop price by end of march.I like new features of it.Why you think new 3700 is dedicated to other djs(scratch only)?
So if buy from us do I have to pay tax iF live in UK?
February 15, 2009 at 3:14 PM
The price is £899 including VAT according to the major retailers in UK, which as I’ve said before is very steep.
February 15, 2009 at 4:04 PM
Yeah, it is expensive. But the CDJ-1000 is the same sort of money (give or take) and has hardly any features. If they ever release a CDJ-1000 mk4 then I think people wouldn’t think that £800 is too expensive for that, so why should it be any different for Denon products.
February 15, 2009 at 6:17 PM
Denon always be a cheaper that Pio.so im susprised!!
February 15, 2009 at 6:22 PM
Price is £ 899,so why could not be about 700 like cdj 1000.British goverment is greedy so in US you pay about 1000 bucks and in Uk 900 £.So wrong.
February 15, 2009 at 6:33 PM
The CDJ-Mk.3 is the industry standard CD deck and really only lacks the effects of the 3700. To be honest Denon need to try and concentrate on price rather than features such as spinning vinyl platters because I hate to be brutal here, no one buys a CDJ to be exactly the same as a turntable. You can buy a DVS system for that.
I do agree that the tax in the UK is an issue, it could go up to 18.5% after the downturn.
February 16, 2009 at 1:24 AM
All you dj’s are fake. Pioneer,Sucks. Its only good because it does the job and all the dj’s out their can’t do anything on their own. Technices all most did it but there loading time was off denon is smart who knows they probably got premission from technic to copy their platter. Its time for the real dj’s to come back.
Watch the denon 3700 it is going to become the industry standerd mark my word weak dj’s is time for you to say bye bye.
February 17, 2009 at 10:49 PM
DJ 1 – crap post… crap spelling… crap opinion
March 4, 2009 at 10:22 PM
You ask why Pioneer is the Standard and Denon is not? Simple. Pitch control and riding the pitch. Denon’s flag ship CD players have absolutely horrid control over the pitch. You can’t sit there and ride it like you can on a CDJ 1000…at all. I’ve played on them both and its night and day. Denon’s DO HAVE MORE FEATURES, you can’t argue that. They do not however, do the most basic and essential things as well as pioneers. That is why they are 2nd best…and they will continue to be second best until they do that.
The vast majority of clubs and DJs do not care about powered turntable motors. Scratch DJs spin vinyl or use Serato or Torque. Beatmixing DJs use 1200s, Serato, or good CD decks with passable pitch control. Denon is catering to some very small niche of DJs and wondering why they get overlooked?
Plus, look at the layout of a Denon CDJ and a Pioneer CDJ. Pioneer is much more intuitive. It is much easier to navigate the CDJ 1000 than the Denon 3500 or 3700. Much much much easier.
That’s why 1200s are the standard despite Stanton, Numark, and Vestax releasing turntables with more features, stronger motors, and all kindsa crazy stuff. No one gives a flying crap about features if it dosent to the basics perfectly. Pioneer knows that…Denon does not.
June 5, 2009 at 9:41 AM
“Denon’s flag ship CD players have absolutely horrid control over the pitch.”
I don’t know what you’re smoking, but Denon’s Pitch control is just as accurate and useful as the Pioneer’s.
“The vast majority of clubs and DJs do not care about powered turntable motors. Scratch DJs spin vinyl or use Serato or Torque.”
You do know that both hose sentences contradict each other, right? lol
“ook at the layout of a Denon CDJ and a Pioneer CDJ. Pioneer is much more intuitive. It is much easier to navigate the CDJ 1000 than the Denon 3500 or 3700. Much much much easier.”
It’s painfully obvious that you have not used or played with the 3700. If you had, you would easily see and know that the deck is laid out very well. Buttons are placed in such a way that they actually make perfect sense while using the deck.. By the way, how many buttons do you have to push to record a hot start on the Pio 1000’s? On the 3700 it only takes one button to record, replay, and erase a hotstart… the Pio on the other hand takes three + steps before a hotstart is set. That’s not “intuitive” imo.
One one thing. I don’t know how anyone can honestly say that the Pioneer 1000 MK series of decks feel anything like a reall turntable. Those scratch discs they use feel like plastic… the same type of plastic found on Fisher Price toy turntable.
One more thing. The only reason why more clubs have Pio in them is not because they are a club standard, it’s because they were the first company to release a table top cd turntable that appealed to club jocks.
