Numark NDX200 CD Player review

Numark’s latest foray into the CD player market comes in the form of three new models; the NDX200, NDX400 and NDX 800. The NDX200 is their entry level model and at well under £150, is their most affordable in the range.

Out of the box, the NDX200 looks fairly robust and its nice compact size means it has a small footprint, making it suitable for people with even the most limited space available. While the case is slightly plasticky, the inclusion of a metal faceplate on the top of the unit makes it feel more rugged.

The layout is logical and simplistic, with only the bare essential functions for mixing included. The stripped down NDX200 is perfect for those just starting out as it allows users to concentrate on learning to mix rather than getting bogged down with tons of features.

The NDX200 boasts a smooth, sturdy jog wheel with a backlit rim, making it ideal for use in the dark. The NDX200’s pitch fader has a smooth response and a nice long track, meaning fine pitch adjustments can be easily achieved. Other pitch controls include pitch bend buttons (for temporarily adjusting the pitch and tempo up or down) and a button for adjusting the range of the pitch fader (±4%, 8%, and 16%).

All the controls you’d expect are present such as an eject button, a play/pause button, a cue button, a search button (for scanning through the music), a track knob (to select a track), a time button (to switch the time display between elapsed playing time, remaining time on the track, and total remaining time on the entire CD), a single button (to toggle between single play (the deck will stop at the end of each track) or continuous play (the entire disc will be played without interruption)) and a program button (to program the tracks to play in a particular sequence).

“The NDX200’s uncluttered layout and affordability make it a great choice for beginners or those on a tight budget”

In use, the NDX200 is intuitive and simplistic and in no time at all I’d worked out all the functions and was mixing with no problems. Numark have included a nifty looping section on the NDX200, which asides from being incredibly easy to use, is great for spicing up the mix a bit and works very well indeed. The jog wheel is responsive as is the pitch fader, making the NDX200 fun to mix with.

Minor gripes of the NDX200 would be it’s lack of a scratch function and a slot loading mechanism for loading the CD’s (the NDX200 has a CD tray instead), which Numark have reserved for it’s NDX400 and NDX800 models.

The NDX200’s uncluttered layout and affordability make it a great choice for beginners or those on a tight budget. I’d recommend the NDX400 or NDX800 to those looking for more features but for an introduction to CD mixing, you can’t go far wrong here.

Review: Ben Daly

Find out more about the Numark NDX200 CD Player at Juno Records