The first question to ask is what exactly do you want from your CD decks? Are they only for bedroom use or will they be used at parties or in clubs? For bedroom use, there are lots of basic models that allow us to mix two tracks together, but have few other features.
Are you going to beat match and mix tracks together or just play tracks one after the other? If you don’t intend to mix tracks together then the most basic of CD DJ player will suffice. If you do want to mix tracks together, as most of us will, then you are going to need decks that have pitch control and some means of manually manipulating the CD. This second function normally comes in the form of a jog wheel, which emulates the appearance of a traditional vinyl turntable.
Just how much do you want to be able to manipulate the CD? If you only want to search for cue points or move the track forwards/backwards, then most, if not all, CD decks will do this. If you want to manipulate the CD as you would a vinyl record, then you will need to purchase a CD deck that has a ‘vinyl-mode’ setting. Modern CD decks with vinyl-mode even allow us to scratch on a CD, exactly as we would on a vinyl turntable.
» Read more: How to Choose CD Decks – What to Look For in a CD DJ Player