There are much better options out there right now than the Pioneer CDJ series of decks. it’s just too bad that the “lemmings” out there can’t see the light. 😦
July 10, 2009 at 6:34 PM
TRUE I Have 3 and the pitch is all over the place…I wont be buying Denon for some time to come.
And when I email Denon support, and MSG it seems like it was a known issue…Has it been corrected in teh new 3700??
March 13, 2009 at 6:54 PM
I disagree with you Scy. For one the Denon S3700 has a very deep pitch resolution. And honestly, 1200’s would be spec’ wise a lower pitch resolutino than the CDJ 1000 and they’ve been around for ages and are still in use. So the whole pitch thing seems baseless. Especially since denon cd players have been around since the early 90’s.
Pioneers have only one thing going for them since the inception of the dj series. the DJM mixers. That’s what put them on the map. Now folks are realizing that the mixers are OKAY, but way overpriced. No wonder bozak mixers and 1200’s still reign in price and quality. Bozak sounds better any day than a pioneer. So I call BS on your post
March 13, 2009 at 7:01 PM
The 3700 certainly looks a better bet now that the price of the CDJ-1000s has gone up. The lack of waveform on CDs is a bit of an oversight though:(.
March 22, 2009 at 7:03 PM
I have always been a fan of the pioneer cdj series… I recently took a look at the denon 3700 and I must say I was impressed… its a pretty good system.
Here in the US the denon 3700 are about $900 and the cdj 1000 are $1500… pioneer has been the industry standard for a while now but to tell you the truth, livin in NYC kinda changes that… every club uses different systems and to be honest I hardly see clubs with the pioneer systems… I play mostly reggae parties and denon seems to be the system that most DJs and clubs prefer over here.
At the end of the day the system is only as good as the DJ… u r always gonna wish features on one was on the other. Different strokes 4 different folks.
April 1, 2009 at 12:30 PM
waveform only available through pc software and the screen is too small. this deck has some good points but not enough to knock cdj of the top spot.
April 6, 2009 at 10:49 PM
Call Bs on my post…go look it up. CDJ 200s and 1000s offer .02% pitch increments. The 3500s by Denon only allowed .1%
The mechanism (IE fader itself) is also much more wobbly and less precise than pioneers. The 3700s have the tech specs on par or close enough .05% increments…but I still think they feel “cheap” compared to a pioneer deck in good shape.
That’s my preference, however. Calling BS on my post though, when the older denons WERE techinically inferior, is kinda lame 😦
April 10, 2009 at 11:07 AM
The thing is that we retailers have been stitched on dj equipment prices for years, in reflection – I have to stick up for the retailer here in the sense that we are just trying to make a realistic profit.
I agree with one user above where he says that Denon should concentrate their efforts on style and usability rather than fancy features.
As a DJ, I am an avid fan of the Pioneer CDJ-1000 and I don’t really care about spinning platters and effects as I am used to the Pioneer’s static platter and … I have effects on my mixer – I don’t need them on my cd player!
May 6, 2009 at 12:29 AM
They now retail for £845 which is £50 less than the 1000s in the UK, Denon may get a few more takers at that price point.
May 7, 2009 at 4:19 PM
decks now sell the 1000s for £899 pioneer have put all there prices up
June 2, 2009 at 7:17 AM
I have used pio’s and Denons both. MK3 1000 were great for what they are CD/MP3’s players. CDJ MK3 1000’s are dated, It’s not even in the same class as a media player. I own a set of DN S5500 I don’t really use cd’s anymore. I mostly use a high end 16 gig thumb drive and a keyboard. I thought it was wierd at 1st but now that I am used to it a Media player is far superior to simple cd/mp3 player there is no comparison. I have also used my decks with Traktor witch I find is a better program than Serato till they catch up anyways. Midi is awsome, You can also shut the spinning platter off and use it to control pitch. Anyways a Media controller and software is the future of DJing. SL scratch has brought back the turntablist. You can easily see where this is all heading. Denon is Just one of the first company to do the 1st generation Media player right. Pio will have to take a look at what Denon is doing and improve on it or pack it in. Especially with there usb Decks Loading software very slow. Anyway If you really look at it I’m just calling it how it is.
July 9, 2009 at 12:06 AM
I’ve used both the CDJ1000MK3, and the Denon DNS3700 before it was available on the market. The price of a the cdj1000mk3 is $1999.00 CAD
the DNS is selling for $1075 CAD, same price as a cdj800. Hands down the DNS3700 is the better choice by far…I can’t say enough good things about these. They will be the CDJ killer!
