DDJ-400 vs. DDJ-200 direct straight to-the-point gear comparison. Which one should you buy? The two controllers in question are both now archived Pioneer DJ controllers, making this comparison most useful if you’re shopping used.
When choosing between DDJ-200 and the DDJ-400 there are a few important things that you need to keep in mind. The purpose of this article is to help you decide and make a good purchase that will satisfy all your DJ gear needs.
If you’re interested in other modern DJ controllers suitable both for beginners and more advanced performers check out our extensive article about DJ gear we recommend here: What Equipment Do You Need To DJ?
Let’s go over all of the most important points comparing these two devices.
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Pioneer DDJ-200 vs. DDJ-400 – full specification comparison
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DDJ-200 does not have a built-in sound card
What does this mean for you? With the DDJ-200 you will have to connect your speakers directly to your laptop/smartphone, because this controller does not have its own audio connector outputs.
You will have to connect your laptop or a smartphone to the DDJ-200 via USB and then from there connect your speakers directly to the laptop’s/smartphone audio jack output.
The DDJ-200’s USB connection powers the controller and handles control data, but the controller has no built-in audio interface. Audio is output from your computer or mobile device, with the included split-cable setup available for separate master and headphone cueing.
The DDJ-400 on the other hand features a sound card and an RCA output and you will be able to connect your speakers directly to the unit using appropriate cables.
The DDJ-200 also doesn’t feature channel gain control knobs (trim knobs) so you won’t be able to tweak and fine tune the gain of each mixer channel on the device itself. The LED channel level indicators are also not present on the DDJ-200 while the DDJ-400 has small channel level indicator lights for each mixer channel.
The last difference here is that while you can adjust the headphones playback volume directly on the DDJ-400 by using a dedicated knob, you cannot do that on the DDJ-200 – the master gain, headphone gain and trim knobs aren’t present on the DDJ-200 and you have to adjust all these things in the software you’re using.
The whole loop section containing the loop start/end buttons and the reloop button is missing from the DDJ-200 and it’s present on the DDJ-400.
While on the DDJ-200 you won’t be able to control loops using physical buttons, the whole loop functionality is easily accessible from the DJ app of your choice.
For example in the WeDJ app you will be able to choose the loop settings in-app and then control the loops using the performance pads section.
DDJ-200 has no track selection controls
This means that you can’t select a track from your library using the buttons on the DDJ-200. You will have to go through the track selection process on your PC or mobile device each time you want to load a new track.
The DDJ-400 features both the knob for choosing tracks and navigating through the library and load buttons for each mixer channel.
The performance pads
The DDJ-200 features 8 hard plastic performance pads without the pad mode buttons.
The DDJ-400 has 8 rubbery performance pads and pad mode selection buttons above them.
Both in DDJ-200 and the DDJ-400 the pads are clicky (although the DDJ-200’s seem to have a considerably louder click), not velocity-sensitive, and they feel nearly the same in terms of software control.
The DDJ-200 does not feature pad mode selection buttons so for changing the behavior of the pad section mid-performance you will have to use your mobile device’s screen.
| Pioneer DDJ-200 on eBay: |
| Pioneer DDJ-400 on eBay: |
There is no dedicated sound FX section on the DDJ-200
The DDJ-400 has its own FX section alongside with pad mode selection buttons over the pad section.
The DDJ-200 makes up for it’s lack of dedicated sound FX section with two ways to control effects from the hardware level.
One way is to go into your mixing app and assign sound color FX to the filter/sound color fx knobs below the equalizer on the mixer section (the knobs labeled CFX), the second way is to use the transition FX controlled with a button located over the crossfader.
The buttons that let you change the performance pad modes also aren’t present on the DDJ-200.
DDJ-200 is made with mobile devices in mind
The DDJ-200 is much smaller and much more compact than the DDJ-400 as it is made with mobile devices in mind. It is meant to be used with smartphones and tablets and carried around in a bag. While targeting mobile devices the DDJ-200 can also be used with the Rekordbox software on your PC or your laptop.
The DDJ-200 lacks numerous important hardware controls – the designers expect the user to mess around with the mobile device a lot and thus they haven’t included library browsing controls, dedicated FX section, gain controls and so on. Those features are meant to be accessed only in-app which can be challenging at times especially with a small mobile device’s touch display.
There is also quite a large difference in weight and size here.
Learn more here: What Equipment Do You Really Need To DJ? – Gear Recommendations
Both devices feature only 2 mixer channels
Two mixer channels are enough for many people and most of the time are certainly enough for beginner DJs however if you want to start off by building a future proof and extensible setup you might want to consider getting a 4-channel DJ controller from the slightly higher price point such as the AlphaTheta DDJ-GRV6 or Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10.
DJ Software integration
With current rekordbox 7, both the DDJ-400 and DDJ-200 are Hardware Unlock devices. Connecting either controller unlocks rekordbox Performance mode without requiring a paid subscription.
If you want to use the DDJ-200 with Rekordbox you will have to have it connected to your PC when you use the software (the unit acts as a software activation dongle).
You can use both the DDJ-200 and the DDJ-400 with your laptop or your PC and with your mobile devices.
Microphone input
The DDJ-400 features a microphone jack input but the only microphone level control is a small knob located on the back of the device. The microphone input is stacked on top of the general audio output of the device.
The DDJ-200 doesn’t have a microphone input so you won’t be able to use your mic with the device unless you are using an external audio mixer.
Which one should you choose?
All things considered the Pioneer DDJ-200 is a very basic budget device that is meant either for yet unsure beginners or strictly for mobile use. It lacks many key features that the Pioneer DDJ-400 offers for a similar price.
It’s important to add that many features that are present in the DDJ-400 are also accessible while mixing with the DDJ-200 but you have to use the mobile app interface to get to them and this is generally not an efficient solution.
Overall whether it’s your first DJ controller, you search for a sturdy DJ controller for your curious kid or you want to find some portable gear for mobile usage the Pioneer DDJ-200 will be a great choice.
If you want to take a little but meaningful step further, save yourself some money on a future upgrade and start off learning how to DJ with all the core vital functions present on the hardware level you are far better off choosing the Pioneer DDJ-400.
In conclusion, the Pioneer DDJ-400 is a better choice hardware wise and overall a better choice for a beginner. It offers much more for a little more money, still supports rekordbox 7 Hardware Unlock when connected and is more comfortable to use. All that while still keeping a somewhat portable form factor.
Is it worth getting a used DDJ-400?
If you are tight on the budget you might be considering compensating for the DDJ-400 price by buying it used. Keep in mind that there are many risks that come along with getting used DJ equipment.
You don’t need the previous owner’s old rekordbox license to use a second-hand DDJ-400 with Rekordbox 7 – the controller itself is a supported Hardware Unlock device.
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