July 10, 2009 at 6:30 PM
I have the D3500 3 of them and I had nothing put problems with 2 out of the 3.
The plater and the pitch will just speed up even when your hand is off the pitch. Which makes it dangerous if yoru playing out.
Just saw the new model , looks really good. But I’m too scared to ever buy another Denon
July 10, 2009 at 6:38 PM
These are now down to £769 at http://www.westenddj.co.uk, the CDJ1000s now at a staggering £1099. If I was in the market for a CD/USB player then now the DNS 3700 has to be a front runner:).
July 13, 2009 at 1:26 PM
The 3700’s are toys compared to the 1000’s drop one (not hard) and find out durability is why there the standard!!!!!
August 27, 2009 at 6:38 PM
https://edmayes.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/pioneer-dawn-of-a-new-species/- in case you aren’t aware of the new Pioneer CDJ coming next month:).
August 30, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Durability ????? The 1000’s are just bigger pieces of plastic than the 100’s
If you were to ever open up a pioneer deck All you would see is plastic and a couple of pc boards!!! Then you would ask yourself WHAT THE HELL DID I PAY FOR????? plastic and software is all that the pioneer decks are.
Open up a denon and you could at least see quality and what you paid for. Denon & Marantz have always been about quality, and now with this awsome deck coming in cheeper than the mk3’s, what more could you want?
September 10, 2009 at 2:46 AM
I bought a couple of the Denon 3500sfor my venue and had to replace them with the Pioneers. The Denons are nowhere near the quality of the Pioneer. Musci would just stop during playback, even the tinniest smudge would render the CD useless. This happened over and opever and over. I did the rescearch and figured the Denons are also industry standard. Now they are my home players. You Denon fans can harp all you want about personal preferences, but when your income depends on it (ie you own a venue and not just playing ion your bedroom) there is NO other option!
January 18, 2010 at 4:40 PM
I had a problem with my Denon skipping too mate
September 16, 2009 at 8:13 PM
I do earn my income, using Denon decks and have had almost no hassles for the last 3 years. The point I’m trying to make is in terms of value for money. I know of many guys that will tell a story similar to yours using 1000’s. The fact that the 1000’s are classed as the industry standard shouldn’t give pioneer the right to charge an arm & a leg for something that costs less than quarter of the retail price to manufacture.
Both decks have pro’s & cons, but as far as value for money, quality & durability is concerned, I think Denon wins hands down.
September 22, 2009 at 10:53 AM
man i think my wait is over,i was searching for a player like this
October 12, 2009 at 2:54 PM
I’m in the market for a new deck.. can’t make my decision between the new CDJ900, CDJ1000 MK3, Denon HS5500 or Denon DNS 3700… I love the fact that the Denon’s + CDJ900 have USB, I like the fact that the 900 and DNS3700 have waveform display (really handy)… what would decide it for me is the end product, how well I can use it and how long its going to last. The feedback on the 3500 is worrying for me… but is it really worth shelling out the money for the new CDJ’s or even the 1000MK3 (which can’t do my MP3 from HDD). The denon DNS3700 looks sweet.. I’ve watched some vids on it and it looks super easy to use.. but the deciding factor would be whether or not it can perform as required!! You guys are making this so damn hard Denon VS Pioneer.. lol.
November 14, 2009 at 5:40 PM
This denon 3700 got a waveform compared to the cdj 400
and the cdj 1000 is more expensive and doesnt work as a midi controller which obviously is the future
December 30, 2009 at 11:54 PM
I think the biggest difference between the CDJ-1000 and the DN-S3700 are the features and the price. But if you don’t need the features and don’t really care too much about the price…
Personally, I would choose for the DN-S3700, I’m just a little afraid about the durability… If you buy the CDJ-1000 you are sure it will last long, while with a new player, that just came out, you are not… And only time will tell…
Prices in Belgium are about 850€ for the Denon and about 1200€ for the pioneer
January 18, 2010 at 4:39 PM
I have owned Pioneer and Denon Decks here is what I come up with, Denon got all the fancy gadgets etc and flashing lights but there problem with the platters and the CD laser not playing would you want that in a club? Pioneer on the other hand are more like Toyota’s simple to use, and GET the job done. I personally favor Pioneer. Next move on to not real DJ. If I want to use vinyl Ill get a pair of Technics, what is the point Denon making a CDJ to be like Vinyl its like going one step forward and 2 step back. There system is so hard to use at times espically if your under pressure in a club etc. Pioneer on the other hand have just said screw this we use a new simple system with a reliable platter and good cd laser, we will create no moving parts but a amazing control unit, just like Toyota they have taken over the world because it works. My Choice is Pioneer all the way. People say its expensive etc, you look at second hand price you can always sell Pioneer but Denon are a hard sell as Im trying to sell my Denon s3700. Only confident firms can be expensive. Just like most cheap things that are made can be cheap because they are Toys but the Pioneer are tools. Tools make money! My Options are get the Pioneer CDJ400 if your on a budget and 900 or the 2000 if you loaded knowing that if you get either one you got a entry ticket to play in all the clubs in the world cheers
March 11, 2010 at 10:00 PM
feb 2010 i used the cdj 2000 and the denon 3700 on trucks for carnival both player worked well excellent quality. when it comes down to being creative the denon 3700 beats the pioneer cdj2000 hands down creativity is whats makes a dj a cd player from which he can express his skills with the cdj 2000 youre limited to creativity the denon 3700 is built for pure creativity and the price is good .pioneer needs to add a spinning platter so you can be more creative ,novice and beginner djs prefer the cdj but real pro djs prefer a spinning platter for the ultimate mixing scratching.
DJ SUBZERO 17 YEARS IN THE DJ BUSINESS
PIONEER 2000 = 8 PIONTS
DENON 3700 = 10 POINTS
April 13, 2010 at 12:50 AM
I’ve been a scratch mixer for the past 25 years and have tried every cd deck on the market since leaving the vinyl behind 4 years ago, I made do with the 1000 mk3’s as they are rock solid when it comes to getting the job done but still suffer with that slight latency when scratching. I hated all denons and found them a nightmare to pitch until 3 weeks ago, I tried the 3700’s for 35 minutes at a trade show then bought a couple! IF YOU MISS THE 1210 FEEL AND WANT TO SCRATCH LIKE ITS 1999 AGAIN THEN LOOK NO FUTHER! THEY ARE WICKED AND THE PITCH SLIDER HAS A MUCH BETTER FEEL NOW AND WORKS! All in all thay mix as well as the 1000’s mk3’s but feel LIKE A DECK and THEY SCRATCH BETTER THAN MY NS7!! Plus the fxs are great and the USB software works not like the 400’s which can take ages to load or drops the tracks from your thumb drive.
I played a 5 hour set on my 3700’s last Saturday and the only thing to wobble was me. Well done Denon! Its about time;o)
April 16, 2010 at 5:40 PM
Just wanted to say the denon 3500’s pitch is horrible ! Have also had the thing when your not even touching the pitch and then it suddenly speeds up for no reason !? Its almost as if the pitch bend button is being held down ??
I still own my technics 1210’s so am used to riding the pitch but when i tried on the denon 3500’s its impossible to do this!
This is what let it down for me but overall everything else was good!
I like the look of the new 3700’s just hoping that these problems have been sorted out?
Price is the only think thats off putting for me.. When im paying that much im just thinking i may as well buy a CDJ ?
decisons decisons 😉
August 15, 2010 at 3:31 AM
Pioneer=past, present, future, no other brands can ever take their place in the industry, nuff said
November 28, 2011 at 2:13 AM
The pioneer is known to play a dj, ñ has emotion, it is very mechanical thing amateur, I prefer denon 3700 coming close to the vinyl!
November 28, 2011 at 2:22 AM
And there are still people saying that the Pioneer is a rock, no one deserves to be serious, in youtube ERROR CDJ, and ask your questions, the more problematic cdj pioneer and that this is so true that already has an emergency kit, an iron p / eject cd!
May 18, 2012 at 6:32 PM
Need help pls on how to get improve on my dj equipment pls.any one it may concern,i need pioneer 1000 or cdn 3700 d paymen
May 21, 2012 at 11:43 PM
Go to http://www.besmusicgroup.com. I sell both units as well as the Beamz. Be sure to call me first before ordering. My phone number is 734-495-0515. musically yours,Gerry Cousins
August 16, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Denon have also been top of the range kit, unfortunately their pricing has always been top of the range too.
I tend to stay away now as there are far too many companies coming through with equally good kit with a lower price tag.
August 18, 2012 at 5:14 PM
You still cannot beat Denon’s history nor their quality. However, I understand about getting more for your money or for less money.
October 16, 2012 at 2:30 PM
i need DNS – 3700, how can i get it. I’m from Nigeria.
April 17, 2013 at 3:57 AM
I’m a Denon freak and this DNS – 3700 and they so great, i love them.i would really love to purchase two more of these from manufacturer. i want my next two from Denon manufacturer it self.